MUMBAI: For the first time, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) and All India Radio (AIR) are partnering for the  radio coverage of the Amsterdam India Festival, the largest festival of Indian art and culture in the Netherlands.

All India Radio will broadcast these contributions, in English, in its network programming, reaching a potential of 350 million listeners in India.

The Dutch-Indian cultural event being held from 12 to 30 November, will be aired nationwide in India and worldwide by RNW. The Amsterdam India Festival offers a wide range of activities and events in the area of Indian art and culture, encompassing music, dance, film, architecture, debates, fashion, multimedia and exhibitions of Indian art.

The theme of the festival is Blended Cultures, in reference to the enormous diversity of cultures which co-exist in India and is also found in Amsterdam. Public broadcasters RNW and AIR will cover the event in Amsterdam. Commentaries, interviews and reports of performances will give listeners an insight into the events as they happen.

Through its network of 229 broadcast centres AIR covers an area of more than 90 per cent of the country. RNW and AIR are working together for the first time. RNW has recently been actively establishing partnerships with local Indian broadcasters, with its most recent tie up being with the Rajasthan based FM station Radio Chaska.

According to an official release, with this cooperative venture, RNW and AIR have paved the way for a future in which they can exchange and combine even more journalistic, cultural and technical know-how. Says  RNW's Director General Jan Hoek, "Radio Netherlands Worldwide works together with thousands of radio stations all over the world which broadcast our programmes. Increasingly we see stations keen to work with us on co-productions. It is a gratifying further step that the major radio broadcaster in India has also recognised the added value of our expertise....

According to Prasar Bharati CEO B S Lalli, We at All India Radio are pleased to be associated with Radio Netherlands Worldwide to cover the India festival which is taking place in Amsterdam. It gives us a chance I hope , to develop joint programming in days to come. It is indeed a good start and we look forward to a larger cooperation between us in future....