Ākāśavāni (आकाशवाणी) is a Sanskrit word meaning "celestial announcement," or "voice from the sky/heaven".
"Akashvani" was first used in the context of radio by M. V. Gopalaswamy after setting up the nation's first private radio station in his residence, "Vittal Vihar" (about 200 yards from AIR's current location in Mysore) in 1936 [REF].