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Radio: A Theatre of the Mind
‘It will provide to all of us opportunities to showcase some of our pertinent problems and involve the larger society to work together to find a solution to them.’ T hese brave words were uttered by Meera, head of the water committee of Bagan, when told about the power of the Community Radio.Radio remains the most powerful mass medium for reaching a large number of any country’s population. It is a significant tool for the rapid dissemination of important messages on various issues of importance and provides a platform to express views, concerns and perceptions. Radio gives a power of imagination which television does not and, above all, it can be heard on the move also. But what is this radio all about and why is this in so much of discussions these days in India? Is it because of the growing numbers of FM music radio stations? Certainly not. It is because that the radio is now able to reach every Indian. Now India can claim to be a country with the democratic form of media in terms of community radio. Radio broadcasting in India was first started through private radio clubs in 1924. The first organised radio was in the name of Indian Broadcasting Company, licensed by the British Colonial government to operate from Bombay and Calcutta. In 1930 the company went bankrupt, so the stations were taken over by the Department of Labour and Industries and named as Indian State Broadcasting Corporation. Later, the corporation was renamed All India Radio (AIR) and came under the Department of Communications. After independence, AIR was made a separate department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and in 1957 it was renamed as Akashwani. Since then, for most of us, radio is Aakashvani, meaning ‘sound from the skies’. AIR followed the top down approach of reaching out to the masses and covered nearly 99% of India’s population. Radio, a powerful and effective medium, stayed under the strict control of government till recently and no one else was allowed to operate any radio services. In 1995, the Supreme Court of India directed the government to open up broadcasting. In doing so, it gave a rationale for community ownership of the airwaves. ‘Use of the airwaves, which is public property, must be regulated for its optimum use for public good for the greatest number… Broadcasting is a means of communication and, therefore, a medium of speech and statement. Hence, in democratic polity, neither any private individual, institution or organisation nor any government can claim exclusive rights over it. Our Constitution also forbids monopoly either in the print or electronic media…’ stated Justices Sawant and Mohan, AIR 1995 Supreme Court 1236. Following the judgement, the government allowed
well-established educational institutes to operate radio stations and
called them community radio. But then a question emerged: ‘Is the campus
of any educational institute a community?’ Yes, it certainly is, but of
a different kind and nature. But the power and utility of radio is much
more than serving campuses; it is a potential tool for holistic
community development. On the historic day of November16, 2006, the Indian government finally realised the need for a decentralised form of radio and the concept of radio was given a new form in India. The Government of India notified a new Community Radio policy which permits not-for-profits and other civil society organisations with a proven record of serving the community for at least 3 years to apply for a licence to own and operate community radio stations. But as it is said, ‘all good things comes in small packages’, so the scale of operation of community radio stations is kept limited to a transmission of 100 watts that can transmit in a radius of 10 kilometres from the location of the transmitter. The reason for this, according to the Ministry, is that the community is concentrated and limited to a small region only and that the need of communication changes every few kilometres. Community radio is a social process in which members of the community associate together to decide upon the issue and theme of the programmes; they design, produce and air them, thus taking on the primary role of actors in their own destiny, whether this be for wider campaigns on health and hygiene, or sessions on local market rates and access. Members of the community decide on the basis of their own experience, their own viewpoints and their own needs what they want to air. The emphasis is on the ownership of democratic and development efforts by the members of the community themselves and the use of the media to achieve it. Community Radio is a participatory communication tool; it is, above all, a process and not a technology - not merely a means - because the people are a part of this means and so are the messages and the audience. Community Radio in Bundelkhand Development Alternatives, a pioneer in serving the communities in a participatory manner, has applied for a regreous process of licensing for a community radio station in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. With an objective of community development, DA will be starting the community radio by the end of the summer in Bundelkhand. The Ministry of Communications & IT has given 90.4 FM as a tentative frequency for the station. Even so, DA has a long road to travel to be on air. The station will run with the help of a Public Advisory Council comprising representatives from villages, volunteer reporters, technical experts and experts from various other streams. They will work in close collaboration with the station director and station manager. The reason for such an arrangement is to garner participation from every village and report on all issues of importance. Community radio will be a blessing for Bundelkhand,
where development has A community radio service from TARAgram will be a boon for the poor and unorganised agricultural sector. On one hand, it will help rural people in identifying the local problems and also provide a platform to ask for solutions to experts and, on the other hand, it will entertain them with local folk songs, thus preserving the dying arts of the region. According to Kunjilal, a carpenter cum singer with a good knowledge of the local music, there are 16 vidhyas (kinds) of songs popular in the region each for different occasion. While Ghot is the most popular one in the region, there are several others of equal influence. Kunjilal says that the community radio station will provide a platform for all emerging and existing talents who don’t have a mode of public expression of their talents. His view is supported by a majority of the villagers who want to listen to local Bundelkhandi songs on the upcoming station as they think that the commercial stations and All India Radio are not playing these songs enough. ‘I will further the development of myself and my children through community radio’, says Kalavati, a 48-year-old woman from Bagan village, Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh. She is quite confident that she can express herself and the problems of her village through this medium. She is also ready to send her 15-year son, Rahul to TARAgram to participate in the process of community radio as she thinks that it will give him the desired exposure for a good life and career. According to Meera, head of the water committee of Bagan village, the radio will provide a much-awaited socio-economic change. This radio will allow the rural community to voice their opinions about issues that are of utmost importance to them. Meera, along with women of the community, sang beautiful Bundelkhandi songs and assured everyone present that all of them would participate in the process of programming and broadcasting. ‘We are not afraid of anyone to speak the truth about our problems and we will use the radio to ensure that our problems should be heard and taken care of by the local government’, are bold words of Vimla, a resident of Azadpura in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. The villagers agreed to install loudspeakers on Choupals and other public places so that everyone can listen to the aired programmes. Community radio programmes, produced in local Bundelkhandi dialect of Hindi, will be an edge over the other mediums of communication and other radio stations in the region. With its participatory nature of programming, it will promote democracy in the literal sense; it will make communities responsible towards their duties. Through such interactions, the members of the community will become more conscious about their rights, which will ensure more participation in the democratic process. All these are not a part of a utopia. We already have an ideal example of Namma Dhwani, a community media centre which operates community radio through cable transmission and has involved the community and empowered them. Namma Dhwani means Our Voices in Kannada, the local language and this station proved it right by making a successful model of community radio for others to follow. Development Alternatives is working closely with the communities to spread awareness about the power and potential of community radio. The work ahead is challenging but the sprit of the communities will make it interesting. The radio studio has started taking shape and soon recording of programmes will start and community members will be trained to operate the station. This radio station will definitely be for the people, to the people and by the people, as it should be ideally. qArpan Saxena
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taken a back seat due to harsh conditions and
political apathy. It will trigger a much desired change in the society
with its potential to empower communities with local, adequate and
relevant information necessary to make decisions in day to day life.
Information is the key. When people have the right to information, they
can act prudently, thereby freeing themselves from the practices that
bring misfortune to their lives. If rural communities have the
information about the schemes of the Central and the State governments,
then they can avail them to improve their lives.