Community radio is a great way to bring about sustainable social change and conserve local culture

Radio is an important medium that helps in fostering intercultural dialogues, ensuring plurality and creating a sense of belonging amongst the members of the Community. It is an effective means of creating a peaceful environment in societies. World Radio Day is celebrated every year by UNESCO on February 13, bringing together all stakeholders including the broadcasters and policymakers. This year, UNESCO decided to celebrate World Radio Day under the theme of “Radio and Peace” so that the radio stations- public, private and community radios- can effectively raise key issues in their local languages in the peace process and deliver crucial information to those who need it the most.

The World Radio Day celebration was also unique this year because India had assumed the Presidency of G20 and 6th Edition of The Radio Festival (TRF) which is organized by the NGO- Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation (SMART) was hosted in collaboration with the G20 Secretariat with the support of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Prasar Bharti, UNESCO, UNICEF and CEMCA. The Radio Festival included radio practitioners from all three sectors viz All India Radio (AIR), Commercial and Community Radios covering plenary, panel discussions and dialogues on various development issues. One of the important themes of The Radio Festival was ‘Preserving culture: Folk Music and Indigenous Languages’.

Community radios are more localized than AIR and Commercial Radios. They enable communities to become both producers and listeners of their content, generating programming that is more specific and relevant to the needs and interests of communities. Community radio is a significant medium because it functions as a dynamic archive of the cultural traditions of communities. It provides a platform for local artists to showcase their talent and promote and preserves local languages and indigenous traditions. In our world of pervasive globalised knowledge systems, community radio stations, embedded in the cultural landscape of the communities in which they operate, offer meaningful, localised ways of heritage conservation.

Garhwal, comprising seven districts of Uttrakhand, is known for its rich and diverse cultural traditions. In most villages, folk music traditions such as jagar (an all-night-long ritual performance accompanied by dhol damaun (used collectively, they are drums made from copper, wood and animal hide) and daunri thaali (a plate-like percussion instrument]), Bagadwali (a folk music tradition which chronicles the story of a local hero, Jeetu Bagadwal) and Pandwali (the music that accompanies Pandav Nritya, a dance based on the story of the Pandavas in Mahabharata) are kept alive by dedicated artistes from the community. Despite possessing a lot of talent, due to economic constraints and lack of exposure, the local artistes were unable to reach out to an audience beyond their immediate community. This void was filled up by Mandakini ki Aawaz, which emerged as the first operational community radio from the Rudraprayag district. Since its inception, Mandakini ki Awaaz was driven by the desire to give Garhwali artists, musicians and performers a platform that was easily accessible and one that would help them reach out to a larger audience.

Madhuri and many more artists like her in different parts of the country are the perfect examples of the roles played by community radios in nurturing local talent.

 An avid singer, Madhuri was encouraged by community members to record something. She sang a few Garhwali songs. Her voice became popular among listeners in the radio’s listenership area within a short span, transforming the young 13-year-old into a popular singer. Another artiste who could reach a wider audience through the radio station is Bhagirath Negi, a Bagadwali singer.

Despite his talent, he was not known outside his village. He got an opportunity of recording a few Bagadwali songs which were broadcast on Mandakini ki Awaaz, after which he was invited to other villages to give performances. Now, he not only performs his music but also helps community members to organise Bagadwali performances.

For most of the operational community radios, the prohibitive fees are a deterrent to playing copyrighted music. However, this disadvantage has fostered a symbiotic relationship between local artists and the station: while the station relies on community members for producing content, local artists have an accessible broadcast medium that foregrounds their skills and talent.

(This is the first part of a two-part series on radio. To be continued)

(The writer is a senior journalist and Chairman of the Panwar Group of Institutions, Solan, Himachal Pradesh)