Radio volunteers do weavers proud

Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh: Even as our car approached Chanderi, situated in the Ashok Nagar district of Madhya Pradesh, we realised that there was a sense of well being around – the green of trees amid rocky terrain and the ploughed fields showing signs of good rain.

Community radio volunteers at Chanderi / Photo credit: Satish Nagaraji / OWSA

In a region that had seen four seasons of drought, a happy event. We were on our way to the Community Multimedia Centre of Bunkar Vikas Sanstha (BVS), a weaver’s cooperative set up here in 2004.

We reached the office early, but even as the first volunteers began to appear, we realised that this would be a ‘different’ day - their pretty and colourful clothes reflected a sense of celebration, expectation and anticipation. The reason – it was graduation day for 25 community volunteers of the centre.

They had been trained in radio production, and in the creation of newsletters and digital stories – a package of communication skills that would, in time, help them in setting up, promoting and running their own community radio station. The training inputs were provided by OneWorld South Asia with support under UNESCO’s IPDC programme, in collaboration with BASIX.

The ceremony was short and simple. There were as many people in the audience as could fit into the tiny little hall. There were about 45 present, 20 graduates, some of their friends and aspirants; members of the boards of BVS and its recently set up micro finance organisation Apna Kosh, a member of The Chanderi Foundation; and us – the representatives of OneWorld South Asia.

Also present was close friend and mentor of the community, Ravindra Dwivedi of BASIX. Most important of all, was the presence of a volunteer’s mother, herself a local health centre worker, who watched the proceedings with great enthusiasm and pride.

The programme began with sharing of experiences by the graduates themselves. According to Seema Sheikh, a homemaker who left her kids in the care of family members to work at the centre, shared that it had not been an easy journey.

Making newsletters/ Photo credit: OWSA

“We had to juggle responsibilities at home, schools and offices, and find time to meet and work on the programme,” she said.

“And when we did get together, we had to play hide and seek with the electricity supply, which is typically absent for as long as four hours every waking day”, added Arshad, a volunteer. This also meant that they had to work late into the night on several occasions – something their families found hard to appreciate.

Yet all were unanimous in acknowledging that the training had made them articulate. Says Tanzeem, “We are now confident in speaking with our elders, interviewing senior community members and officials, asking them questions about how things are, and how they ought to be. We are also aware of many issues around us.”

The team prepared the script, and despite low internet connectivity, communicated with the OWSA team who vetted the content and provided inputs, before it was recorded.  The volunteers also contributed a small sum of money for their own and ongoing expenses towards production and studio maintenance.

The studio is a source of pride for the volunteers. Contributions and support from UNESCO, Apna Kosh, BVS, and OneWorld South Asia were used; the acoustics being done by local carpenters, and of course the active involvement of the volunteers themselves - it was done up with painted egg trays, foam and colourful handloom bedsheets from the local market, with the legend Chanderi ki Awaz stuck large and bright on one wall. The equipment is from Delhi.

“We have come a long way, and we feel that we have achieved a lot,” said Mohammed Nazir, in conclusion. “However, in going ahead, we do need the blessings of our elders; we also need funds and guidance for managing and maintaining the set-up.”

In response, the executive committee of BVS expressed great pride in the achievements of the radio volunteers and promised to support and guide them in realising the dream of a radio station in 2009.

Last but not least, the occasion was also marked by the creation of the Chanderi ki Awaz Governing Committee comprising several members of BVS, Apna Kosh, and a proposal to include a local leading light.

The committee then divided amongst themselves the responsibility for fund-raising, programme production oversight and advisory; as well as regular administration and management. This, we felt, was a befitting acknowledgement of the volunteers’ achievements.

The BVS has applied for a community radio license and have attended the screening committee meeting which is the first stage of the process. Very soon, they would be receiving the Letter of Intent.