Charkha, Delhi : Newsletter for September – October 2006
Greetings from Charkha!
Development Communication is entering an exciting phase with the opening up of Community Radio broadcast sector, which will allow non-governmental organisations to apply for licenses without a license fee and to carry five minutes of advertising per hour of broadcasting. The potential of this medium is phenomenal. It has the twin advantage of transcending the literacy barrier, hitherto one of the largest obstructions to fair access to communication tools across geographies, while maintaining anonymity for those who seek it. When ownership of such initiatives rests with the people and they are capacitated to generate their own radio programmes, empowerment becomes a spontaneous process. Charkha is presently exploring the opportunity of working on Community Radio Initiatives with people residing in remote, at times inaccessible, parts of the country.
Another reason for celebration at Charkha is the completion of one year of the Urdu Feature Service. The only feature service in the country on development issues in this language, it has taken great strides in what is still a nascent area of communication. A language once integral to Indian culture and patronized by many, its lyrical beauty has now been relegated to the dusty shelves of academic institutions with declining readership. It is the dream of this revival that inspired Charkha to start the Urdu Feature Service on October 2, 2005. A great deal of exploration and networking went into establishing contact, across the country, with Urdu publications and independent writers who are keen to express the voices of the people in a language they proudly know as their own. With the first Urdu Writing Skills workshop conducted at Hazaribagh bringing in writings from across Jharkhand, the journey has only just begun.
As the conflict situation across the country takes on new proportions with linkages being exposed across states and conflict issues, the gravity of the situation is only intensifying. High-level discussions on mitigation of conflict and the ensuing violence often drown out the voices of those affected by the conflict of interests that impact their lives and livelihoods in ways they have little control over. Charkhas programme of Development in Areas of Conflict is well underway with a team working on a Socio-economic study on the perceptions of the affected communities in the Maoist-affected districts of Chhattisgarh. A first for Charkha, the study is being conducted in consultation with Dr Dipankar Gupta, Professor in the Centre for the Study of Social System, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The findings of this study are intended to determine future strategies for us as well as for other agencies interested in working on conflict-related issues. The interests of the people remain the prime focus.
As newer communication technologies flood the market with less-expensive products and services, access to these now covers a wider consumer base. With dissemination of information thus becoming more feasible across far-flung parts of the country, development agencies have a larger role to play in generating awareness among those residing in areas hitherto considered remote and inaccessible. People everywhere have aspirations of a better life; sometimes all they need is to hear and be heard the rest often follows from their own efforts.
Anshu Meshack