Indian farmers taking to the air to ventilate on global warming
Anugondanahalli, INDIA: It is 8am in Anugondanahalli village about 70 kms from India’s IT hub of Bengaluru, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. A group of farmers are huddled around a radio set sipping hot tea and tuned in to Sarathi Jhalak, a local community radio station (CRS) broadcasting on FM 90.4. On air is a programme about climate change that has everybody hooked. Experts are sharing simple tips on how farmers can pro-actively minimise the impact of erratic weather on their crops.
“I have no knowledge about climate change,” says Ram Kutty, a 60-year-old farmer, “so it’s nice if experts can explain it to me in a simple language what it is and how I can protect my fields. Lack of planning in our work can mean the difference between penury and prosperity. That’s why community radio has become my best friend.”
Founded in 2012, Sarathi Jhalak is one of the 200-odd community radio stations across India, a nation of 1.25 billion which has 18 officiallyrecognised languages and 1,652 mother tongues.
Apart from filling in a void left behind by national and regional media, such initiatives are also transforming lives in the hinterland. This form of participatory communication has also proved to be a successful tool for social and economic development at the grassroots level.
The CRS content is innovative as it addresses local concerns. It is also generated by locals and tailored to be fun and progressive as well. No wonder this avatar of radio sees participation from a diverse demographic — women, children, farmers, petty business men, lawyers and students.
“We try to highlight important issues which find a resonance our local population,” explains the founder of Sarathi Jhalak D.S. Shamantha, a media professional. “The thrust is on development issues and matters of public health, agriculture, folklore, legal matters and social welfare.
We provide our target audience with information on all topics like any other mainstream radio but with a local flavour. Our segments on violence against women and children, health and education, agriculture and sexual harassment of women in the fields have got excellent feedback.”
New programmes at Sarathi Jhalak are designed as per listeners’ feedback and local needs. There are live broadcasts and recorded programmes daily put together by a dozenodd radio jockeys (RJs) mostly women. Locals are motivated to participate and knowledgesharing is encouraged. The radio station’s listeners have even formed a Listener’s Club to popularise the network and its programmes.
Far away from Anugondanahalli, deep in the hills of Chamba in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, a radio jockey for Hewal Vani reminds audiences to tune into their new series on girl education. Started by a group of 20-something youngsters, Hewal Vani is one of the five CRS groups in the poor state focussing on health, superstition, education and civic matters.
All RJs for the station are recruited from the village itself but programmes are designed keeping the neighbouring rural belt in mind.
About 10 to 15 people from in and around the village visit the station every day to be a part of some interactive programme or the other. Everyone is free to pitch in with ideas and communicate with the entire community.