No subject

the non-profit organisation called the Deccan Development Society (DDS)
recently also announced plans to launch its Community Media Centre on
October 15, 2001, International Rural Women's Day.

Satheesh, himself is a former veteran of the Indian state-run TV Doordarshan
network, had then said: "On this day we are dedicating a new facility we
have constructed. The facility has three edit suites, one dubbing booth and
one storage space alongside one rehearsal/discussion room and one computer
room."

Equipment installed in the media centre consists of eight video cameras
[five of them mini DV], five mini DV edit recorders [two GVD 900 and three
GVD 300], one computer edit unit, one DH-1000 edit recorder and one
eight-track audio mixer.

"With this facility the rural women who will own the Centre can comfortable
carry out all the shoots, edits, dubs and mixing," he added.

On the same day, the DDS also launched a Community Media Trust. It will have
70% participation and ownership by the rural women with whom the society
works, almost all of them coming from socially and economically deprived
caste groups (locally called 'Dalits').

"A majority of them are non-literate. Yet, this initiative is to further the
philosophy of the DDS that digital-divide need not affect the non-literate
people and with media tools they can certainly make their voices heard by
the external world," said Satheesh.

It is planned that the Community Media Trust will eventually be the complete
owner and manager of all the video and audio equipments, buildings which
have been at the moment owned by the Deccan Development Society.

Four years ago, the Deccan Development Society started its own Community FM
Radio Centre with a recording studio, control room, two transmitters, one
transmitting tower and all other related facilities to allow the full
functioning of a radio station. 

"But since then it is languishing for want of a licence from the Government
of India which strangely, on paper, represents the Sovereign People's
Republic of India but has more faith in Rupert Murdochs rather than its own
people when it hands over broadcast licences. In this Kafkaesque situation we
must continue to operate and create our own small spaces for the real
communities of the country," complained an angry Satheesh. 

Satheesh <ddshyd at hd1.vsnl.net.in> talks to FREDERICK NORONHA and explains
his understanding of why community radio has such an important role to play
in India: 

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Why has the "world's largest democracy", as India likes to call itself,
taken so long to allow community radio?
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One of the strong reasons is the fact that not much of the civil society
groups had worried about the aspect of shrinking media space for
communities. As the problems that the communities are facing is increasing
and the space for its articulation is shrinking, the realization that
communities need their own radio for such articulation is increasing. 

Add to this globalisation and the increasing media mergers. You have the
expanding regime of media monarchs all of which are certain to result in the
mono-cultures of the media.

It is in this context that the need for diversity and plurality in media
become acute. This acuteness had not been felt so much in the past and hence
the delay in the arrival of com-radio in this country.

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Do you feel there could be reason for the apparent official fear that a
medium like radio could be misused by secessionist, militants or
subversive elements... of which India too has its fair share at present?
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None whatsoever. Much of the subversion of democracy comes from the State
and its apparatus like the police, military and the bureaucracy. In fact
community radios can give a forum for communities to vent their frustrations
and anger.

It may not halt terrorism but can delay its arrival in a violent form. Much
before terrorism took the shape it has now, the State and its bureaucrats
were no less antagonistic to the issue of com radio. 

The issue of terrorism is just an alibi. What the state is primarily worried
about is the erosion of its power and the fact that it cannot handle a
diversity and plurality in the society.
 
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For argument sake, how could the government ensure against such possible
misuse?
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No terrorist and violent organisation would primarily rely upon an open and
transparent media like radio. Even in the current controlled regimes if a
terrorist outfit wanted to, it could have multiple radios of its own.

There are suitcase transmitters which they can use effectively. But they
won't. Their strength lies in the non-transparent, non-participatory
policies of the State. And they use inter-personal, word-by-mouth propaganda
and rumours which are ten times more effective than an open radio system.

The opening up of broadcast space itself is an insurance against subversion.

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Which models do we have, showing such radio options without misuse?
------------------------------------------------------------------------

In countries like the Philippines and Indonesia where the insurgencies and
terrorism is more rampant than in India, hundreds of com-radios thrive
without upsetting the state. 

These are worth studying for a so-called Giant Democracy like India if it
honestly believes that should be a true democracy.
       
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