[cr-india] Raghav FM turns ICT Entrepreneur

Fri Feb 9 12:28:06 CET 2007

Raghav FM turns ICT Entrepreneur 

By Pritam Sinha
Mansoorpur, Vaishali, Bihar

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-12.jpg> After a lot of media blitz,
the popular FM Radio Mansoorpur got shut down one sad day, last year. It
meant a lot for the two young men Raghav Mahto and his DJ friend Sambhu who
pioneered and popularized the community radio in a small village hamlet in
Vaishali district. In fact, the entire villages of Mansoorpur along with its
neighbouring villages whose life around music was synonymous with Raghav FM
Radio went into mourning.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-07.jpg> For Raghav, it meant the end
of not their only source of livelihood; the closure also gravely affected
their enthusiasm to do something new in life. After all, it was such a novel
invention that people were made to sit up and take notice far and wide than
the radius of the FM they were transmitting. Although Raghav's FM radio
never tried or made money through broadcasting, but because of its
popularity, his electronics shop was a center booming business for anything
and everything related to electronics, repairs, and so on.

In came Digital Empowerment Foundation to their support. The Delhi based
organization had visited the place just days before its inevitable closure.
Being an organization with a focus on ICT for empowerment at the grassroots
level, it decided to support the ingenious minds by giving them support at
various level. For example, computers to explore and 'experiment' in the
hope that the young man might make something out of this electronic gadget
out of the ordinary the way he transformed the simple radio.

Perhaps Raghav's wish that he would like to experiment with the VCD one day
and make the video seen in neighbouring areas without the use of the cable
was stuck somewhere in DEF's think-tank (Please see DEF's exhaustive report
on Raghav FM before it got closed down at www.defindia.net). As everybody
knows, a PC usually has the CD drive attached to it. But, all experiments
need time and the immediate future of the boys had to be addressed
immediately. 

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-14.jpg> Formation of Raghav Samaj
Kalyan Sansthan
DEF suggested to Raghav to form a social forum and also gave him some
financial help to start afresh in life post Raghav Radio FM. Thus "Raghav
Samaj Kalyan Sansthan' was born on 6th Aug '06 with 22 members and one
computer. One of the first things that came to the members' mind was the
lack of a computer education centre and the urgent need and utility of one
such thing for the village children. 

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-11.jpg> Sensing a business
opportunity, Raghav quickly hired a two room block in front of his old Priya
Electronics shop and started Community Information Resource Centre (CIRC)
supported by Digital Empowerment Foundation, New Delhi. He invited the local
village children to learn the nuances of a tin box look like thing with a TV
like face attached to it. Being an illiterate person himself, he quickly
went in search and found one computer teacher who had done some basic
computer diploma course from nearby Hajipur.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-09.jpg> Thus, slowly but surely the
computer bug hit the village folk. Children immediately took to the computer
and started exploring simple computer peripherals like CPU, Monitor,
Keyboard, Mouse, Printer etc. Gradually, everybody took a fancy to
PaintBrush and the word of the mouth spread quickly, particularly among
school going children. Soon Raghav could not cope with the rush on a single
machine. He needed another one and DEF provided him with two machines to
further his ambition of making Mansoorpur computer savvy. A laptop was also
given in time to make the centre look modern. With every parcel DEF gave him
other supports in terms capacity and so on. The centre boasts of a roaster
full of 30 names.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-photo-04.jpg> Day-to-day bottlenecks
Electricity in a typical Bihar village is something of a luxury at best of
times. So, Raghav purchased a generator set with the money to make regular
computer learning possible. There is an interesting story behind being
enabled to buy the generator. Late last year, through DEF, Raghav got a
chance to set-up closed circuit FM transmission for an ICT Consultation by
Nasscom Foundation, where the purpose was to make the invitees and
practioners who had come from villages to listen the proceedings in their
own language. So, from the interpretation box, Raghav connected its
equipment and broadcasted the Hindi version which could be heard through
cheap FM receivers given to each one of the invitees. For doing this, Raghav
got Rs. 10,000 and he put the entire money in procuring generator.

Of course, the generator needs diesel which costs money. So, a token amount
of Rs. 50 is being charged per student to take care of this running cost.
Also, the computer teacher needed some incentive read money to sustain his
family. As of now, he is charging nothing and giving his time and knowledge
for free. But for how long can he sustain his enthusiasm is a point to
ponder. During the visit, in a brief felicitation ceremony, in fact, this
point was raised albeit in a hushed tone.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-16.jpg> What's happening at CIRC?
CIRC at Mansoorpur provided by DEF to pursue the entrepreneurship in Raghva,
is showing great results. There is a buzz in the village, and kids are the
biggest attraction for the CIRC. Instead of painting in their notebooks,
small children see it taking shape on a computer screen. They are also
enamored by typing on MS Word or Excel and PPT. Perhaps to teach them from
the very beginning that nothing comes in life absolutely free, Raghav & his
friend Sambhu charges a nominal amount i.e. Rs. 50 per student.

These small acts of children are revolutionizing the way village children
see the world outside of their own. They punctually come here at the
designated time to learn computer. For this initialization to the
peripherals is a fascinating opportunity for them to try and widen their
worldview. In small twinkling eyes we could definitely see the hope of a
better tomorrow where they are able to find computer related jobs in big
cities. Perhaps for them, there are so few opportunities available to grow
that they want to outclass the others in whatever manner possible.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-13.jpg> The Road Ahead: Internet,
English & Community Radio
Apart from this business of running a computer teaching centre, Raghav finds
time to engage his creative mind in his first love Radio. Constantly
experimenting with his tape recorder to record short plays based on such
important issues as AIDS awareness using local writer and voices, the zeal
to do something out of the ordinary seems Raghav's mission in life. He gave
to DEF, one tape containing a short play wherein message was loud and clear
that how tattoos, ever popular with women in villages whose husbands are far
off in cities making both ends meet, can cause AIDS with a multiple used
needle. We don't hear such types of messages played across in the cities,
but the concept and the relevance of it for the village populace was
something noteworthy.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-photo-02.jpg> Also, villagers surely
have heard about the global village called internet but it remains out of
reach for them. Raghav's CIRC plans to have some facility whereby they bring
the internet to Mansoorpur. Of course, with the Kiosks being set up
everywhere in the country thick and fast, the word surf will come into
everyday village parlance not only when referring to a popular detergent
brand only. We could sense the excitement among the village folk whenever
the word internet was mentioned. Perhaps one day, Raghav's CIRC would be the
place where all ICT activities of the village will take place as is being
witnessed in so many small villages across India.

The hut would become a virtual hub. Or may be Mansoorpur could be one of
Bihar's first English Relay Programme (ERP) centres where children would be
taught Basic English language. When DEF spoke with a soon to retire school
headmaster, he was more than keen to take up the responsibility to run an
ERP centre.

Perhaps, he envisioned himself working for a noble cause post retirement
having been active all throughout his life. Like computers & internet,
English being the lingua franca that it still is, holds the key to a better
tomorrow for a small village like Mansoorpur.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-17.jpg> Moreover, to learn computers
and for internet too, English is a must. So, the possibilities are immense
to empower and enlighten the downtrodden of a far flung corner of India.
Perhaps herein lays the challenge for Raghav and his welfare organisation to
try and mould the village mindset. Make them look beyond their landscape
from the very beginning to a world where in they are compatible with the
rest of the world as far as access to knowledge is concerned. The world
outside their view is changing so fast that they better keep pace with it or
lest they will be left far far behind.

Or a community radio could be started under the aegis of CIRC. DEF is also
keen to be of any help to them in this regard. The government guidelines in
this regard have to be followed. A case has to be put up citing Raghav's
prior experience in the field of radio transmission. As soon as the forms
for opening the community radio station would be available, the plan is to
immediately apply for one and get the Raghav Radio back in the ears of
Mansoorpur.

Village trepreneurship
  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-15.jpg> Raghav certainly is a fine
example of a village entrepreneur. His business sense could be gauged from
the fact that when armed with one computer it was him who first struck upon
the idea to put the machine to a commercial use. That his centre is running
in debt is another matter. He had left no stone unturned in his capacity to
make the centre commercially viable could be concluded from the fact that
when he got Rs. 10,000/- from setting up a Radio system in a Delhi
conference, he promptly bought an used generator for Rs. 8000/- to ensure
regular electric supply for his learning centre. So, he is not at all
lacking in ideas. Jugarus as most Biharis are, they have a knack of finding
ways around things howsoever bleak the environment may be.

The latest news is that at the DEF supported CIRC at Mansoorpur, run by
Raghva, he has added sewing classes as another activity for the girls and
women of the village. DEF has provided the seed money for buying at least
two sewing machines so that the start off could be strong and should result
in good revenues for Raghav to sustain the CIRC.

  <http://www.defindia.net/IMG/raghav-s-photo.jpg> In the next few months,
Raghav has planned to equip the CIRC with digital camera, scanner, printer,
and Internet. DEF has asked Raghav to make the existing infrastructure
sustainable first before the next level of supports could be provided - this
is in the interest of Raghav and CIRC's interest only.

Pritam Sinha is a research associate with Digital Empowerment Foundation. He
can be reached at defindia at gmail.com 

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