[cr-india] Visit to Bhuj; book release

[Kanchan Dr.]

Dear all,



Prof. Vinod Pavarala and I returned from our visit to Bhuj (Kutch district
of Gujarat) a couple of days back. We were there for the release of our book
{titled: *Other Voices: The Struggle for Community Radio in India*:
published by Sage: September 2007}. The 'pustak vimochan' was done by Preeti
Soni, chief co-ordinator, and the community radio reporters of Ujjas Radio
of Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) on November 25, 2007, in a friendly
function organized by KMVS at the district headquarter, Bhuj. Nimmi Chauhan
of Drishti Media Collective, Ahmedabad, and Alkaben and Lataben of KMVS were
also present at the function along with a number of women who had come from
distant villages of the KMVS-supported sangathans in Kutch.



A similar book release by General Narsamma, Algole Narsamma, (radio managers
of *Sangam* FM) and P. V. Satheesh, Director, Deccan Development Society
happened at Pastpur in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh on October 11, 2007 as
part of the regional workshop on community radio organized by the Deccan
Development Society (DDS).



Alongside the usual book releases taking place in some of the urban centres
in India, we are taking our book to all the communities with whom we worked
in rural areas, owing to our long-standing professional and emotional
attachment with them and also as a matter accountability towards them.



At the book release function in Bhuj, the talented local artists enthralled
us all with songs and music that is rare to come by in these times. In
addition to an animated interaction with the community radio reporters, we
were also greeted with the good news that two sangathans working in
collaboration with KMVS are applying for licenses for CR stations to be set
up in Bhadreshwar (Mundra Sangathan) and Bhimsar (Sahiyare Je Sangathan,
Nakhatrana). We got the opportunity to visit the fishing settlements of
Bhadreshwar and to interact with women who would be producing the radio
programmes for their communities in the village



Ujjas Radio forms a very important part of our study and understanding of
the community radio (CR) initiatives in India. The media unit (now,
development communication cell) of KMVS, which operates Ujjas Radio, started
airing its first kutchhi-language programme, *Kunal Panje Kutch
Ji*(facilitated by the Drishti Media Collective, Ahmedabad), in
December 1999
using a half-hour All India Radio (AIR) commercial slot on AM frequency of
AIR's Radio Bhuj.



Ujjas Radio  has since produced and aired multiple episodes of *Tu Jiyaro
Ain* (2001), *Kutch Lok Ji Bani* (2002), *Dariagher* (2006) *Bandhni Ji Gaal
* (2007) and *Sajivano Saad* (2007).



Preeti, who is also the co-ordinator of the development communication cell
of KMVS, told us that through radio, they have been able to create a vast
archive of folk music and songs of Kutch. Ujjas Radio has collaborated with
Mumbai's De Kulture Music Company for preserving and promoting these
archives. This rare collection of kutchhi folk music and songs is now
available in form of CDs and also as ring tones.



*Our thanks are also due to the staff of KMVS and to all the community radio
reporters who made our visit to Bhuj special for us as always: Ahmed,
Bharmal, Geeta, Ramsi, Paro, Sabera, Bharti, Jagruthi, Ibrahim, Kusum, Nandu
ba, Prachi, Madhuben, Kinjal and Pratyansh.*





More later,



Regards,



Kanchan



-- 
Dr. Kanchan K. Malik
Communication Discipline
S N School, University of Hyderabad
Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500046
Phone: +91-40-23135501(O)
           +91-990-858-2613(M)

Other Voices: http://www.sagepub.in/browse/book.asp?bookid=1166&Subject_Name=&mode=1
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