[Reader-list] Drishti Media : An Introduction

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

ABOUT DRISHTI

Our journey started in 1992 when two young professionals Shabnam 
Virmani and    Stalin K. armed with degrees in films and development 
communication came together. Their effort was to challenge the 
mainstream media that portrayed the marginalised and the poor as 
victims and objects of pity. Such a portrayal was a gross 
misrepresentation and often offensive. It failed to capture the 
success, strength and struggles of the marginalised.

To address this situation, they along with Mr. Gagan Sethi of JanVikas, 
Ahmedabad collectively started taking small steps to form an 
organisation named Drishti. In 1993 Drishti was registered under 
Society’s Registration Act. Drishti believed that the inherent problems 
of representation within media could be challenged by a new generation 
of media professionals. Drishti’s objective was to create alternative 
media space and it’s first intervention in 1992 was a film for a 
non-profit organisation, SEVA Rural called “Kali Kem Mari”.

This was followed by another film in 1992 “Ek Potlu Beek Nu” (A Bundle 
Full of Fear), which was a dramatized narrative of five village women 
and their struggle for gender justice. The women field workers of 
Mahila Samakhya who had experienced violence and raised their voice 
against it, wrote the script and acted in this film. This process laid 
the cornerstone for Drishti’s future work.
In 1999, this belief i
n DRISHTI was consolidated and strengthened 
through our work in Community Radio. We believe that the medium of 
radio, if democratized and entrusted in the hands of local communities, 
can become a true vehicle of cultural expression and affirmation. The 
capacities of the communities is built to own, control and create their 
own media based on a sound developmental perspective. DRISHTI has set 
up two community radio units, one in Kutch with Kutch Mahila Vikas 
Sangathan (KMVS) and one in the Dangs district of Gujarat in 
collaboration with Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
DRISHTI has been at the forefront of a movement to democratize India's 
airwaves and fight for the community's right to run and manage their 
own Community Radio Stations along with other organizations and 
individuals. This struggle culminated in a major victory, as the new 
Community Radio Policy was announced by the Government of India, in 
December 2006. Communities can now apply for setting up and manage 
their own radio stations through NGOs.
In an effort to broaden the base of our media work, Drishti has also 
designed campaigns and events. Our first encounter with campaigns was 
to design and implement a fair on environment at Kutch in 1995 and was 
followed by several such campaigns. One of the milestones was the 2001 
World Conference in Durban that highlighted caste discrimination 
through art and music.

Our work in film making, radio production with communitie
s, creating 
campaigns and holding trainings have come together to strengthen and 
create the present avatar of Drishti. Presently three clear streams 
have emerged in our work, Community Radio, Community Video and 
Nazariya.

In a natural progression from our Community Radio experience DRISHTI 
extended it’s work into the realm of Community Video. The Camera can 
prove to be one of the most effective and revolutionary tools through 
which marginalized communities are empowered to change their lives. The 
Community Video Programme, partners with organisations in the 
grassroots to set up Community Video Units. Here community members are 
trained to create and control a media of their own. This media empowers 
community voices and can prove to be a vital trigger of social change.
In July 2006 Drishti partnered with Video Volunteers an organisation 
based in the United States to set up 6 Community Video Units with NGO’s 
doing intensive work in the grassroots. The Community Video Programme 
has trained more than 70 community members to creat videos and lead 
change locally.
The Community Radio Programme through its long history of gestation in 
Drishti is one of our strongest programmes today. Over the next three 
years, DRISHTI plans to support the setting up of three Community Radio 
Stations (CRS) in collaboration with NGO partners. Drishti will also 
launch a Community Radio Station for the youth of Ahmedabad.
Our third stream is Nazar
iya. Here, Drishti aims to bring in an 
alternative perception into our society by screening documentaries, 
short films and short fictions that reflect a broader reality of 
people. Nazariya was started in September 2005 and since its inception 
has set up 26 film clubs in educational institutes of Ahmedabad, two 
film clubs in public spaces and organized seven film festivals in 
Ahmedabad, Baroda and Rajkot. Nazariya reaches out to unreached 
audiences with a meaningful, innovative and explorative perception of 
filmmaking and viewing. It seeks to sensitize young people towards 
social issues and encourages them to take actions as socially 
responsible citizens.
These three streams of Drishti together culminate to form a pool of 
media experiences through which we aim to…

… build empowered communities and promote Human Rights values to 
realize a just and equitable society, using the media and arts.


COMMUNITY VIDEO

The Community Video Unit (CVU) is a unique space for local communities 
to voice their stories of joy, strife or tribulations. Here communities 
create, control and disseminate their stories through the medium of 
videos. It comprises of 6 – 8 community members who are trained as full 
time Community Video Producers. They produce a ‘Video Film’ on 
different social issues in every 2months. These films are screened in 
around 25 bastis or villages on widescreen projectors to up to 10,000 
people
. Every film sparks debates, discussions and ultimately actions 
towards a positive change. Drishti collaborates with different 
non-profit organizations in India to set up a Community Video Unit, 
within communities they work.



HOW TO START?

It generally takes a period of six to eight months to set up a 
Community Video Unit (CVU). The process is as follows:

•You write to us expressing your interest or send us a proposal.
•We review the proposal and get back to you with information on a    
tentative budget and how the CVU works.
•You organize to allocate your funds and resources and agree to launch 
the CVU.
•You send us a tentative list of 40 villages or slum areas where the 
CVU is expected to run.
•We come for a site assessment and mutually identify/shortlist 25 
villages or slum areas where the CVU will work, taking into account 
some predefined criteria.
•We eventually finalize plans and sign a Memorandum of Understanding, 
committing both parties to the process.
•We mutually hire 6-8 community members as your Community Video 
Producers based on some predetermined criteria.
•You purchase and/or allocate all the equipment necessary from our 
equipment list.
•We recruit a full time Video Trainer for your CVU, and conduct an 
intensive one to two months-‘Training of Trainers’ to ensure that the 
person is trained in all aspects of Community Media.
 He will work 
on-site for 18 months.
Finally the training of the Community Producers starts, and the CVU 
begins work!


For further info Log on to www.drishtimedia.org

or

Contact :


  44, Smit-Sagar (Mrugaya) Society
  Nr. Rahul Towers
  Anand Nagar Cross Road
  100 ft. Road
  Satellite
  Ahmedabad-380051
  INDIA


  drishtiad1 at gmail.com

 079-26930452, 079-26930590