Dear Mahesh: I totally agree that community-run and community-derived CR groups and stations need to be included in directories listing CR related activities in India. Many of us, in fact - as indeed you have noted - would consider this type of CR to be the heart of the CR movement; and they should be the example that other kinds of CR (especially NGO run CR) should emulate. However, it would be good if there could be some verification before you make a generalized statement like 'I know of five such groups that I trained in Uttrakhand who have lost their identity as some NGO helped them out for license etc.' To update you: Of the 5 community led CR groups that formed in Uttarkhand several years ago, two groups, Srishti in Uttarkashi and Raibar in Chamiyala, were unable to sustain themselves for lack of volunteer support. As of this moment, both groups have been dormant for the last three years or more. The remaining three are: 1. Hevalvani in Chamba, Tehri Garhwal: Going strong. Have begun cablecasting their programmes on a regular basis, besides broadcasting their programmes over the Worldspace Radio network with support from Ideosync and Equal Access. Have recently received their letter of intent for their station from the I & B Ministry. After an internal discussion within the group, Hevalvani members decided to present their application in the name of Aastha Jan Kalyan Evam Vikas Samiti, a local NGO in which several of the Hevalvani team are also members. This was primarily because Hevalvani itself is not registered as an NGO yet, and the three year post-registration requirement meant they would have to wait a long time. The decision was made by the team, NOT by anyone else. 2. Mandaakini Ki Awaaz: Again, going strong. Have begun cablecasting their programmes, and have been broadcasting their programmes over the Worldspace Radio network with support from Ideosync and Equal Access. Have developed deep suppprt mechanisms within community and local govt. structures. Decided to apply for a license in their own name, and registered themselves as a society three years ago. Will be applying for a license this year. 3. Pradeep Samudayik Radio, Kausani: The group initially had a strong presence and participated in a number of training proceses conducted by Ideosync, but suffered a setback about two years ago when they suddenly had a shortfall of volunteers, Have since built up their presence again, and have resumed producing programmes. All three groups, please let me note, have been working on a volunteer basis right from the start, and have received support from a variety of donors (UNESCO, USAID etc.) through a variety of NGOs and iNGOs (Himalaya Trust, Ideosync Media Combine, Equal Access). None of them has ever worked in any name or capacity but their own. They have since conducted or supported the training of other (newer) CR setups in a number of other states, again as representatives of their own groups - never as faceless consultants for any other agency. It is our belief that it is their experience and identity as community groups working on CR that makes these groups unique. However, it is the inability of the larger CR movement to present and highlight these groups and what they have achieved effectively at various fora - wilfully, unwittingly, who knows? - that results in unjustified statements like the one quoted above. Please do take the time to get back to the groups before you make such statements: It is hard enough nurturing the fragile identities of community led CR without such indictments being bandied about. Regards, Ramakrishnan
N.Ramakrishnan Director of Projects Ideosync Media Combine 177, Ashoka Enclave III Sector 35, Faridabad - 121 003 Haryana - India Tel: +91-0129-4131883/6510156 Mobile: +91-9810273883 Web: www.ideosyncmedia.org mahesh acharya wrote: > Hi Suman, Sajan and all others, > > I read with interest the directory and though I appreciate the teams > effort to compile it, but I feel it gives a very micro picture of > community radio in India. India is very unique when it comes to CR > policy. One of its kind I must say. After allowing academic institutes > to run CR it took policy makers four long years to consider for grant > of license to CBO/NGO's!! Collectively our job to simplify the CR > situation for the benefit of new be community radio station operators > and present a balanced picture which I think is the purpose of the > directory. > > As I see it CR in India is... > > 1. University run > 2. Colleges run > 3. School run (may come in future) > 4. NGO run, with two sub categories. First one owned by a NGO while > the other..who broadcast over All India Radio. Of course such NGO's > will not come under community radio at all and hence should be labeled > differently. > 5. Run by/ started by community based organizations which got support > from NGO and not other way round. I know of five such groups that I > trained in Uttrakhand who have lost their identity as some NGO helped > them out for license etc. These groups from Uttranchal were formed > during two week Community Radio workshop that I conducted. Post > training some of the groups got help from NGO's since they did not > have resources to carry it forward. These are the kind of > organizations I and others would like to be included in the directory. > > Thus....it would be great if CR in India are categorized as mentioned > above next time the directory comes up and the team thinks it > appropriate. > > Some other observations are that in order to qualify for being > included in the directory, ' NGO with interest in community radio' is > not enough. By the time your next directory comes up, believe it or > not such ngo's will double in number. So there got to be a bench mark > for inclusion. Maybe this could be chalked out in the forthcoming > consultation in Bangalore. Plus I also noticed that in the format, > information mentioned is not accurate in some cases. I presume it to > be oversight. For example. In year of establishment for an NGO it > states - yet to be established. But under types of programs broadcast > it says two hours per week. > > Best Regards, > Mahesh Acharya > Bangalore > > > > > > > On Sun, Jul 5, 2009 at 9:55 AM, sajan venniyoor <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > Dear Suman, > > Thank you for issuing the 2009 edition of the AMARC Asia Pacific > CR directory. > > I am afraid I found it rather diasppointing, at least as far as > the CR scene in India is concerned. The Directory seems to give > the impression that there are just about five (non-operational) CR > initiatives in India, along with half a dozen consultants, > academic institutions and NGOs with an interest in CR. That is not > the case. > > At the last count, 50 licenses were issued to CR stations in > India, of which 45 are now operational, including 40 campus-based > CRS. CR stations like Sangham Radio (Pastapur) and Radio > Bundelkhand (Orchha) have been running successfully for almost a > year now, but they don't figure in the Directory. Anna > University's 'Anna FM' completed five years in February this year. > > The number of production houses, academic institutions and NGOs > with an interest in community radio would run into the hundreds. > > I am also disappointed to see that countries like Thailand, with > its hundreds -- if not thousands -- of community radio stations, > don't figure in the Directory at all. > > The manner in which the Directory is compiled leads to these > imbalances, I know, but with the accelerating growth of CR in the > Asia Pacific, we need to find better ways of putting it together. > Documenting CR initiatives in the region could be one of the > issues that we discuss at the AMARC Regional Conference in October. > > warm regards, > Sajan > > > On Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 8:43 PM, Suman Basnet <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > Dear friends and colleagues, > > > > I am very happy to inform you that the second edition of the > AMARC Asia Pacific CR directory 2009 is available online at > > http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2009 > and please follow the link in that page. Or you can also > directly visit > > http://amarcwiki.amarc.org/upload/documents/AMARC_CR_Directory_2009_Final.pdf. > > > > > Please circulate this information in your networks. > > > > With warmest regards, Suman > > > > _______________________________________________ > cr-india mailing list > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > cr-india mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india _______________________________________________ cr-india mailing list [email protected] https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india
