Dear CR- India members, Greetings from Ujjas radio!! Thank you all for your encouraging responses. Kindly note that we have just had one test transmission and are yet to go on- air. I would make a formal announcement once we go on- air. Thank you all again for your warm wishes.
Regards, Preeti > ----- Forwarded Message ----- > *From:* periyapatna satheesh <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected]; Hemant <[email protected]>; > [email protected] > *Cc:* Vinod Pavarala <[email protected]>; sajan venniyoor < > [email protected]> > *Sent:* Tuesday, 27 March 2012 10:55 AM > *Subject:* Re: [cr-india] ujjaas radio begins test transmission > > Dear Preeti > > Apologies for coming late on this. I was away on leave for nearly three > weeks now > > However the news that UJAAS has begun test transmissions makes me > extremely heartened. As the pioneering co travellers in the CR movement, > Sangham Radio and Ujaas have a very strong with each other. We both are > committed to bring the most excluded voices onto the air. We both work with > women and the excluded people at the bottom of the economic and social > ladder. Therefore the fact of our voices going into the air space is a > matter of spiritual rejoice for me. My heartiest congratulations to you and > KMVS for your heroic battle for pioneering the CR movement and succeeding > in your battle. > > This also brings me to the very loud, shrill and aggressive voices I am > getting on my Inbox from a group called CR Association of India. On enquiry > I find that it is a grouping of campus radios who have always masqueraded > themselves as community radios to gain greater legitimacy. And the > government, as it does in any sphere, is happy to sail with them because > they both speak the same language, further the same agendas. The > aggressiveness "demanding" voices I hear from this network is very > disturbing. This is so alien to the CRF groups who have always been polite > and respectful to each other. CRF has never demanded anyone to contribute > their fees, immediately send in their membership. And has never inflicted a > working body on its members. To the best of my knowledge CRA has not done > anything like this. If I am wrong, I apologise in advance. > > In this context, it becomes urgent that the original partners of CR > movement, who are part of the communities, work within the conmmunities and > have set up CR stations with completely ownership to the communities unlike > campus radios who "invite" communities to participate, who design > programmes "for" the communities and not let it be designed "by" the > communities must get together and knit ourselves into a different > associaiton that upholds the values and identities of community radio as > true and authentic associations of community radios within the broad > umbrella of CRF. > > I am also very unhappy that the CRF has elected a body for itself in which > there is not a single elected member of the real communities. This does not > augur well for the CRF itself. I had said this ten years ago when the > UNESCO had its CR meeting in Hyderabad which led to Pastapur Declaration on > Community Radio. I had cautioned that this space will also be taken over by > the urban, educated, middle classes with real communities having to wait to > be led by them. Later when CRF had been realised, I had again urged that at > least 50% of the executive must be reserved for the actual community radio > broadcasters. But now after all the elections are over, CRF says that it > will "coopt" two community broadcasters. This is an extremely sad > situation. People who are apparently committed to democracy, transparency > and participation also behave exactly like the people they fight on the > political front. I think we also need first to put our house in order. > > Priti I am addressing this mail to you so that some of us who have stood > by the communities and have allowed ourselves to be lead by them must think > of a strategy to keep our spirit alive. > > I have no problem if campus radios have their own association. It is their > legitimate right. But they cannot hijack the CR space. Our agendas are > light years away from their agendas. Therefore let us work out a way of > overcoming this problem > > warmly > > satheesh > > --- On *Thu, 15/3/12, Hemant <[email protected]>* wrote: > > > From: Hemant <[email protected]> > Subject: [cr-india] ujjaas radio begins test transmission > To: [email protected] > Date: Thursday, 15 March, 2012, 10:23 PM > > Hello All., > > It could be termed as a historic day. Probably the first ever community > radio station very close to the international borders in India has begun > its test transmission at around 6.30 in the evening of March 10, with the > community and Nomad team jointly celebrating the moment. > > Ujjaas radio, promoted by KMVS (Kuthc Mahila Vikas Sanghathan), is located > at Bhimsar village in Nakhatrana Taluk, Kutch District of Gujarat. The area > is in close proximity to the international border with Pakistan. > > It took them five years. Ujjaas Radio applied for the CR license way back > in 2007. They kept the community engaged for so long with narrow casting > and a lot more. We all need to learn a lot of lessons from our comrades in > KMVS and community members. > > Congratulations to all. > > Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to > www.crforum.in > > > > -- Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghatan 16, "Yogeswar" Opposite -Gymkhana Ghanshyam Nagar Bhuj, Kutch Pin-370001 Ph no -02832-222124/223311 Email [email protected] Website-www.kmvs.in
Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to www.crforum.in
