Hey Gabriel, The link you are discussing below is offtopic for this list. It deals with community radio in *India*, and why this needs to be opened up. It points to an article in Tehelka, and my guilt is restricted to having it below my .sig file (to spread awareness on this topic).
Needless to say, unlike some believe, I'm neither a fencesitter when it comes to taking a stand, nor slavishly pro-India in a way that won't see its faults (like some of our friends on Goanet are slavishly pro-Portugal). Sometimes officials are paranoid. Sometimes it's just suspicion in our minds. I don't know about mobile phones going dead when VVIPs visit. Never heard of that. But there have been some crazy restrictions on communications in some strife-torn parts like Kashmir. There is also growing concern about India's censorship of the Net by stealth. See [http://www.shivamvij.com/2006/10/the-discreet-charms-of-the-nanny-state.html] Again offtopic for Goanet. Apologies, but don't want to give the impression that I'm running away from this topic. As far as hams go, Didier D'Mello has been operating a ham station for years, opposite Samrat Cinema on 18th June Road. See the equipment on his roof. But then, laws for operating HAM radio vary from country to country. I heard Bangladesh plans to do away with the archaic Morse-code requirement (a major stumbling block), but it is probably still needed in India. On another point, I've been trying to convince Didier, another HAM from All India Radio, and the Goa Science Centre Panjim to have a hobby-club that builds HAM (amateur radio) skills on a not-for-profit and voluntary basis. They're interested in the idea, but need to get rolling. For that matter, even Emmisora de Goa was an attempt to "win friends and influence people" in favour of Portuguese colonialism in Asia, was it not? As were the India-supported guerrila broadcasters sending out their 'message' to Goa? In those days, radio was all powerful. Today, there are many more sources for news and information. But nothing as cheap as radio, perhaps. FN On 08/11/06, Gabriel de Figueiredo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- "Frederick \"FN\" Noronha" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Free the airwaves... for India's sake (see the > > article at the URL below) > [http://www.tehelka.com/home/20061111/20061111.asp?filename=18.jpg] > Frederick, > You are quite right in stating "Paranoid > politicians, overcautious officials," (I don't know > about the "ad-obsessed broadcasters") preventing > India's progress with respect to radio waves. > The paranoia in Goa was at its peak in the 60s, soon > after the "liberation". A Jesuit priest, Pe. Albino, I > understand, was deported from Goa for having a > operated transmitter. However, another "ham" operator > (call sign ending in DM) maintained a low-profile > during those years. > Perhaps the paranoia is related to the fact that > whenever a high-profile person visits Goa, mobile > phone communications mysteriously go dead. -- FN 9822122436 +91-832-240-9490 (phone calls after 1 pm please) Free the airwaves... for India's sake (see the article at the URL below) [http://www.tehelka.com/home/20061111/20061111.asp?filename=18.jpg] _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
