[Reader-list] Community radio doesn’t cause wars

[Shivam Vij]

Free the airwaves, for India's sake
Community radio doesn't cause wars, it brings positive change

By Frederick Noronha
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main22.asp?filename=op111106Free_the.asp



We have about 30 here," said my Ugandan friend, when asked about fm
radio stations in and around Uganda's capital Kampala. Nepal has
shamed the "world's largest democracy" many years ago.

And we're not talking of just multi-million rupee licences for
commercial fm. Apart from the sarkari airwaves, and the commercial
ones, India has just forgotten to open up its airwaves to its own
citizens, volunteer networks and the not-for- profit sector (not just
ngos alone). Paranoid politicians, overcautious officials, and
ad-obsessed broadcasters, have worked to make this happen. Campus
radio is no substitute for genuine community radio.

Conflict-prone Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia too have
outdone us. In 1995, the Supreme Court was clear in telling the
authorities that the "airwaves are public property". Yet, every
stalling trick has been deployed to delay. Will the government be
different now? Now, though, we have talk of new community
radio-friendly policies from the gom, Cabinet approval and
what-have-you. But till we hear the broadcasts, let's just keep our
fingers crossed, shall we?

Half a decade ago, a disparate group that saw potential in community
radio joined a unesco workshop held at Hyderabad. To build some
continuity, an electronic mailing list called cr-India was set up.
Since then, over 300-plus citizens have tried every trick to convince
the authorities why this is a good idea. So, whose interest does it
serve to keep Indian talent on a tight leash, even while blocking the
huge potential for communication?

Academics agree with it. There is clear evidence that community radio
works elsewhere. We have more than sufficient skills across India.
Just take a look at radiophony.com that tells you how to build a
low-powered transmitter for a few hundred rupees.

We've seen groups in Bhuj and Bihar struggle with leasing time on the
air network. We've seen youngsters from Haryana create transmitters
for Rs 11,000. And we've seen an innovative Raghav Mahto run an
unlicenced fm radio station in a way that makes it relevant to the
locality and enables him to earn a few rupees for a cancer-stricken
dad.

So what are we waiting for? But then, India's irrational fears about
unleashing the power of communication, in a way that could really make
a difference to the information-starved, is keeping our potential
blocked. Thanks to technology, and today's unprecedented pace for the
spread of ideas, you don't need an army of bureaucrats or a few
million rupees to communicate via the airwaves anymore. What's more,
the radio could be the most appropriate in a country with poor power
in vast rural stretches.

But irrational fears are just that. Irrational, and hard to get rid
of. We have a (relatively) free press; and the country hasn't fallen
apart. Radio doesn't cause wars or the breakdown of law and order.
Rather than war-war, it allows for jaw-jaw. We need discussions that
could resolve conflict and act as an early warning system. Those not
in line with the law will do so, whether you offer them licences or
not. So, whom are we penalising?

We need radio to warn the citizen of disaster, to inform them of how
to bring positive change in their lives, and even to keep alive the
varied cultures which get trampled upon by our centralised models.

Tomas Koshy — discussing via the communityradio at writeshop.org network
— tells a recent story of what happened when he spoke to 150 women in
Champaran. Three read newspapers. Four watched TV. And almost everyone
listened to radio. So should they be force-fed the official version,
when technology allows for thousands of community-run radios,
reflecting the needs of India? Rather than fearing what happens when
the poor get access to information, we owe it to them to just
unshackle the medium. This is not middle-class burden; even
"illiterate" millions are educated enough to make use of this medium.
Are we enlightened enough to stop fighting possibilities with paranoia
and artificial blocks in the law?

Action can always be taken against those violating the law; should we
presume malafides by default? Time lost, as a decision gets delayed,
is something the country could never ever recoup. So why not just free
the airwaves for the citizen too? Till then, India will just have to
wait for its real communications revolution.

Noronha is a Goa-based journalist