The ideal is those cascading waterfalls, meandering rivers, rain laden clouds and amidst all this the songs that heralded the coming of monsoons and a verdant greenery of the older times- the rich soil, skies, clouds, birds, hills, rivers, seas, snows, and trees as everything used to be earlier.

Turning the clock towards history, we go back to a time when humanity migrated to the Indian sub-continent from Central Asia and settled amidst all this beauty after being mesmerised by the immensely fertile tract of the Ganga-Yamuna delta. We, ourselves, have deliberately denuded the earth of its fertility and we are half the time not even aware of the magnitude of the damage that we are causing.

The fast pace of progress, compounded with technological inventions and discoveries, conveniences and self motivations - all laid some more nails in the coffin that was our beloved earth. Some parts of the earth have been completely stripped of the green cover.

And who were the ones to suffer the most? It was those unfortunate ones who lagged behind in the so-called race to progress. Nature gave way to commerce and finance overcame ethics. The financially strong called the shot, and demanded that compromises should be made to adapt with nature, but not at the cost of money.

We are adapting. There can be many factors leading to this adaptation. Maybe, because we are a developing nation, lagging behind other countries in terms of progress, primarily because we have been a civilisation that worships nature. Maybe, because we are a nation that follows the path to peace and harmony. How ever the fact remains that whatsoever may be the reason behind the situation today, it is the common people who are paying the price.

In this context, Shubh Kal is an endeavour to fill life into a barren landscape called earth. Many activities are being undertaken towards bringing about this change. Bundelkhand, a tract of land that has been literally converted onto barrenness, is where Development Alternatives has invested 27 years, putting unremitting efforts to bring about a change for the better. DA has been a platform for the change makers to work creatively at the very ground.

Radio Bundelkhand is a novel approach in this direction. In the past three years, our community radio has been interacting with the people of this region. Shubh Kal has been reaching out to the villagers many times, in numerous forms. In a number of efforts, ranging from plans to save water, using water to maintain the community, planting more trees and bringing innovative methods of farming to the people, Shubh Kal has associated with the community radio and brought about changes that have made life easy for the local community. The listeners have availed the latest information on farming techniques as also lifestyle tips and have greatly benefited from this helpline.

How ever, for the community radio outreach areas, probably Shubh Kal is a new entity even now. Radio Bundelkhand is making every possible effort to send out information on climate change and the measures to combat the same. The negative impact of global warming is a grim reality for the community, which is the main target group for the radio. Now, it is a regular feature to witness draughts during monsoons, and rains in summers. All this has a great impact on agriculture. Farmers, who are entirely dependent on rains for crop harvesting face a grim future. In isolated clusters, people are not even aware of the fact that they can combat or even protect their crops from the ills of global warming. Many villagers do not have adequate information regarding the causes of draughts and water scarcity. Or, for that matter, what are they to do about the existing water shortage.

Radio Bundelkhand has left no stone unturned to reach out to people, who are facing the water crisis. It helps them resolve the issue at their own end. In the beginning, this radio service interacted with the youth and spoke of regional concerns and topical issues. In all of these necessary issues, the topics ranged across environment, water, employment, farming, health and education. The people heartily agreed that if the entire community had adequate food, clothing, housing, education and a healthy and clean environment, then the society will benefit as a whole. A happy and prosperous society is a synonym for Shubh Kal.

The definition of Shubh Kal is known to all, but this belief was brought to the listeners of the community radio for the first time through the SDC-SCI programme, when speaking about climate change the experts made it known that it was an essential part of the community’s need for water, forests, land and employment.

The second leg of the journey of Shubh Kal commenced from the World Bank’s Rural Reality Show. Information on options available to rural areas is being aired regularly through various radio programmes. It was also decided that all anchors and radio jockeys would continuously speak at length on season change and global warming throughout the day.

On the occasion of the Earth Day on April 22, 2011, various programmes, including competitions of singing and art and drawing, brought the radio community even closer and the message of Shubh Kal was heard in every household. Radio partners have all headed out to the villages for community mobilisation. They provide information on Shubh Kal and season change. They had also arranged for a cricket match for the youth and financed a Shubh Kal tree plantation drive. The younger generation regularly makes phone calls to the community radio and sends latest updates and reports on the planted trees. It has been observed that people eagerly await the reporters for a similar drive. The trees are aptly called the Shubh Kal trees.

At the moment, the Radio Bundelkhand team is covers 100 villages and speaks about Shubh Kal. Just a while ago, a change in seasonal pattern became obvious when it rained in the area and an otherwise searing month of May became cool. The farmers are protesting in front of the district Magistrates’ offices howing their spoilt produce. The radio community is working on all fronts to prepare the people for a changed and better tomorrow.

It is a harsh truth that the government can offer help only to those who are at the threshold of bankruptcy. It can offer sympathy and condolences to the debt ridden farming community, but cannot stop the march of climate change, or take measures to halt the changing of the climes.

It is we who have to understand the pulse of the issue at hand and adapt to the same. And to get this across to the area of Bundelkhand, the radio outreach programme has its own stage, its own mouthpiece. The promise made to reach each and every region for a better tomorrow is now in progress, and the first steps have already been taken. q

Anuja Shukla
ashukla2@devalt.org