Since the region has electricity problems and very low levels of literacy, television and print media cannot be used as effective means of communication here. Therefore, radio is still the leading mass medium here, more so than newspapers and television, both in terms of audience numbers and geographical reach.

In 2008, Development Alternatives, recognising this need, established Radio Bundelkhand, the first community radio in the region to provide a platform for the rural poor. The purpose was to serve as an interactive platform which enables the local population to access the power of electronic communication helping them explore and discuss issues that are relevant to the community of the area and to find their own solutions.

To solve the purpose of its inception with ease and convenience to the user, Radio Bundelkhand started producing its programmes with the help of the community to keep the community involved and to make the programmes interesting and interactive. It uses the ICT-based platform and hires reporters from within the community – young girls and boys from deprived classes to facilitate dialogue amongst the rural poor, the illiterate and marginalised.

The community reporters are encouraged to produce their own programmes by visiting villages and recording live with the villagers. These radio journalists interview and anchor in the local language and idiom. Further, the community people call Radio Bundelkhand on the given phone numbers or mobile numbers either to share their problems or bring attention to certain issues.

The programmes delivered through Radio Bundelkhand are based on issues and content identified by the communities. The programs are broadcast in an infotainment format which helps the community understand the issue and find a solution in an entertainment mode. Each programme comprises of discussions; interviews (with experts at both the community and specialist level); reports from the field; folk music and plays; experts’ speak; radio drama; traditional Bundeli songs; coverage of events in villages; skits and jokes; listeners’ letters, messages and feedback. The phone-ins are used to receive queries and feedback from the users.

Radio Bundelkhand began with the vision of serving the community by helping in the creation of large-scale sustainable livelihoods. It has broadcast demand-based programmes on issues relevant to the community needs and given relevant information and education in an infotainment format.

Emancipation of women where women suffer from severe discrimination and are kept out of decision-making is a great challenge for any development agency. Radio Bundelkhand took a step in that direction when it trained community girls as anchors and reporters for its programmes.

Radio Bundelkhand empowers women in a 360° process. It helps women to speak about themselves in front of 120 village people through its radio programmes like ‘Stree Ek Kahani Meri Bhi’. ‘Hoi Jayeb Batein Khari Khari’ motivates them towards the importance of their life and health and not only provides them the household-based solutions from experts but also helps them to adopt these tips and suggestions in their daily lives.

For economic empowerment, various women development programmes are aired where information on self help groups, handicrafts, women-oriented schemes, laws and Acts are given. One of the impacts of such programmes was seen when women raised their voices for equal wages after listening to Radio Bundelkhand’s MGNREGS programme. The programme ‘Safalta ki kahani meri zubani’ explains the importance of small savings. The programme tells the rural women how they can contribute towards increasing their family income. The programme motivates many women. Recently, after listening to the programme, a women’s group planned their strategy and got a contract for providing mid-day meals.

In many families, women often do not have control over the radio tuner. To reach out to these women, Radio Bundelkhand started narrowcasting which helped these women not only listen to the programmes, but actively participate in sharing their problems.

There has been a growing interest in the community for a radio station with increasing number of community members offering to contribute to it. Radio Bundelkhand with the tag-line of Apna Radio Apni Batein (Our Radio, Our Lives) covers an area of approximately 20-25 km around the station, reaching about 2.5 lakh people in approximately 131 villages.

The medium has become a vehicle for the underprivileged to be heard, be informed, shape knowledgeable opinion, learn the give-and-take of informed dialogue and become decisive agents in their own development. The radio allows the rural poor to develop their own local programmes and organise discussions on matters affecting their community.

The radio not only empowers the community reporters through its on-the-job training and develops their personalities but also provides them adequate training to run the radio so that in future they can sustain themselves even if Development Alternatives withdraws from the area.

Apart from the training, the radio runs programmes on Personality Development, English Speaking, Employment and Education, Environment and many more such issues which target the rural youth. To make the programmes attractive, it uses local and interesting characters such as Daddu (Daddu ki Pathshala – English-speaking Programme), Baihron Bhouji and her Lallaji (Environment) are used so that the contents do not become boring and heavy.

The radio also plays an important role in preserving and promoting the local culture and language. The station has created a database of 1115 original Bundeli folk songs, sung by 400 folk singers of Bundelkhand.

The Community Radio initiated ‘Bundeli Idol’, a successful folk music competition among the rural communities for local talent hunt. The show is a major success. Additionally, local issues are addressed through local characters in Bundeli language. The broadcast schedule has been based on community preferences. The community radio plays a unique role in preserving the local culture, language, idioms, folksongs and history of the area.

To promote effective governance in villages, Radio Bundelkhand aired the programme Hamara Sarpanch Kaisa ho focused on effective leadership. The village community shared their expectations with the representative from the radio. Another programme broadcast for awareness creation on MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme) helped the community in getting relevant information on the scheme. The programme has had a major impact, both at the community, as well as at the institutional level. At the community level, the programme generated awareness in the rural population which resulted in a tremendous increase in the demand for job cards. As a result, 60 people from six villages demanded employment and applied for job cards. The workers under MGNREGS have been organised under a Workers’ Employment Support Group that was formed in February 2010. Currently, there are 60 members in the group.

At the institutional level, one of the most significant outcomes of the programme has been that the district authorities of the region considered Radio Bundelkhand an information point for MGNREGS, in addition to their normal helpline.

To make the people understand complex Acts such as the Right to Information Act, Fundamental Rights, NHRC, FIR, Equal Remuneration Act, Child Marriage Restriction Act and Maternity Benefit Act, the programmes are being broadcast in radio drama format.

In the Community Radio Sammelan 2010, Radio Bundelkhand and Gurgaon Ki Awaz raised the voice for Community Radio Empanelment under Directorate of Advertising and Visual Printing (DAVP).

Radio Bundelkhand keeps organising meetings of other Bundelkhand-based community radios to share experiences and challenges.

Radio Bundelkhand is working to become a central point for community radio training programmes. This will ensure a regular flow of knowledge sharing.

The programmes broadcast by Radio Bundelkhand will also be used by other community radio operators in the region. This will ensure scalability of ideas to different communities and help in expanding the reach.

Common wealth of learning initiated a pilot programme named Mobile for Media. The concept was to share information with the help of radio and mobile. It was a live phone – in and teleconferencing programme. In the history of community radio, it was a first initiative of its kind.

Gram Vani Community Media aims to develop tele-communication and media solutions that give a greater voice to people at the grassroots, and enable closer engagement between people and large institutions in the development sector. Gram Vani selected Radio Bundelkhand to test their software and hardware for archiving, etc.

Radio Bundelkhand believes in the creation of confidence arising out of being informed to make the right choices and a sense of community and feeling of identity. It offers a platform to the community to raise their voice, to solve their problems and to showcase their talent. The radio has many success stories and regularly receives feedback through phone calls, letters and narrowcasting. There have been several occasions where the rural people have benefited from the advice offered by the community radio through agriculture, health and access to entitlement related programmes.  q