Soon after, Arpan Sir came to our village. A meeting was held, which I too decided to attend. In the training we were told that rays travel from the radio, and our voice is carried with these air waves. Many questions were raised in this meeting – what kind of people listen to the radio, when do they listen, and what do they all like to listen to. Then I heard that a training programme was being held on the radio.

I asked my family whether I too could attend this meeting. My father readily agreed. In the first days of the training, I was too shy to speak and wouldn’t utter a word. Then Ekta Madam told us that when you work for the radio, you have to speak. It is a must. In this training session, we were made to draw a map of our village. A few names for our radio were discussed. Finally, we settled on the name ‘Radio Bundelkhand 90.4 Apna Radio, Apni Batein’.

We were trained for three days, and learned a great deal in this period. Only a few lucky trainees were going to be selected to work on the radio. A few days later, I heard that I was one of the chosen few. That day, I had been very happy. Since that day, I have been working as a reporter and Radio Jockey for Radio Bundelkhand. I also produce a few programmes, like ‘Balbandhu’, ‘Amma ke chowke’, ‘Mujhe haq hai’, ‘Aas-pass’, as well as a few radio dramas. There is another programme titled ‘Stree, ek kahani meri bhi’, where I am involved. In the very beginning, I had a lot of difficulty with the Stree programme. Whenever I would go to the field, I would return empty handed; the women wouldn’t talk to me openly. I too was too scared to initiate a dialogue. But now, all the women talk to me quite openly. When they show interest and enthusiasm in relating their life story to me, I still feel the same pleasure. Now, I keep thinking as to how I can make my programmes much more interesting. How can I involve the people to a greater extent. I keep experimenting with my shows daily.

Earlier, I could produce a programme in 3-4 hours, and even then I couldn’t do a great job with them. Today, I do my work in half the time and have started work on the editing aspect also. In my first days with radio dramas, when I would be asked to speak like an old man, I would find it very tough. I was unable to change my voice or modulate it. Then there was another training session, where Ram Sir and Ekta Madam taught us to modulate our voice as per the role’s demands. Now, I can change my voice as and when needed.

My happiest day with Radio Bundelkhand was when our radio was to be inaugurated. I was so happy, I could barely contain my joy. That was the day I heard my voice broadcast through the air. Now I really enjoy my work, even my field trips. I have even begun to go live a little. When I first went on live transmission, I was so nervous I was sweating with tension. But the fear has left me now. Now I am learning to work on the computer as well. I have learnt many things that I had no idea of earlier.

I have to continue with the same zeal and create better and more improved programmes, reach out to more and more people from my community. That is my dream. q

Prachi Ojhha
Community Radio Reporter

I thought that if I could participate in the radio Bundelkhand, I would be able to carve my niche here. Of the many questions I was asked, one was: Why do you want to take part in this training? I replied that I wanted to learn about this line of work and communicate my voice to my community.

I really enjoyed my training. The three-day training programme came to an end, and I was back in my old life, and the same lifestyle. Suddenly, one day I was called to work for the community radio. I was thrilled beyond words. I could not believe my good fortune in being selected out of all the people in my village. I took god’s name and joined up.

My first day on the job was long and wonderful. When I cam to the studio, the service was to be inaugurated and we would have to create programmes to be aired. I met my colleagues here, and all of us got together to start work. Just like a cot needs four legs, we too – led by our superior – started making waves.

Our radio was to be inaugurated on October 23, 2008. We were all quite worried as we had no songs, and no programmes to broadcast for two hours in the morning and another two in the evening. Also, how would the radio work?

Soon the inauguration ceremony commenced and we all got to work. The radio service began and our voice reached out to the people. The name Radio Bundelkhand 90.4 became a household name in the villages within the 10-km radius. People began to realise that they could all communicate and discuss their issues through this service. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult to carve a place for ourselves among the people, but soon everyone lost their reserve and would tell us of their dreams, needs and life.

Since I began to work for the radio community, there have been a lot of changes in me. People talk to me with respect when I visit their villages. We are referred to as the radio people. I meet a lot of interesting people. I also interact with officials and others with regard to recording, etc.

I had never imagined that I could speak with such confidence on the radio. I could hum a few songs when I was a child, but speaking in front of the microphone was a challenge. In the beginning, we needed a lot of guidance and supervision, but now we go to our seniors only if there is an emergency. Which is a lot less now.

I will always remember October 23, 2008, when our radio programmes began and we had worked late into the night. We would be so involved in our programmes, we never knew when it would be midnight. I shall never forget my colleagues and the friends I made there.

It is said that hard work leads to success. Today, our work is reaping rich dividends. q

Ajendra Singh Rajput
Community Radio Reporter