It is now all set to introduce ‘Radio Museum’ to promote community’s culture, literature, poets. It will provide an 800 square feet hall with the local musical instruments for the local artists. Their performances will be broadcast and automatically recorded.

To celebrate the occasion, Mann Deshi Tarang Vahini 90.4 is coming up with many programmes on public demand where doctors, advocates and teachers will address the community people’s problems and issues. ‘It has a lot more in its basket to empower the community’, said Shivaji Yadav, station in-charge.

Started in 2008, with a time slot of 20 minutes, Mann Deshi Tarang is now broadcasting eight hours a day with three hours of repeated programmes.

Mann Deshi Tarang Vahini is an attempt to create a relationship between the radio and the community, he added. About the changes that have taken place in the last six years, he said that operating the community radio station has been easier now. It is not the community radio’s success, it is people’s success.

Shakuntala, a blind and illiterate girl, learnt a lot about life, health and other relevant issues from Mann Deshi Tarang Vahini. She, now, spreads the knowledge and information to others.

The community radio station has adopted 40 schools and 2 colleges where they organize awareness camp on 17th of every month.

To create awareness about the financial independency, it produces programmes on banking literacy, loans for women, gold loan, and agriculture loan. Mann Deshi Foundation also runs a Mann Deshi Mahila Shehkari Bank to provide financial access to the rural women.

Author: Ruby Rani/ OneWorld