Kutch Radio program receives an award

The radio serial Kunjal Paanje Kutchji [Sarus Crane of our Kutch] produced by Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan(KMVS) has been awarded the Chameli Devi Jain Award 2000 by the Media Foundation in New Delhi on March 29, 2001. The foundation has been sponsoring the prestigious Chameli Devi Award for an Outstanding Woman Journalist or Mediaperson, since 1982.- Read India Together’s earlier story about this popular radio program

Recipients of the 1999 Chameli Devi award were Ms Barkha Dutt of NDTV, Pamela Philipose, a Senior Editor with The Indian Express, and Vasavi of Prabhat Khabar, Ranchi.

This weekly serial was the result of a highly rewarding collaboration between several persons and organizations. Scripted by Paresh Naik and mounted with the direction support of Drishti Media Collective in Ahmedabad, the serial was probably the first sustained effort at the use of radio for development by a voluntary organization in our country. Though scripted and directed with outside professional support, the program sought to provide a platform for local expression and dialogue - through participation by local communities in the drama, song, and news-reporting.

The Centre for Educational Innovation, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, supported KMVS in conducting village-based surveys to assess the impact of the radio program on the ground. The first survey conducted three months after broadcast indicated a dedicated listenership of 6%. After 10 months of broadcast, this figure had grown to 50% of surveyed Kutchis and 80% of the radio-owning population of Kutch.

After completing 53 episodes in December 2000, KMVS continues its intervention in radio through a new bi-weekly 15-minute radio program called “Tu Jiyaro Ain” (Tu Zinda Hai!) in March 2001 in the aftermath of the earthquake, once again with the support of Drishti Media Collective. The program is in a magazine format, featuring a range of interviews, songs and profiles, and is conceived as a platform for the eq-affected to air and share their concerns about rehabilitation.

For both these programs, broadcast from All India Radio-Bhuj, KMVS is financially supported by UNDP-GOI, including the cost of commercial airtime.

Shabnam Virmani Ahmedabad, April 2001

Drishti is a group of media professionals working on issues of gender justice, human rights and development. Drishti was founded as a trust in 1993.

Contact Information Drishti Media Collective 387-C Devang Bungalows, Near Goyal Palace Rajpath-Thaltej Highway, Bodakdev Ahmedabad, INDIA - 380054 Tel: 91-79-6851235 [telefax] and 91-79-6851437

• Read India Together’s earlier story about this popular radio program
• More about Drishti and a list of video productions available