Suitcase radio is what they call it. Weighing only about 12 kgs andmaking a hole of about only Rs 5000 in your pocket, this radio stationis being prepared by three students Kamal, Vikas and Dayal from Haryana.One can listen to the waves till 15 kms and none of the material used in its manufacturing is imported. All the material was procurred from the local markets of Ambala.This radio station was quite popular among the students in theuniversity hostel where they used to play it. They also used to getrequest from outside the university to play songs of choice.Interestingly the professors also knew about it but they never stoppedthem.In 1995, Indian Supreme Court passed a judgments that public has full and more rights on radio transmission rather than only government but unfortunately it is still illegal for a common man to run a radio station.Although this radio stations is analog but Kamal, Vikas and Dayal claim that they can make a digital FM radio station in about 20,000 rupees which will have a CD player, cassette player, mixer of four channels, two mikes and an antenna cables. It will be a complete radio station on its own which one can take anywhere.They emphasize an important fact that these techniques existed longbefore, only thing they want to prove is that technology can bedeveloped based on existing techniques without putting too much pressure on the financial front.These kinds of experiments and innovations are taking place in otherparts of the country as well. Few days back a volunteer organizationfrom down south organized a seminar for tribal communities from all over the country. The translation of the developments of the seminar in four different tribal languages kept playing on four FM radio stations. Because the people from different tribal were able to understand whatexactly was being said and done at the seminar, their participationinvolved was amazing to look at. This was all possible because of the FM radio station of mere Rs 50.Unfortunately, the women of tribal association near Vishakapattanam were not so very lucky. Police into custody labeling them as illegal took their sets.Vickram Crishna of the Radiophony.com organization who is providingtechnical help to such organizations says, "We are using the same radio technique which the foreign security agencies use in their walky talkies to maintain security systems of multinational companies in urban areas.But it is very much saddening and unfortunate that our government trusts them but its own tribal women."Recently, Government has given green signal to educational institutes to open radio stations. Frederick Noronha who is associated with themovment says that with such low-cost instruments, radio station and run in almost every village of India.Every citizen of this country can take part in information revolution.To democratise the media in a country like India there is no better option available than radio.
story on BBCHindi.com about radio in India (text in Hindi), at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/regionalnews/story/2005/
08/050823_radio_station.shtml
