Community Radio Profile: Vasundhara Vahini, a Money Maker

Name: Vasundhara Vahini

Location: Baramati, Maharashtra

Run by: Vidya Pratishtan’s Institute of Technology

Area Covered: 42 to 45 kilometer radius - Patas Road, Dorlewadi, Malegoan, Pandari and Katewadi..

Population: 150,000

Target Audience: Women and farmers

Date of launch: 2006

Infrastructure: One transmission room, one recording room and large waiting area.

Background:

Baramati’s Vasundhara Vahini CRS is part of an initiative to make technology work for people in rural areas. Dr. Amol Goje, Ashoka Fellow and director of Vidya Pratishtan’s Institute of Technology, had been following the success of private radio channels since 2000 and thought that this would be an appropriate tool for information dissemination in rural areas.

“Farmers listen to other farmers who have been successful in increasing their yield, and if a successful farmer’s story is broadcast to people who are looking to improve their crop, people will listen,” he explained. Dr Goje feels the unique selling point of Vasundhara Vahini is community’s involvement. “It is a great motivation for community when they are invited to come and record at the studio – or their opinions are recorded in the field and other farmers or women get to hear them,” he says.

Most of Vasundhara Vahini’s listeners are sugarcane farmers and many also have dairy production. Since it is close to Pune, Baramati receives several commercial radio channels, and it has taken the Vahini team a good deal of effort to convince villagers to listen to listen in.

Acheivements:

Vasundhara Vahini is the rate CR station in India that generates its own revenue. With a marketing executive in place, within a year’s time, advertisers such as jewelers, auto parts owners, automobile agencies and life insurance agents have now begun to seek out Vasundhara Vahini to air their advertisements. Dr Goje, who is a firm believer that every endeavor should be self supporting, says today Vasundhara Vahini is able to support 100 percent of its recurring costs. Marketing executive Nana Saheb Salve said a target for the next year has already been set and he feels that he will be able to achieve it.

As far as its community mission is concerned, Vasundhara Vahini has tried various novel approaches to getting information to farmers. For example, it arranged near-simultaneous on-air translation into the local Marathi language of an international conference on grapes in Baramati, which was attended by over 2,000 delegates. There was one hitch though. Key speakers were from Israel and the organizers wanted the farmers of Baramati to benefit from this conference. Vasundhara Vahini decided to give out radios (costing Rs 40 each) to the delegates with earphones in their kits, which allowed them to follow the conference.

The Vasundhara Vahini team looks for any opportunity to get the community together as these events often generate good programming. For example, one time they organized a competition for women to showcase their skills in traditional medicines, and two hundred women participated. The discussions formed a segment of programs talking about the benefits of herbs to treat minor aliments.

A number of women have come forward to support Vasundhara Vahini and have become the backbone of their community endeavors. Vandana Kate was among the first batch of trainees for Vasundhara Vahini and today she is a grassroots leader. Says Kate, “I liked working with Vasundhara Vahini because it tried to address social issues like dowry and the environment. The training helped me mould myself to speak to people.”

As part of the Youth Day celebrations on August 12, 2008 they asked participating youth to draft scripts along with other competitions like songs, poems etc. Today a few of those who participated in the competition still make their own scripts and bring it to the station to record.

Happy Listeners:

Farmer Rajendra Suryavanshi’s Holstein Friesian cow ‘Bandi’ had a stillborn in the seventh month of her pregnancy. The local vet in Mathachiwadi suggested an operation, but Suryavanshi wanted a second opinion and used the phone-in program Hello Sheti Prashna Manjusha on Vasundhara Vahini to seek alternatives. He got one – a doctor on the line suggested a series of injections which did the job.

Vishnu Jaganath Rajmane, the teacher in the Mathachiwadi primary school, often listens to the children’s program Kilbil and Maasti ke Pathshala. He says it helps him relate with the children in school, as most of the stories are followed with a message. “The program gives me ideas about how to advise children to prepare for examinations, how to help around the house, how to look after younger siblings, etc.” Rajmane adds that after listening to a program for farmers he has begun to grow tomatoes and onions along with his sugarcane crop. He says this has helped improve soil fertility and the expense of growing the sugarcane is now offset by selling the onion and tomatoes.

Sushmita Malaviya is a researcher and writer who lives in Bhopal.

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