International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC)

Namma Dhwani means Our Voices in Kannada - the local language. Namma Dhwani is a community media partnership between the community of Budikote and the NGOs VOICES and MYRADA, with the support of UNESCO.

In 1999 a baseline survey conducted to assess information needs and preferred media revealed that the community wanted locally relevant information on crops, market prices, health (particularly women's health), etc. They wanted this information through audio channels mainly because of low comprehension, poverty and literacy levels. They expressed the wish that information be broadcast in their own dialect, which is a mix of Kannada & Telugu. None of the available media, both private and government-owned, catered to these specific needs mirroring the massive information gap that exists in the rest of the country.

Article 19 of the Indian constitution grants its citizens "the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

The villages of India are however reduced to being hapless consumers of media that is irrelevant to them. This is where we see community media playing a significant role in establishing a sustainable link between information and development.

Namma Dhwani in many ways serves as a demonstrative model. In 2000, 28 volunteers selected by community based organizations were trained in interviewing, recording, scripting, editing, and mixing skills. These trainings were complemented with exposure visits to government and private audio studios, as well as community radio stations in Nepal. Volunteers from 35 villages created regionally relevant programmes and played them at Self Help Group meetings in different villages. Formed with help from our partner NGO in this area, MYRADA, these Self Help Groups are constituted of women who get together to engage in micro credit finance. Most of these women are semi-literate or illiterate, engaged in agricultural work with very little access to information on issues pertaining to their lives.

The success of the narrowcasting prompted the establishment of an audio production centre in Budikote with the help of UNESCO in September 2001. At this point, the need for a community based management structure was identified. The Management committee is comprised of 10 women and 2 men who in turn represent the members of their Self Help Groups, amounting to approximately 230 women and 25 men. Each group made a token investment and accepted responsibility in being trained to become the managers of Namma Dhwani. They meet twice a month to take stock of programming, feedback and administrative matters. They have hired 3 studio staff from the community who are responsible for programming, feedback and other administrative matters, as well as looking after the computer training.

Namma Dhwani conducted a loudspeaker narrowcast, every Tuesday, during the weekly market. Around the same time workshops about audio techniques were organized for children from the government school. Their enthusiasm to adopt newer methods of learning prompted a cable connection from the Namma Dhwani studio to the classroom of the tenth grade students. This initiative was implemented with the help of the parents, the teachers and the Block Education Office.

During all these different phases of Namma Dhwani, one of the questions that was often posed to us was "where can I listen to my own voice?" This sentiment found an echo in the vision statement of the management committee which said that they wanted every household of their village to be able to listen to Namma Dhwani.

Starting in March 2003, a direct to home cable connection was established in collaboration with the local cable operator. At present 325 households can listen to two hours of local programming on their radio and television sets via cable everyday.

The programming schedule of Namma Dhwani was finalized after Focus Group Discussions with different interest groups like the farmers, children, health workers, panchayat, management committee etc.

Side by side, in April 2002 computers were set up at the centre. Basic training in MS-Office & targeting school dropouts and other interested community members such as farmers and women continues. Because of the poor telecom infrastructure Internet Connectivity has been inconsistent. The computers are also used to archive information and administrative systems as well as digital editing. Enrich, a front page interface developed for UNESCO by the National Informatics Centre has enabled ND to archive data like contact information about medical facilities, health programmes with graphic details, and Namma Dhwani's own programmes in the local language.

Another unique aspect of Namma Dhwani is the continuous action research component investigating whether Information Communication Technologies can help reduce poverty. We hope Action research combined with surveys will help develop:

A better understanding of the depth and scope of the impact, processes of diffusion and access, especially with regard to target groups.

An advocacy instrument for community radio to policy makers, other activists, and the general public.

Over the past year, Action Research has revealed the need for four-language programming, investigated crucial issues regarding governance and health, and has been useful in documenting political and community dynamics.

Namma Dhwani wants to:

Implement a radio browsing model using relevant information from the internet, packaged into audio programmes to provide access to local as well as global information

Extend programming to other villages, using loudspeakers and deferred cable casts methods.

Become a computer and audio production training centre for people from other villages

Namma Dhwani is a small village, a micro study in a landscape of gigantic, vertical media growth. However, it is an excellent example of synergising communications with information in ways that the rest of India has yet to do.

Some impact stories recorded by the action researcher:

For about 8 days BK was not able to get drinking water because the pipes of the main borewell were broken. The irritated women gathered in front of the building, discussing their problems. One of ND's volunteers Nagaraj, 20, borrowed the recording equipment and recorded the opinions of the women. He then played back these sound bytes to the panchayat secretary who promised to look into the matter and have it fixed in the next 2 days. Sure enough, the water was gushing by the end of the next day.

Similar issues about drainage leakages, street light etc. have been articulated by the community members while collecting feedback about the panchayat programmes. When cablecast, men have informed us that appropriate action has been taken by the panchayat.

The researcher had noticed in many households the tradition of having women sit isolated from the people during menstruating. At her suggestion, the female studio manager made a programme on how such a tradition came about, its logic and ill-effects. Women, school girls, and elders were interviewed. The school girl who expressed her isolation as disturbing and shameful later told us that "after hearing the programme, my mother has asked me not to sit outside but in the bedroom". Moreover, the women, who were initially shy about speaking about their bodies on radio admitted to the studio managers that they felt well after having discussed something so personal and shared their opinion.

Mr. Ramudu from MYRADA recorded a telegu song about women's empowerment. Quotes from the song include "the caste of women, they look down upon... don't despair sister, come out of the kitchen, hold hands with other women, and show them what you can do..."

This one song must have been re-cablecast at least 20 times based only on requests. I have seen women shed tears while this song was played. According to Neelamma: "if not for Namma Dhwani I and the rest of the women in Budikote would have not known that such a song ever existed..."

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