Home

Crowdfunding Countercurrents

CC Archive

Submission Policy

Join News Letter

Defend Indian Constitution

#SaveVizhinjam

CounterSolutions

CounterImages

CounterVideos

CC Youtube Channel

India Burning

Mumbai Terror

Iraq

Peak Oil

Globalisation

Localism

Climate Change

US Imperialism

Palestine

Communalism

Dalit

Humanrights

Economy

India-pakistan

Kashmir

Book Review

Gujarat Pogrom

Kandhamal Violence

Arts/Culture

Archives

About Us

Popularise CC

Disclaimer

Fair Use Notice

Contact Us

Subscribe To Our
News Letter

Name


E-mail:



Search Our Archive



Our Site

Web

 

 

 

 

Review -VOICES OF KUTCH: A Movie With A Difference

By Anamika Aami

01 May, 2016
Countercurrents.org

VOICES OF KUTCH produced by Drishti , is a thought provoking film about the community radio of people of Kutch. The film outlines the programming done with people’s participation by KMVS- Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghatan’s community radio project –Radio Ujjas. The story is focusing on a girl- Kulsum and how she starts getting interested in radio programmes and ends with her song being aired in the Radio.

While mainstream media networks avoid or rather selectively telecasts their content, community radio initiatives are important in a way because they give voice to the avoided people. They amplify the voice of the unheard. However media has developed, it cannot be denied that in rural India, radio is still prevalent. In this documentary it is shown as to how KMVS’s project had helped in empowering the masses of Kutch.

Through the video we can also see how development is brought about within an area. Their issues concerning with basic issues – health or education is discussed, the voices of women could be heard, and moreover they creates public awareness against social issues.

More than just amplifying their voice Radio Ujjas turns out to be a medium of recording the shared culture and history of the masses. It alerts and empowers the weaker sections. The film also reveals through it the concerns of Television slowly replacing Radio as a medium. As one of the character puts it, “Just like farmers who till the land , we are farmers of the sea. And when you make programme about us , our children understand what human beings are, what nature is , sea is, what the land is, what the Water is , they must understand all this.”

According to Ashish Sen, of media development Bangalore Radio reaches out to 96% of the country. In the era of growing lean towards market centric commercial ideals the role of community media becomes extremely important for a society to relate to themselves and their aspirations, outlines the film.

It is also about preserving the culture and language of marginalized societies. With loss of language comes a loss of dignity and identity. As the video rightly puts it this is the voices of people from the bossom of Earth-their dreams, aspirations, worries, concern, stories and happiness. It helps them in identifying their problems and gives them an identity. It helps a whole community to record themselves somewhere in the history.

Anamika is a second year student of Journalism and mass communication at English and Foreign Languages University, Shillong campus.

 




 



 

Share on Tumblr

 

 


Comments are moderated