Community radio to boost women’s life

Tiruchi :R. Sreedher, Director, Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia, New Delhi, presenting a radio transistor to a woman at Holy Cross College in Tiruchi on Tuesday.With a view to increasing scientific awareness and enhancing the quality of life of womenfolk in immediate surroundings, the Department of Visual Communication, Holy Cross College (Autonomous) on Tuesday got its ‘Pudhiya Jananam’ – Science for Women Project – commissioned with Rs. 16 lakh financial assistance and technical support from the Rastriya Vigyan Evam Prodyogiki Sanchar Parishad, a unit of the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi.

The one-year project entails creation of awareness and conduct of interactive programmes on topics such as health, hygiene and other factors of daily importance through the College’s Community Radio Station – FM 90.4 Mhz – amongst a targeted 1,000 womenfolk residing in Jeeva Nagar and Dharmanathapuram areas. The programmes will be on air everyday from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. and from 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.To ensure their interesting participation , the Director, Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia, New Delhi, presented radio transistors to a section of the women during a function got up to mark the commissioning of the project at the College.

Presiding over, Mr. Sreedher said the purpose of the community radio was to create a positive societal impact in the local community. The College was among the 13 chosen institutions in the country, including five in Tamil Nadu, to implement the project, he said, informing that the Central Government was keen to popularise the concept of Community Radio by extending 5,000 licences. Of the 28 in the country at present, 18 were in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, he said.

R. Mahadevan, Former Editor, BBC World Service (Tamil), London, urged the students and faculty members to take advantage of the technology and package the programmes with new ideas and innovations for a better reach in the community. Delivering his key note address, Mr. Mahadevan said the consciousness of the targeted community should be awakened at the outset through achievement motivation before going about the awareness initiatives.Inaugurating the project, A. Shantha, Professor and Head, Department of Journalism and Science Education, Madurai Kamaraj University, observed that the potential of Community Radio was not explored fully as yet. The programmes on need-based topics customised to the local community should be made interactive, she said.

Ujjwala Tirkey, Scientist, Rashtriya Vigyan Evam Prodyogiki Sanchar Parishad, said that through creating scientific awareness, Community Radio was meant to function as a voice for the voiceless in the society.The Principal Sr. Rosy said science education through the Community Radio would address the issues of poverty and illiteracy in the community. Shirley Deepak, Head, Department of Visual Communication, spoke.