Chetana – Adult Education Through Radio
Christened Chetana or “awareness”, the adult literacy project of Chitrabani is concerned with the education of illiterate and semi-literate listeners, especially women, spread out mainly in West Bengal, north-east India and Bangladesh. Broadcast four times a week from Radio Veritas Asia in Manila, Philippines, Chetana programmes are informal, knowledge-based shows presented in Bengali. Placing great emphasis on involvement and participation, these programmes are designed based on regular visits to the field by the Chetana team members to obtain suggestions for topics, record discussions, interviews, skits, etc. In fact, around 70 per cent of the programmes are produced in the field with the actual participation of the listeners. As more advanced ICT tools reach Indian villages, the demand for digital content will increase. Attempts are being made towards enabling live streaming radio over the internet and creating podcasts as at present programme content is available only while it is being broadcast on the radio.
What we deliver
We provide radio programmes which are useful to the target audience in the villages. The subject matter of these programmes is often suggested to us by NGOs and individual listerners.Once we finalise the suggested topics, a two-member team goes to the area where the suggestion originated and makes three to four programmes with the local people, most of them being semi-literate or even illiterate. In fact, 70% of our programmes are thus produced in the field with local participation. Though this is an age of high speed internet, most of the people of India still live in the villages. Their main occupations are farming and cottage industry or small business. In the evenings there are regular long hours of either power cuts or power fluctuations. Most families do not have television sets. Furthermore many people are still illiterate or semi-literate. Reading newspaper is not their habit. Hence radio still dominates over all other media in these villages. People like value based programme. So the popularity of Chetana still is on a rise. The Chetana Programme still occupies a major part in the daily life of a listener who does not dream of a week without Chetana. The programme pattern especially Field Dramas and Interviews are most liked by the listeners as it is easy to understand and remember. The listeners demand more such programmes. Listeners strongly say that Chetana helps them aware of various subjects. During the field visit basic training is also imparted to the listeners on Radio Programme Production. The number of listeners especially female listeners have risen for Chetana.
Whom we deliver
The main aim is to impart non-formal adult education through Radio, interactivity between the listeners and Chetana project staff is through field visits and letters and SMSs. Regular monthly visits help the project keep up to date with the rural people.
How is the project unique?
It is unique for two reasons, 1) that we produce programmes for the rural Bengali speaking population and 2) that we continue to keep in touch with them through monthly field visits and field recording.
Roadmap
As the ICT reach Indian villages, the demand for digital content will increase. We have already seen how ‘audio streaming online’ works for development. As of the now listening to radio is limited to the time it is broadcast, but ICT can increase this reach and lift this limitation by audio streaming. Enormous scope for digital content exists.
Contact
Chitrabani Society
P.J. Joseph, S.J.
76 RAFI AHMED KIDWAI ROAD
KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL, India
700016
URL/Website – http://www.chitrabani.com/
