Shekhar Srivastava said discussions were under way to assess the exact cost of each PSLV.
Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat gets into the cockpit of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas during the Aero India show on Thursday | Nagaraja Gadekal
Bengaluru :
Soon, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will start manufacturing the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Recently, the public sector unit formed a consortium with Larsen and Tourbo for this purpose.
Speaking to Express, Shekhar Srivatsava, Chief Executive Officer of HAL’s Bengaluru Complex, said they were in the process of finalising an agreement with ISRO to start manufacturing the launch vehicles. “It is one of the prestigious projects we are associated with,” he said. To a question, he said that they were expecting to start production of the launch vehicles soon.
One of the primary objectives of outsourcing the manufacture of PSLVs to companies like HAL was to decrease their manufacturing costs. “ISRO still has to give us requirements on the number of launch vehicles they might require,” he said.
Considering the number of launches ISRO has every year, HAL is expecting an order of 12 PSLVs every year,he said.
Shekhar Srivastava said discussions were under way to assess the exact cost of each PSLV. HAL sources added that discussions were on and was expected to be finalised soon.
Earlier this year, ISRO chairman K Sivan had revealed that a consortium of HAL and L&T had approached ISRO after the space agency sought assistance from the public sector to manufacture PSLVs, in a bid to concentrate ISRO’s efforts towards research.
While Sivan had said that consortiums consisting of other companies too had approached the agency, HAL sources said they had all the required equipment and partners to produce the launch vehicles as per ISRO’s schedule and requirements.
The history of PSLV launchers in the country has been ISRO’s success story with the rocket emerging as the workhorse of India’s space programme. Chandrayaan-1 too was launched on a modified PSLV launcher in October 2008. Many low-earth orbit remote sensing and earth observing satellites have been launched on board the PSLV, which made its maiden launch in 1993.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Akram Mohammed / Express News Service / February 22nd, 2019
The distinctive fabrics created by members of the Lambani community may soon get a global push, with the state government providing them assistance to work with the latest trends.
Bengaluru :
The distinctive fabrics created by members of the Lambani community may soon get a global push, with the state government providing them assistance to work with the latest trends. The Lambani women make colourful pieces of cloth, embellished with mirrors and embroidery.
The Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Livelihood has identified several traditional art forms, including Lambani embroidery, Bidri arts from Bidar, and wooden toys of Channapattana, which would receive encouragement from the state government.
It has decided to open ‘Traditional Art Skill Schools’ to revive these arts forms and promote artisans at Gadag, Hoovinahadagali in Harapanahalli taluk, Suryagondanahalli in Nymathi taluk and Kanakapura taluk. A government order to set up these training schools was issued recently.
Skill Development Minister Parameshwar Naik said many traditional art forms, which are part of our rich heritage, are vanishing. Artisans with no market for their products are moving to cities for work. “In a bid to stop them from migrating to the city, and renew the age-old crafts, we have started the training school where the government will upgrade their skills to cater to the present market,” he said.
Karnataka has the second largest population of Lambanis in India. Naik said they possess skills that are passed through generations. “To give their creations a modern look, we will sign up fashion designers who will train the Lambani women, giving them ideas about the colours and designs that are in trend now. A three-month residential programme will be conducted at our skill training schools,’’ he said.
After their training, the women will head back to their villages armed with raw material and financial assistance in form of loans. “These women can then make the cloth, which we will buy. These products will also be sent outside Karnataka and even the country, giving them a brand identity,’’ Naik said. The government will also provide them space at various art exhibitions to give them a market platform.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ashwini M Sripad / Express News Service / February 25th, 2019
Drones delivering goods ordered online and being used to photograph exotic locations which are inaccessible to humans are already well known.
A heavy-lift hybrid drone developed by Poeir Jets
Bengaluru :
Drones delivering goods ordered online and being used to photograph exotic locations which are inaccessible to humans are already well known. How about a drone-based fire extinguisher that can reach any spot without the hassles faced by fire tenders or firemen?A Bengaluru-based aerospace firm — Poeir Jets — is developing heavy-lift hybrid drones for the purpose, which has already attracted the attention of a Spanish firm, Drone Hopper, for mass production.
Speaking to TNIE, Devathathan Mookiaha, director of Poeir Jets, said that the ‘Urban Firefighting Hopper’ is designed to restrain fires, especially in high-rise buildings. “The drone uses six micro-jet engines — developed by Poeir — to carry either extinguishing foam or water to douse flames,” he said.
The hopper is among the four heavy-lift drones being developed by the firm. “For the ‘Firefighting Hopper’, one-third of the research grant is being provided by the Department of Science and Technology,” he said.
Mookiaha and the firm’s co-founder Sridhar Balaram have been developing heavy-lift drones for the past three years and were the first company in the country to develop micro-jets. These micro-jets are being used for drones developed by the company.
Poeir Jets has also launched three heavy-lift drones during the ongoing 12th Aero India. While its Turbo Shaft MTS 30 will be able to carry weights of up to 200 kg when fully developed, Hybrid Drone DJE 30 has a capacity to carry weights of up to 75 kg for more than two hours.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akram Mohammed / Express News Service / February 23rd, 2019
inister for Sericulture S.R. Mahesh, Minister for Higher Education G.T. Deve Gowda, and Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath at the cocoon market in Mysuru on Sunday.
A publicity campaign was held in Manyda, Mysuru, and Chamarajanagar earlier
A cocoon market began functioning on the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Yard in Bandipalya on the outskirts of Mysuru on Sunday with more than 3,000 kg of cocoons auctioned on the first day.
The cocoon market in Mysuru will have to vie with established markets in Ramanagaram, Malavalli, T. Narsipura, Kollegal and Santhemarahalli, among other places in the region.
Nataraj, Joint Director of Sericulture, Mysuru, said the cocoon market received a good response. More than 3,000 kg of cocoon was sold. The maximum price was ₹413 per kg and the lowest was ₹280 per kg.
Officials of the Department of Sericulture had carried out a publicity campaign in sericulture-intensive areas of Manyda, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar ahead of the start of the cocoon market here.
A cocoon market in Mysuru will be of convenience to farmers in the region as they can avoid the expenditure otherwise incurred on transporting produce to other far away markets. “For farmers who grow other produce, a cocoon market in Mysuru will help them bring the cocoons to the APMC yard and sell other produce too,” Mr. Nataraj said.
Earlier, Minister for Sericulture S.R. Mahesh, who inaugurated the market, recalled Mysuru’s more than two centuries old agricultural tradition of sericulture introduced during rule of Tipu Sultan. Presently, more than 12 lakh families are dependent on sericulture in Karnataka with Mysuru earning a name for itself in the silk industry.
In the absence of a cocoon market in Mysuru, efforts were made to establish a market to cater to districts of Chamarajanagar and Mandya along with Mysuru, which together had a total of 36,000 growers and 735 reelers.
55 cocoon markets
Karnataka, which is the leading silk producer in the country, has a total of 55 cocoon markets including 20 seed cocoon markets and 35 commercial silk cocoon markets.
Mr. Nataraj said the cocoon market was presently functioning from a premises rented from the APMC yard. The buyers and sellers have to pay 1% of the transaction amount as market fees.
Though the department was facing a shortage of staff in Mysuru to handle the affairs of the market, about five persons including a demonstrator, a first division assistant, and an inspector have been drawn from different places to assist them in the functioning of the cocoon market.
5,000 acres of land
According to Javare Gowda, Deputy Director of Sericulture, Mysuru, Mysuru district alone has mulberry cultivation spread across more than 5,000 acres of land in 600 villages with more than 3,300 farmers and their families engaged in sericulture activities. “A total of 70,000 to 75,000 kg of cocoons are reared in Mysuru every month,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – February 24th, 2019
If you want to know what a model Green Village looks like, then you have to visit Satageri near Karwar.
Solar light and battery at a house in Satageri
Karwar :
If you want to know what a model Green Village looks like, then you have to visit Satageri near Karwar. Until three years ago, women had to blow and invariably inhale the smoke while cooking on firewood. Not any more. Now they boast of an LPG connection. This is not the only clean and green change in this village.
Satageri, located about 25 km from Karwar and surrounded by forests of the Western Ghats, proudly displays solar power, LPG connection and toilet in every house. Solar lamps light up the houses. People do not throw any waste on the streets, and even make vermicompost for use in their garden and fields. The village, with 70 houses and a population of about 270, sets an example of how people can live with forest and nature without harming it.
“We are happy to live here and nobody is interested in leaving the village any more,” says Gajer Vaikuntha Marathe, a farmer from Satageri.The villagers cannot thank the forest department enough for the change that it ushered into their hamlet over three years ago. The forest department took Satageri under its wing in 2016, as part of the Green Village and Smokeless Village schemes of the state government.
LPG cylinder and gas stove;
It distributed free LPG connections and two solar light systems to each house. A total of 12 solar street lights were also set up.According to a senior forest officer, since 34 houses already had LPG connections, they distributed free connections to the remaining 36 houses. All the people were also given fruit and flower saplings, and encouraged to grow trees near their houses. The place has now been converted into a Green Village.
The situation was far different here earlier. The village was like many others in the country. People collected firewood from the forest, electricity was a nightmare during the monsoon months and the surroundings, though enveloped by a verdant green cover, were not clean.Women had to go to the forest every day to collect firewood, otherwise they faced shortage to meet the daily household needs, says Malita Mohan Marathe, talking about how the practice has been stopped over the last three years since food in every house is now cooked using LPG.
Gajer Vaikuntha too points out that all the villagers have happily adopted the new way of life. Each house got a toilet constructed under the Gram Panchayat scheme.Vinod Marathe, who runs an autorickshaw, says he earlier used to pay `100 towards the electricity bill every month, but the charges have come down by half after solar light system was installed at his house. His family uses electricity only to watch TV, and to run the refrigerator and mixer-grinder while the house is lit using solar power.
Satageri has a primary school, and after completing Class 5, children travel 3 km to Ulga village for pursuing higher education, including graduation and some professional courses. People here are engaged in various occupations, including farming, daily wage labour, and small businesses. Some of them work in Karwar and other nearby towns while four persons hold government jobs. Women mostly look after the house and work in their fields.
They are also involved in making vermicompost, and are part of the Village Forest Committee (VFC), that strives to conserve the forest and wildlife, and protect it from poachers. They plant saplings and take up other work with the forest department, for which the latter shares its profit with the VFC.Satageri, which comes under Gopishitta range forest, was selected to be developed as a model village in 2015-16, says K Ganapathi, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Karwar Division. He lauds the women of the village for their commitment towards protecting the forest. “We wish such VFCs come up in other villages too,” Ganapathi says.
What is a Green Village?
State forest department’s Green Village scheme aims to make the whole village smokeless by making people stop using firewood and opting for LPG stoves. Satageri village of Karwar taluk was selected under the scheme on a pilot basis.
Tackling Poverty
More than 65 families of the village have Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards, and all of them have enrolled in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). They have been earning money by taking up activities such as developing the school ground, desilting the pond, and other works.
Natural Treasures
The village is surrounded by the thick and evergreen forest of Western Ghats. Along with precious wood, it is home to wildlife such as leopard and black panther. The Kali river flows just a few kilometres away from the village.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Arunkumar Huralimath / Express News Service / February 24th, 2019
12th edition brings back civil aviation, ‘India as global runway of opportunities’
Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu at the launch of Aero India Show 2019, Bengaluru, February 20, 2019 | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Praksh
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rolled out a red carpet of opportunities in local defence and aerospace manufacturing to global investors as she launched Aero India 2019 here on Wednesday.
As the 12th edition of the biennial international military and civil expo and air show opened at the Air Force Station Yelahanka, the gathering and airmen showered tributes to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who was killed during a rehearsal on Tuesday.
“Aero India 2019 endeavours to put India as the global runway of a billion opportunities,” Ms. Sitharaman told a gathering of a few thousand invitees. Ministers, heads of global defence aerospace companies, corporate and government policymakers, military brass, entrepreneurs, delegates and exhibitors from across the world were at the event.
The chiefs of the three Armed Forces — Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, Admiral Sunil Lanba and General Bipin Rawat — were in attendance at the show organised by the Ministry of Defence.
Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre, Union Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Suresh Prabhu, Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra, Secretary-Defence Production Dr. Ajay Kumar and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy were at the event.
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy highlighted Bengaluru’s establishment of itself as the country’s capital in design, research and production in aerospace and defence.
After many years, the edition brings civil aviation back to a largely military show. The Ministry said it was the biggest so far, with 403 exhibitors and 61 aircraft in static or flying displays.
‘Missing man’
Three IAF fighter jets and a Rafale aircraft paid an aerial tribute to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who was killed in a midair mishap during a rehearsal on Tuesday. The Indian jets Tejas, Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Jaguar flew past in a formation called Missing Man. The pilot of a French Rafale fighter in a flying demonstration made a sombre flypast for the killed airman.
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) did a jaw dropping vertical climb called the Charlie in memory of the late Atal Behari Vajpayee.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Madhumathi D.S / Bengaluru – February 20th, 2019
According to Venkataramana, the cost of this machine is one-third the cost of the other machines available in the industry.
Bengaluru :
Medical science and engineering technology have come together to bring out a stereotactic frame, 3DR Stereotactic System, which will be used in performing stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. Bengaluru-based Brains Hospital, a neuro spine centre, in association with Mahalasa Medical Technologies, has designed the 3DR Stereotactic System.
According to Dr N K Venkataramana, founder chairman of Brains Hospital, and a chief Neurosurgeon, “This is a versatile machine which can be used during MRI, CT scans, and during surgeries that are carried out for treating tumours, epilepsy and other brain-related diseases.”
According to Venkataramana, the cost of this machine is one-third the cost of the other machines available in the industry. “I can proudly say this is manufactured under Prime Minister’s Make in India concept,” he added.
Launching the product on Tuesday, Union Defence Nirmala Sitharaman Minister said, “One should look at funders from India and not outside India. Bengaluru is blessed as it has all kinds of people, including funders.”
How this frameworks
This is used to carry out minimally invasive surgery. This frame is fixed to the head that guides the surgeon to reach specific targets in the brain. Stereotactic surgery or stereotaxy makes use of a three dimensional coordinates to locate small targets inside the brain and to perform procedures on them such as ablation, biopsy, lesion, injection, stimulation, implantation, and radiosurgery.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / February 20th, 2019
Bengaluru-based designer Latha Puttanna’s summer collection, Bougainvillea, is light, bright and airy
With 27 years of design experience and revival work, Latha Puttanna has often been described as the Design Queen. Known for constantly re-inventing both the sari and blouse, Latha’s work reveals a fine instinct for design doctrine.
“Look at this,” she says pointing to the wall of Srishti, her factory, studio and store at Siddapura. The re-purposed family bungalow has several photos of the women of her family dressed in traditional saris. “I look to these time-honoured saris for inspiration and re-invent their prints and weaves for a present day resonance.”
Latha is passionate about the traditional textile, and aggrieved that a good many crafts are near extinction. “My mission is to revive them all with my designs.”
The collection, Yashoda, which Lata named after her mother, uses six vivid hues in rare combinations for functional saris, salwars, and has taken a cue from the South Indian langafor design and silhouettes. “The flowing, lightweight fabrics use texture-rich weaves on crepe, tissue, Georgette and pure silk yarn. Even if these photos are black-and-white, you can see the colours bursting out.”
In her spring-summer 2019 collection, Bougainvillea, Latha, will also showcase her recently-introduced line of blouses. “There was a demand and I created an equal number of blouses to go with saris, skirts, parallels, trousers and salwars. I decided to create this line with design elements from my work over the past 25 years.”
Latha’s blouses feature kalamkari, ajrakh, bandini, appliqué and aari work on Chettinad cotton, tissue and knit fabric, mix-and-match with embroidery and Orissa weaves. “As I swam through the ocean of fashion and design, I perfected the aari technique. So there is also thread, gold and silver work in this collection,” she says.
On what else she has for the hot days ahead Latha says, “The sari does not cease to interest me. I am always in awe of this beautiful outfit with endless possibilities. This is not available anywhere in the world. We should celebrate our sari? We are an end-to-end design house with skilled weavers, artisans and craftspersons from all regions of the country.”
Bougainvillea brings in range of kurtas and tunics in hand-woven mulmul cotton, linen, and pure silk Georgette. They are all done up with bright hand embroidery, not to miss the gold and silver zari-beaten work. “Designed for the hot season, these can be paired with crop-pants and organza dupattas. Bougainvillea also has a collection of tops, shirts, dresses, and pants,” she says.
Speaking of the name of the collection Latha says, “As the name suggests, it is evocative of the freshness of seasonal blooms in the city.
The intricate floral prints or embroidery all sit snugly on hand-woven textiles that I source from my weavers in Kannur, Kerala. Chiffons, silks and Georgettes are used for their lightness and vibrancy.”
The collection has traditional wear, made from natural dyes. “The soft silk saris with table dye in contrast colours are paired with blouses featuring bell-sleeves for a retro-70’s look. A range of light and breezy Ajrak saris are paired with embroidered blouses, while soft silks in striking hues embellished with block dyes are paired with Orissa Ikkat blouses.
“Some of my prints have been digitally transferred on to the fabric from hand-drawn designs.”
The Bougainvillea collection will be showcased on February 19 and 20 at Raintree
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Fashion / by Ranjani Govind / February 18th, 2019
The village has more than 200 families who are into this business.
Women of Jantli Shirur village in Gadag district sew quilts outside their homes. The village is home to more than 200 families who are into this business | D Hemanth
Gadag :
It takes a village to sew quilts.As you enter Jantli Shirur village, you see womenfolk sitting outside their houses busy sewing colourful patterns.People of Gadag and surrounding districts visit the village to buy quilts as the winter starts. This winter too saw the village engaged in stitching these winter warmers.But the ‘yarning gap’ between their hard work and the price they get is a matter of concern, say the villagers.
The village has more than 200 families who are into this business. They sell one quilt for Rs 650 to Rs 1,000 depending on the fabrics they get. They take four days to make one quilt and need four workers to coordinate. The thread they use is Rs 300 per kg and they source it from Mumbai. It is called ‘noolu daara’, a strong thin thread, which cannot be broken easily by hand. Nearly half a kg of thread is used to make one quilt.
They get about 1,000 to 2,000 orders from Huvin Hadagali, Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Gadag, Benagaluru and even from Andhra Pradesh and Maharasthra.A quilt is made by sewing two or more layers of fabric together to make a thicker padded material. These are used in every house in North Karnataka.
Nirmalavva Navalagund, a resident, says, “We get orders from some agents who supply us with the cloth. They pay us Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per quilt for sewing and sell it for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500, making a neat profit. Though we are not paid much, what brings satisfaction is the praise that our quilts have a long life.”
In the Metros, these quilts are sold in the price range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000.
Basavva Alur, another quilt maker, says, “We finish our daily work in the morning and start stitching quilt from morning 9 to evening 6. We stitch one big quilt in a span of two days and sometimes it takes four days depending on the size. We do not know any other work than this. We request the government or NGOs to help us to get a good platform and also protect this heritage of our village.”
If you stitch the pieces of history together, you find that the art of quilt making in this village dates back to over 150 years. Those days, people in other parts became commercial and used to use cheap material. Soon, they lost customers. But the ancestors of this village seized the opportunity and used good materials and showed expertise in sewing. Their unique style of making small stitches soon spread and their business blossomed. Thus, the villagers continued this tradition.
But today they are concerned that they don’t get a fair price for their hard work. What bothers them equally is that youngsters giving up this traditional occupation and moving to cities for a better livelihood.
How they get orders
Jantli Shirur villagers go to nearby villages and collect clothes, some new and some old, to make quilts. Some businessmen visit the village and place orders and give clothes and get the quilts made while some people buy readymade quiltsmade with new fabrics. The price varies from Rs 800 to Rs 1,000
Common thread
These villagers who stitch their lives together with the little money they get making quilts say they don’t get a fair price. Though they are paid Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per quilt, these bright and colourful products are sold by agents for Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per piece in the Metros, and Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 in towns.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Raghottam Koppar / Express News Service / February 17th, 2019
Shamantha and Sunil at Sarathi Jalak, all set to go on air. Sudhakara Jain
Sarathi Jhalak, a radio station in rural Karnataka run almost exclusively by women, takes on everything from menstruation to lake pollution
The only thing that sets apart the nondescript building from other houses in Anungondanahalli village in Karnataka’s Hoskote district is a board announcing the radiostation. RJ Sunil has been waiting for us and shows us around.
The living area is bare save for a big board on the wall; the kitchen has a medium-sized, all-important transmitter; and the bedroom serves as the radio station. There is a wooden door with a glass window through which I can see the RJ. On top of a large table that occupies most of the room are the mixer and microphones. Sensible shelving against a wall has a small portable radio on it.
This is Sarathi Jhalak, a community radio station, run almost exclusively by women and one that has forged a vital connect with its largely rural audience, hosting programmes on everything from menstruation and lake pollution to alcoholism and finance.
“Even before Mann Ki Baat, we had Manadallada Matu (Talk of the heart),” chortles Shamantha D.S., the journalist who started the station in 2012. It reaches some 100 villages within a 30 km radius. This particular show, which aired at night “had so many female listeners,” says Shamantha; “they would call and speak about all their issues.”
Sunil sits behind the desk. The journalism graduate tells us that he barely spoke for the first three months that he worked here. “I was so scared.” It’s hard to tell, looking at him run the station with confidence now.
RJ Nagamani joins us and prepares for the afternoon show. Nagamani has studied till Class X, but says her work with Sarathi has made her “ articulate and knowledgeable.”
Friendly neighbourhood
Sunil decides to interview our photographer. He puts on his headphones and after a silent countdown with his fingers Sarathi Jhalak goes on air.
As they chat, a farmer drops in with his son and sits down with me outside the studio. “I want my son to do better than me,” the farmer says, “I work in the hot sun for ₹400 a week. Maybe Sunil can get him a job.” I am told that another farmer had walked in the other day to complain about a government hospital doctor who had wanted money for treatment. Parents bring their children to the station so the RJs can give them a pep talk.
Shamantha has trained Sunil and the three women RJs to speak simply and from their heart. “Instead of using clichéd phrases like ‘mahila dourjanya’ or sexual harassment of women, I tell the RJs to use a story that highlights it. That way people will listen.”
Nagamani tells me about a programme she did with girls from a nearby high school. They discussed menstruation and the disposal of sanitary pads. When there were reports from another part of the country of children falling sick from their midday meals, the RJs urged parents to check if the vegetables and vessels were being washed well. The women RJs are looked upon as friends by the villagers.
Speaking out
Some like Kala, (who has now quit for other opportunities), became minor celebrities. Nagamani’s children’s friends and their parents hold her in high regard. “My husband is very proud of what I do,” she says.
Shamantha recalls the time she had first come to the region with a group of journalists to conduct a media literacy programme nearly 15 years ago. Almost every woman was illiterate here. “I would tell them to listen to the radio while doing the housework.” After thorough background checks by at least seven different government departments, Sarathi Jhalak got its licence in 2012 and a funding of ₹5 lakh from the government. Hoskote was the obvious choice of location because Shamantha had worked there earlier. Around the same time the Women and Children’s Department of Anugondanahalli wrote asking her to start educational programmes for women. “It became easy for me,” says Shamatha.
Cost factor
But there have been hurdles too. For one, recurring expenses are high. The radio station has been approaching nearby schools and colleges to advertise with them. Though community radio is for and by the people, Shamantha believes that it is not fair for the government to expect RJs to work without pay. Her family pays Sunil ₹15,000 while Nagamani gets a token ₹3,000 a month. The station is always cash-strapped and requires at least ₹2 lakh a month to run. “We could then hire technical support, more RJs with better pay, better equipment, and document our popular programmes.” Encouraging stations like Sarathi Jhalak makes sense at the grassroots level.
As Shamantha says, “A community radio station like ours is not an alternative medium, it is a powerful one.”
The freelance writer believes that everything has a story waiting to be told.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Jayanthi Madhukar / February 16th, 2019
