Workshop on Community Radio Awareness concludes

GANGTOK, 11 Mar: A three-day workshop on Community Radio Awareness concluded today at Hotel Royal Plaza. The workshop ended with a valedictory address by guest faculty of SU and radio expert Prof TK Thomas and Consultant CEMCA, Vipin Sharma.
The workshop was hosted by Sikkim University and organized by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India in collaboration with Commonwealth Education Media Centre for Asia to introduce the benefits and the concept of community radio in Sikkim.
Earlier in the day, during an interactive session, several points regarding the technology, contents, programming, policy etc of Community radio were discussed between the facilitators and participants present from within and outside Sikkim. Other guests present were SU Vice Chancellor, Prof Mahendra P Lama, CRS Cell MIB, Inderjeet Grewal and Director CEMCA, R Sreedhar.
R Shreedhar in his address informed that this is the 36th workshop on Community Radio being conducted by CEMCA and this time we have selected Sikkim, he added. Stating that Community Radio was a powerful medium to reach the grassroot level, he expressed hope that by next year, at least 10 stations would come up in the State.
Further adding that Anna University was the first to start Community Radio Mr Shreedhar said “Let Sikkim University lead the revolution of giving voice to the voiceless in Sikkim. Let Community Radio give birth to Community TV.”
Prof Lama, highlighting the importance of Community Radio, said that along with the Museum and Archives Project and Oral History Project, Community Radio was one of the flagship programmes of Sikkim University.
One of the participants, chief coordinator of All Sikkim Gurung “Tamu” Buddhist Association, Bijoy Kr Gurung, expressed, “For an association like ours, community radio can benefit in communicating with the society and getting feedback”.
Urbashi Chettri from Divya Jyoti Pragati Sangh, Pakyong added, “As the cost of constructing a community radio is between Rs 5 to 10 lakhs, not every NGO can afford to establish it, so I think few NGOs should come together and establish one”.
In the end Prof Thomas on behalf of Sikkim University gave full assurance to help NGOs and other non-profit organizations to establish CR in their own complex.