Community radio is here used as a platform to educate and mobilise as well as to entertain, to the end of generating awareness, capacitating "the voiceless" to demand that their rights be respected, and - in general - bringing about a "pro-poor" policy shift. "Abua Disum Abua Raj" was conceived by AID, but prepared by the villagers themselves to highlight the problems and issues affecting their social, economic, and cultural life. Click here to view a list of the weekly programmes (click on the programme's name for a PDF download.)

Specifically, AID worked to engage local people to either help as volunteers or to use their interest and skills related to scriptwriting, performing songs, and developing dramas for the broadcast. The idea is that the whole community and the public participate in pressing the local authorities to act. To make this happen, AID identified specific issues related to the area by collecting information and ideas from those who are experiencing them. These issues were then explored in more depth through interviews and participatory meetings. Through that process, a person was identified who could take responsibility for guiding production of "Abua Disum Abua Raj" by preparing scripts/songs or skits reflecting the local issues. Each script is then put into drama form, with villagers themselves taking the lead as actors and players. After final rehearsal of the each drama, the recording takes place, with narrators from the field polishing the episodes.

After each broadcast, follow-ups are carried out to access the viability of the programme from listeners' perspective, and to gauge its impact. Listeners clubs formed in villages provide AID with a further means of seeking feedback about the programmes and sparking ideas for additional issues to bring to light through the community radio broadcasts.

Democracy and Governance, Rights, Economic Development, Environment, Natural Resource Management.

The Khunti region of Ranchi has what AID describes as a rich tribal culture and social heritage, yet the traditional Munda system of self-government has been weakened in recent years, according to AID. Economically poor members of these tribes have increasingly experienced a growing fear of displacement, with no governmental rehabilitation policy in sight. AID claims that the very source of livelihood of the tribes, members of which depend on forest production, has been reduced due to depleting forest cover.

AID indicates that there is a high rate of radio listening in Jharkhand State, with many citizens owning radios. There is high illiteracy in tribal areas in general and remote villages in tribal and dalit villages in particular. Thus, access to print media such as newspapers and other forms of written materials is limited, and most of the tribal and rural villages do not have electricity (meaning that they have no access to electronic media like television in their villages). In short, AID contends that radio is a powerful and entertaining medium which is also often the only source of information in remote villages.

Alternative for India Development (AID) is an independent, non-partisan, international organisation using community radio to support the practical realisation of rights of economically poor tribal and underprivileged members of Indian society.