About Radio Dhimsa
The entire world has been transformed by digitalization in health communication. However, some remote tribal communities are yet to be connected with technology. In one such tribal-dominated Koraput block of Odisha, a Community Radio Station (CRS) – ‘Dhimsa’ has evolved as a vehicle for social transformation. The literal translation of the word ‘Dhimsa’ is ‘a tribal dance form which originated from Koraput District.’
Radio Dhimsa was established in 2008 by the South Odisha Voluntary Action (SOVA)– a philanthropic, non-governmental organization operating for the past 20 years in the district of Koraput, Odisha, with aid from UNICEF.
This radio station is situated at Chappar village of Koraput block. It broadcasts at 90.4FM covering a 15 km radius including Koraput NAC and Township, reaching out to a population of 1,25,000 people distributed across 63 villages. Different community-led programs are developed for both broadcasting and narrowcasting. Listeners clubs have been formed in each of these villages where the programs are narrowcast. They address the local community for content on relevant local issues like livelihood, innovative agricultural practices, health issues, and local folk and film music and also their grievances. In a unique initiative led by the CRS, the youth from the villages are taught to manage the station preventing them from unemployment and tobacco addictions.
The radio station consists of 12 community reporters who frequently visit the remote rural areas of the district to interview villagers. Each reporter is assigned 5-6 villages and the reporters are presided over by 3 community supervisors who in turn report to the station supervisor. Radio Dhimsa broadcasts for nine hours a day including one hour of live show where information on government schemes, people’s rights, and issues are highlighted by community reporters.
Promotion of local culture through programmes:
Programs like ‘Gitkudi’ (musical show by tribal artists), ‘Sust Gagod’ (good health), ‘Chasi Bhaitanay Podey’ (agriculture updates and techniques) are usually aired in the mornings while in the evenings, special shows like ‘Kenta Koley Kenta Hoisi’ are broadcast which focuses on how to avail government benefits and ‘Emiti Amor Gaon’ where villagers are given training on various skills. Local artists showcase their talents in their native “Desia” language through this medium.
They also have an ingenious as well as sustainable way to soundproof the recording studio by using empty egg cartoons.
Role during COVID-19 pandemic:
During COVID-19 pandemic, though Odisha State School Education Programme authority started streaming live classes on Youtube many tribal district students with lack of internet connectivity could not benefit from it. To help these students, Radio Dhimsa started focusing on special education programs where teachers developed and broadcasted content to teach children on different subjects in a class-wise manner. This helped many tribal students to bridge the education gap caused by the digital drawback.
The channel also has production to generate awareness of Covid-19 appropriate conduct and prophylaxis programs in alliance with the Koraput management.
Radio as a medium for education and popularising local culture in children:
Continuing this endeavour, it now broadcasts scholastic content to over 2,000 scholars of Classes I-V in 62 villages of six panchayats in Koraput and Lamptaput blocks. SOVA has developed education programs on Mathematics and English for primary levels with the help of school teachers and education experts of the district resource group which is broadcasted every day as one hour of live program and two hours of pre-recorded sessions in Odia as well as Desia dialect. They disseminate information through folk songs and catchy jingles which are created with the help of local tribal children and youth. Most of the beneficiaries include children of tribal communities in the state.
Challenges and way forward:
A major challenge to radio Dhimsa is the Geographic terrain of Koraput. As mountains sometimes impedes broadcasting, the State administration should contemplate establishing FM stations in all the blocks so that radio programs extend to a lot more people. Lack of adequate literature and resource personnel is also a major road block. Providing them with updated literature regarding the various Government Programs will help them disseminate adequate information among the tribal community in the Desia language through jingles and folk songs.
The community radio center is a trusted voice of the community focussing on the felt-need of the tribal and marginalised population. Through people-centric contents amalgamated with traditional means like folk songs, jingles awareness regarding diseases, government schemes, maternal and child health, etc can be effectively promoted as well as accepted leading to the overall development of the tribal community while preserving their own culture. Thus, Dhimsa radio can be used as an effective tool to achieve intersectoral co-ordination between the education sector, healthcare sector, agriculture sector and the tribal population in future.
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