Yedimar, a fisherman living on Tamil Nadu's Pambam island located between peninsular India and Sri Lanka, was alarmed one recent summer day to find that his favourite radio show had gone "missing." Puzzled and somewhat distraught, unsure whether the government had withdrawn 'Kadal Osai FM 90.4' from the airwaves due to Covid-19 or there was another reason for its disappearance, the 60-year-old decided to file a complaint about the missing radio show at the nearby police station. Fortunately, before he could act on his complaint, the radio show's station head Gayathri Usman happened to come to Chinnapalam, the small hamlet in Pamban where Yedimar lived, for some work.
"In a concerned tone, Yedimar asked me why we had shut operations. He missed listening to weather updates and marine trivia. Once I informed him we would resume service in three days, his face lit up with joy," Gayathri told. This is one of many instances where Pamban's local population has shown so much love and support for a radio station that is India's first and only FM channel by and for the fishermen community. Barring Gayathri, the other 12 employees of the station are either part-time fishermen themselves or belong to fishermen families. The channel is known for its on-ground impact that has benefited the local community – be it students or homemakers or fishermen. It also acts as a direct link between the government and the community to solve local issues swiftly. Called 'Kadal Osai' (the sound of the sea), the radio station was launched by Armstrong Fernando, a fisherman himself, in 2016.
Starting A Radio Station
Pamban Island, located off the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, is just a stone's throw away from Sri Lanka. The island has a population of about one lakh and nearly 80 per cent of the residents make a living from fishing. Due to government rules related to the proximity of the island to an international border, Pamban's fishermen are allowed to remain at sea for only 24 hours at a stretch. They survive on the fish they can collect in that period of time. At times the fish collection is worth lakhs but during high tides or storms, they have to go without any income for days. Fernando, who was well-versed with the problems the fishermen faced, started the Nesakarangal Charitable Trust in 2010 to support families whose members had died in sea accidents, by helping them get jobs or financial aid from the government.
Likewise, the radio station was started to help the community.
"The Trust had been running successfully for five years when I came across Pasumai FM in Dindigul, a community radio that is focused on empowering farmers. So, I wanted to run a similar show exclusively for the fishermen. I felt my fellow fishermen in Pamban Island were missing out on a lot due to lack of exposure. Radio is a powerful communication tool that helps spread useful information quickly and also provides entertainment to the fishermen at sea," Fernando told. Introduced to Gayathri by a mutual friend, Fernando invited her to take radio workshops in Pamban in 2018. She trained the staff, who had no exposure and knowledge about running a community radio station. She fell in love with the island by the end of the training period and decided to use her skills to make an impact there. Interestingly, the radio station that is now being appreciated was once ridiculed by the locals. "I faced resistance from the locals initially because I was an outsider and it took me a month to win their trust. Now, we occasionally receive fish delicacies as a token of appreciation from them," she said.
Insight Into the Workings of the Station
The 24×7 radio station begins with weather updates. These come in handy to the community that once used to predict the weather easily. Due to climate change, it has become increasingly difficult to interpret and identify wind patterns, water level and potential fishing zones. The updates are followed by the 'Kadal Osai Thandora' segment, where the jockey announces the rates of fish and diesel, availability of power supply and other such news useful for the locals........................
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Forwarded by :- Shri. Jhavendra Kumar Dhruw.
jhavendra.dhruw@gmail.com
Source and Credit :- https://ift.tt/3mX5kTL
Forwarded by :- Shri. Jhavendra Kumar Dhruw.