Radio Jagaran goes on air on Monday

Kathmandu, December 13— Radio Jagaran 93.6 MHz is all set to go on air from Monday, 17 December 2007 at 1:00 PM from its own premises in Butwal 11 in Kalika Nagar. The ceremony of launching of the radio station will be attended by guests including some of the distinguished leaders and representatives from the Seven Party Alliance, Civil Society and the diplomatic community as well.

Radio Jagaran 93.6 MHZ is the only community F.M. radio station among all the 165 F.M. radio stations in Nepal that is owned and managed by Dalits and the excluded community. Therefore this F.M. is aimed to be a model F.M. that will represent the excluded groups in all their functioning mechanisms as well as it will raise their issues.

Radio Jagaran 93.6 MHZ was initiated by Jagaran Media Center (JMC), which was established by Dalit journalists in 2000 to combat caste-based discrimination and promote social inclusion and justice for the Dalits. Since its inception, JMC has implemented various programs to raise awareness at the local, national and international level.

JMC uses various media, including radio, television, and print media, to achieve its goals. Some of JMC’s ongoing activities include: “Katwal,” a community radio program; “Dalan”, a 25 episode awareness-raising soap opera; the well-known JMC E-bulletin, an electronic newsletter; the Dalit Human Rights Monitoring Program; and journalism trainings for Dalits. In addition, JMC runs a Dalit Resource Center and organizes a Face-to-Face program that facilitates discussions between people from the Dalit community, government officials, and civil society on Dalit issues.

DALAN COMING SOON

Hoping For A Different Tele-serial
Prasun Timilsina

IN Nepal, where most of the people live in rural areas, people do not have access to the cinema halls and their best means to entertainment has always been TV serials. Though there are different TV channels presently in the country, they only have access to Nepal Television and the tele-serials. But, the irony is that the present soap operas are city centered and are produced in a modern way which gives the feeling as if they are the straight copies of Bolywood serials.

In the past, there was a tele serial Ujeli which dealt with the child marriage system and then there were other serials Devi, Thorai Pugi Sari that talked of the social factors and dealt the superstitions prevalent in the society. There were tele-serials like Ragat, Samjhauta, Kali Gandakiko Serofero made on the suppressed castes or say Dalits.

Now, director Nabin Subba of Numafung fame is coming up with a tele-serial 'Dalan' which entirely revolves around the state of the Dalits or the lower castes and the problems they face in their life. The serial has tried to explore the problems of the Dalits. It has gone back in history exploring their situation with the political changes in the country from 2007 B.S till now. ?

It's a socio-political subject. Its subject looks general, but we have to remember the fact that Dalits account for almost 20 percent of Nepal's population. I've tried to present their situations covering three generations delving on how they are living," said Subba talking to The Rising Nepal.

When queried as to why he opted for the topic, he said that when he had visited internal Terai about 20 years back he had seen the situation of the Dalits, which inspired him to work on the theme.

There are different NGOs, INGOs and government agencies that are working for the Dalits for the eradication of their problems in the country. Now, it is found that education, better economic status, migration and inter caste marriage have been the factors that can help abolish the system.?Dalit enigma is a cycle. As they don't have access to the foundation and their economic status is also not sound and because of their economic problems they can't educate themselves. This can't have access to the policy making system in the country and they are always in the state as they were," said Subba. ?

We have tried to turn the pages of history, how the country is taking them and how they are being used by the political parties. We have tried to address their problem going to the core."He said that to give the past look and feel in the tele-serial, he has given stress on the attires, language and also the settlement pattern. According to him, he has tried to assimilate all the castes and the discrimination that lie in the Dalits themselves. ?It's not only the upper caste and the lower but in the Dalits too there is discrimination that we have tried present in the film. This is a very vast subject and we have tried to present it in the way they are." He said that he has also used some Dalit technicians and also some from the suppressed castes.

In this regard, producer Purna Baraily also said that the film has tried to present the state of the Dalits with political changes in the country. ?There were tele-serial made on Dalits before but they couldn't deliberate their literal situation so we thought to get in to the film and present them in the way they are," he said giving examples of tele-serials like Ragat, Kali Gandakiko?.?I believe that this film will bring a new wave in the history of tele-serials in the country and it may go international as this will explore and present the real situation of the suppressed castes," said Baraily an informed that it would be aired within this month.

Director Tsering Rhitar, the Mukundo eclat, is the editor in the film. He said, ?This is going to be a revolutionary one and Nabin have given his best in his film making. This is not only an issue based story but the facts that prevail in the society."The tele-serial presented by Jagaran Media Centre is shot in the beautiful locations of Gulmi, Kushma, Parbat where there is a majority of the Dalits and ends in the capital. Written by Aahuti, editing of the nine episodes has been completed. It will be aired by Nepal Television.