A look inside the van, Voice to the Voiceless, and (BELOW) the vehicle stands parked in Albert Compound in Ranchi. Pictures by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Feb. 26: The villagers just have to be told that Phulwa Behen or Raju Bhaiya would be visiting their village and the effect is magical.

Suddenly, people are on their feet, at their active best, dressed in their best, too. Free chai and snacks are generously offered to these special guests, even as Phulwa Behen and Raju Bhaiya try to put up a brave front in front of the gathering crowd.

But it’s a small price they have to pay, as the presenters of Chala ho gaon mein, the first popular community radio programme to hit the airwaves in the state. The programme, initiated by the NGO Alternative for India Development (AID), was aired by All India Radio (AIR), Palamau and Daltonganj. Using the local Magahi language, it tried to reach out to the masses. That was way back in 2001.

The popularity of community radio has spread to such an extent that apart from Phulwa Behen and Raju Bhaiya receiving fan mails every day, AID today had the inauguration of their community radio-recording studio, Vikalp, at their regional office in Albert Compound, Pathal Kudwa.

With the inauguration of Vikalp, a community radio van was also inaugurated. The community radio-recording studio and the van were inaugurated at a function organised by AID at their Ranchi office.

Finance secretary, Mukhtiar Singh and DC, Ranchi, K.K. Soan, inaugurated the studio and the van. At a seminar organised later in the day, eminent media persons spoke on the role of media in popularising community radio. There are approximately seven radio community programmes that are being aired every week. AID is one of the two NGOs in the state to run community programme.

The other NGO that airs a community radio programme is Manthan. Community radio, in Jharkhand, reaches almost 80 per cent of the rural population.

Anupama Singh, media coordinator for AID, says: “A few years back diarrhoea had reached epidemic proportions in the remote village of Erua. The community radio, through their programme, encouraged the rural folk to take more proactive measures.” The results were positive and that’s the kind of effect community radio can have.