Radio Waves

Rabindra Gurung, a radio personality, program producer and host, started his career as a junior program producer for Equal Access Nepal on the popular youth radio show Saathi Sanga Manka Kura (Chatting with My Bestfriend) which deals with life skills and HIV and AIDS. Now, he works with Kamka Kura (Talking About Work) and Naya Nepal (New Nepal). Rabindra completed his bachelor's degree in Mass Communications and Journalism, and English Literature from Tribhuvan University. He has plans to do his master's in law and continue his work in the field of development communications.  Rabindra talked to V.E.N.T! Magazine about his work and experiences. 

How did you get into this field?  

I always knew that I would be in the media. I didn’t know if I’d be in front of the cameras or behind the scenes doing the production but I knew that I wanted to do something with media. 

Tell us a bit about Equal Access.

Equal Access Nepal is an organization that uses communication as a tool for development. It has it’s headquarters in San Francisco and branches in Nepal, India, Cambodia and many other parts of the world. In Nepal, it has been running six different programs on the radio, which include Saathi Sanga Manka Kura, Samajdari (One Who Understands), Naya Nepal, Kheldai Sikdai (Learn While You Play), Desh Pradesh (In and Out of the Country) and Kamka Kura. These programs discuss various issues and present them in interesting ways to capture the mind of the masses. Our programs run on different FM stations. If anyone wants to broadcast our program, they can contact us and easily broadcast it.

Which of these programs are you involved in?

Currently, I am working for two programs, Kamka Kura and Naya Nepal. Kamka Kura is a youth and livelihood based program where we talk about employment opportunities and training. If we talk about nursing then we provide a detailed account on how to become a nurse. Where to start, where to go, what is its scope, who is eligible how much it costs, we provide all the information.  In Naya Nepal, we talk about peace building, democracy and good governance. We highlight practical reconciliation solutions and success stories and give voice to the needs and concerns of rural youth. 

What do you hope to achieve through your programs?

Our main objective is to fill in the information vacuum in rural areas of Nepal. Parts of Nepal like Jumla don’t have TV. They only have radios. We aim to enhance the capacity of people living there through training and creating awareness. 

Why did you choose radio instead of TV?

I know that TV is a bit more glamorous. But, we have to give a look at certain things. How much of electricity penetration is there in Nepal? What is the per capita income? There are so many TV channels in Nepal but what about their reach? In Nepal radio helped bring about a wave of development. The rise of community radio in Nepal is an inspiration to all. People only recognize my voice but the information that we give out reaches critical mass. This, I think, is more important. 

How do you know that your program works?    

Our listeners send us SMS and letters. This is where we gauge their reaction and also what they want us to talk about. We have had people send in their comments from places like Thailand and South Korea as well. A broadcast research has shown that our program reaches 6 million listeners. Over the years, many listeners’ clubs have formed spontaneously; they discuss the issues that we raise through our programs. This probably proves that our program is doing well. 

How do you view Naya Nepal?

We are in a state of transition and things are bound to be a little difficult. If we look at history and look at countries that have gone through this phase then I think we are doing much better. Take for example, South Africa. It was completely devastated. 60 percent of their industry was closed down. They were crippled by HIV infection. Recall what happened to Russia when it split. Whereas, if we look at Nepal who would have thought that the people’s war would end the way it did? I don’t think anyone had imagined that the monarchy would end that way. We have to accept that this is a process that we are going through and that things are going to get better eventually. The politicians may be corrupt. But, it is our job to be on the alert. There are so many platforms now like. We have to get our voices heard. Khabardari (To caution) is our job.

What is your say on those who are leaving the country?

If people want to leave the country, it’s all right. It is their choice but they shouldn’t discourage people that choose to stay here. We can’t say that whoever leaves the country is bad. We have to judge the circumstances under which they took the decision. When there is no opportunity within the country then it is only natural for them to go looking for it elsewhere.  But if you look really hard, there are so many opportunities within the country that we are wasting and others that are yet to be explored. 

People only see the problems in Nepal. They see the corruption, the load shedding. They prefer to leave their country. But there are problems out of the country as well. You will have trouble fitting into the society, and then there are so many Nepalis that are treated as second class citizens.  What if Nepal has problems? You can cash in on these problems. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. There is load shedding now so you can start a solar project. We can shift our focus to alternative sources of energy. There are problems everywhere, be it in our country or outside. Only the form is different. 

What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of Nepali youth?

Young Nepalis are very frustrated. There is little employment or opportunities. Here lies our weakness. But, we have hope. We are positive towards life and of course, our country. We move on even when we are faced with difficult situations. This, I think, is our strength. Whatever you do, do it legally. Explore new horizons. Be creative. Think out of the box and most of all, be hopeful.

The schedule for Kamka Kura is as follows:

Radio Nepal FM 100 Mz: Wednesday 3.30

ECR FM 104.2 Mz: Tuesday 7.30 AM

Radiocity 98.8 Mz: Wednesday 6.00 AM

The schedule for Saathi Sanga Manka Kura is as follows:

Radio Nepal FM 100 Mz : Saturday 3.30 PM

Kantipur FM 96.1 MZ: Sunday 5.00 PM

Hits FM 91.2 MZ: Saturday 5.00 PM

Interview by Sangam Silpakar and Elipha Pradhananga, V.E.N.T! Magazine, and photography by Devyani Shiwakoti.