Unique programmes at Radio Sarang-Celebrating Colours of Life...!

Radio Sarang 107.8 FM

Celebrating Colours of Life

Introduction

Since 1995, when the Supreme Court of India declared the airwaves as the Public property, media ventures have only surged towards positive growth in all electronic media sectors of the country. Community Radio was one such development since 1996. Radio Sarang, a Community Radio as well as a campus radio at St Aloysius College, Mangaluru is definitely an inimitable and a kind of its own with its niche style of programmes and audience. It just completed this year five years of its inception on 23^rd of September. 

The Beginning

In 2009, when it began as a campus radio with the able stewardship of Fr Richard Rego, SJ, as its founder and director, no one expected a community radio would make a difference among the secondary media- the radio listeners. Since then it has only surged towards new challenges and creative frontiers. It is one of the well-accepted narrowcast media. It is considered by its regular and rapidly increasing listeners as one of the fine media with educational, entertaining and even socially emancipating programmes. Several commercial radios and even FM Rainbow of AIR in Mangalore consider Radio Sarang as potential rival with its unique multi-cultural audience-oriented programmes

Fr.Richard rego founder of radio sarang 

Uniqueness of Sarang Radio Sarang

Radio Sarang began with multiple issue based programmes, among which some are still prevalent today; health, hygiene and sanitation; agriculture and fisher folk issues; education, legal aid, ecology and environment concerns; women and children issues; folklore and many more such issues were broad cast initially for 24 hours a day. It is a unique radio catering to multi-language factions of listeners like Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Beary, Malayalam and English speaking communities.

Director: Fr Swebert D’Silva SJ

The Special Programmes

Today, the community radio broadcasts vibrant and people oriented programmes of numerous categories for 16 hours daily. Some of the unique programmes at Radio Sarang that have been imprinted in the hearts of people are; ChauChauBhat – an hour programme with music and narratives about great personalities of India; Jana Dani- a voice of the people, giving relevant exposure to social and personal issues with experts from different fields, interacting live with people; regular relay of Yakshagana – a local folk form from Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka; Hridaya Raga- a live wire for life-sharing,which is a live interview with multifaceted personalities of Dakshina Kannada; Tulu Chavadi- a glance on Tulu culture and life issues; AaduAataAadu- a fun filled, educative and interactive programme which  focuses on seeking answers to issues from community listeners; NimmoorigeNamma Sarang- a distinctive live programme of Radio Sarang on Saturdays, where Radio Sarang reaches out to communities through live broadcast from the communities and villages through which  listeners vibrate with their local issues and problems; Makkaledege Sarang – a children oriented programme with recorded shows from children; MahilaArogya Sarang- a government sponsored programme on women health issues which has completed 150 episodes already. A counseling and mental health related programme by well-known psychiatrists from Mangalore and many more programmes on different issues are dealt at Radio Sarang. One of the favorable strengths of Radio Sarang is its huge collection of folk and popular songs composed and recorded by local singers and artists.

Associate Director: Fr William Marcel Rodrigues SJ

Awards

Sarang has also made mark at the National level by bagging prizes for its unique contribution to local cultures. In 2012 Sarang won second place for promoting local culture through Beary programmes, which is unique language programme for the Muslim community of Mangalore. In 2014 Sarang won third place for making a programme on a dying folk art among the Tulu speaking communities called ‘Dudi Nalike’.

Community Voice

Besides awareness programmes Sarang has created market for talented artists, writers and creative people of the district of Dakshina Kannada. It has created several voices and Radio Jockeys (RJ’s).  The present RJ and programme producers at Radio Sarang are from Community itself. It also houses a two alumni of the college. One is a post Graduate in Mass Communication from St Aloysius College.  It is a blend of professional and experienced men working together for development of Community- who are local community people.

Conclusion

Radio Sarang has been facing daunting challenges. Firstly, the financial constrains are a real challenge for the popular community radio. Being under an educational institution helps it to go on. Secondly the marketing and promotional activities for Sarang are hitches at this moment. Its valuable programmes are reaching a few and sluggishly rising number of radio listeners. Thirdly the frequency, which is limited due to government prescribed capacity of 50 MHz for community radios, makes it a difficult radio for the public to tune in.

But given the culture and growing enthusiastic listenership we have a hope of making a catalyst of change. Radio Sarang is withstanding challenges of posed by the proliferation of the audio-visual media. By and large it is a success story of the only community Radio of Mangaluru.

Radio sarang staffs:-

MrRoshan Crasta – Production Manager

Abhishek Shetty – Assistant Programme Producer 

Saifullah Kuttar – Assistant Programme producer

VK Kadaba - Assistant Programme Producer

Field Representative  :-
Mr Edward Lobo thokkottu

Student contribution:

PRAGATI A S

Community contribution:

sinchana shyam

Radio Sarang 107.8FM  Success Stories

 *The Radio covered all types of special language based Sammelans organized in Mangaluru  which  were effectively covered and aired. 

   *For the first time in the history of radios in Mangaluru Beary and Konkani programmes were aired live every week since December and January in the respective languages .

 * A series of live field based programmes titled ‘Nimmurige Namma Sarang’ went viral for several weekends with effective change in lives of rural and fisher folk of Mangalore.  Due to which several diminishing cries of people were heard by our listeners; Bhajal area road was repaired by concerned authorities; Arekala area received better drinking facilities and many more successful impacts were created by our programmes.

*Ms Akkai Padmashali a well-known human rights activist and a transgender herself accompanied by other transgenders Ms Rkashita and Mr Mithun Raj visited Radio Sarang and did a show on human rights violations inflicted against transgender in India.

 *A live model of Radio Sarang was prepared by our regular listener and volunteer- Mr Sinchana Shyam and was displayed at a science exhibition of St Aloysius College. The model is also taken around to different schools to make children aware of the effectiveness and functioning of Radio Sarang.

 *A government of India sponsored,  successful Women’s Health and Nutrition programme –‘Mahila Arogya Sarang’ was aired for 12 months with several doctors visiting the radio station and helping women with  their health issues. The programme consisted of 35 episodes, more than 150 live shows with recognized doctors.  Radio Sarang also conducted health check up camps in rural centers in association with AJ Shetty Hospital and Fr Muller’s Hospital. The programmes gave chance to more than 200 hundred community announcers and radio enthusiasts.

  Other highlights

The radio Sarang was furnished with new Computers and several student volunteers from various departments of several colleges of Mangaluru recorded variety of features and community related programmes.

Film stars like Mr Rakshith Shetty (director and actor), Abhay Simha (film director), well known artist Mr Chitra Mitra, popular Tulu drama artist and film actor Devadas Kapikad, Yakashagana artists –Mr Ravi Alevuraya, Kadri Navaneeth Shetty, Bhaskara Rai Kukkolli,   famous Journalist- Mr Manohar Prasad, yoga Guru Yogaratna Gopalakrishna Dhelampadi, Capt. Ganesh Karnik MLC, founder of NGO  Namma Arivu-Nadamani Nalkuru, child artist-DID winner Adhvika Shetty, multitalented child artist Ayana Veeraman etc made popular interactive shows at radio Sarang

Student contributions:

The students of Aloysius College from different departments partake in Radio programme design and recording.  Miss Pragathi, a student of Mass communication recorded and aired several programmes on literary and film artists under the title programme- Kalavida.

V K Kadaba is the pen-name of Mr. Thimmappa VK Kadaba, Program
Executive at Radio Sarang 107.8 FM at St Aloysius College, Mangalore.
He was born and brought up in the scenic environs of Kadaba in Puttur
Taulk of DK District, Karnataka. Besides his regular duties as program
producer at Radio Sarang V K Kadaba likes composing poems, short
stories, Tulu history, paad'dhana collection and theater.