Interview by Ethirajan Anbarasan, UNESCO Courier journalist
A cybercafé in Bangalore (India).
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The Internet is an elite organization; most of the population of the world has never even made a phone call. Noam
Chomsky, |
Indian media expert Sevanti
Ninan* regrets that the absence of community media is depriving rural Indians of
information they need
What is the status of community radio, newspapers and television in India?
Amazingly, a large vibrant democracy like India is totally devoid of a tradition
of community radio stations, whereas neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka have allowed them. The Indian government is not interested in allowing
community radio centres because it is worried that secessionist groups and some non-governmental
organizations could use them to spread subversive propaganda. I think this fear is
unfounded, since there are always safeguards, as in the case of commercial broadcasting,
through which you can terminate licences and seize the equipment of broadcasters
who violate rules.
In the case of community newspapers, there are no legal hurdles, but it costs a lot
to start a newspaper, however small it may be. In the past, community newspapers
have not been able to generate sufficient advertising revenue, unlike the mainstream
dailies, and as a result many of them have closed down. In recent years, some private
cable operators in the big cities have started providing community news and information,
but again these are very small initiatives. Actually, there is no culture of community
media in India.
Do you think countries like India are losing out socially and politically by restricting
the number of voices that can be heard in small media like community radio?
The restriction of community radio means that villagers are not getting the local
information they need about crop growing, cattle diseases and commodity prices. Mainstream
as well as marginalized groups have their own communication needs. Information should
be given in local languages, and it should be recognized that communication needs
differ from region to region and community to community. In many developing countries
like India the existing media do not always take account of these issues.
In Medak district in the southern Indian State of Andhra Pradesh, UNESCO
has helped set up a small local radio station with a 100-watt transmitter which still
awaits government approval. It was to be run by rural women members of a local NGO
and would help them to send messages to members of their group and other organizations
in the area. The women argue that without a communication channel of their own, which
is the case at present, their work is much more complicated.
Unfortunately, there has been no sustained campaign on behalf of community radio
in India. In 1995 the Supreme Court ruled against government control of the airwaves
and declared that they belong to the public, but so far no individual or group has
sought legal intervention to help them start up a community radio centre.
What is the status of the Internet in India?
In India use of the Internet is less diverse than in the West. E-commerce, Internet
magazines and Internet-based news sources have yet to become as popular as they are
in the developed world. This could be due to the fact that in India there are more
Internet users than subscribers. People are accessing Internet mainly through Internet
cafes and private computer centres rather than through connections of their own at
home or at work. So they spend less time surfing the net than Internet users in the
West.
India has only recently allowed private Internet service providers to operate. The
cost of Internet subscription is falling as a result, but computer prices are still
high. An average middle-class person cannot afford to buy a computer as it costs
four times more than a television set. So the Internet is accessible only to a select
group of people. To narrow the gap, the government should introduce a computer policy
to bring down the prices of computers and install them in community centres. If this
is done, then there is a chance that the Internet will spread much faster and more
evenly than at present.
* Sevanti Ninan is a media columnist with The Hindu newspaper, published in Madras. She is the author of The Magic Window and Television and Change in India.
