‘Radio Aksh’: India’s first radio station for the blind, debuted in Nagpur
This concept was developed as a replacement for audiobooks provided by Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal to the visually handicapped on their digital devices, which were cut off owing to travel limitations imposed by pandemic.
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Nagpur, April 18: The Blind Relief Association Nagpur and Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal (Saksham) have created India’s first-ever radio channel for the visually impaired, dubbed ‘Radio Aksh.’ This concept was developed as a replacement for the audiobooks provided by Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal to the visually handicapped on their digital devices, which were cut off owing to travel limitations imposed by pandemic.
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Darvekar said that their channel has got limited, yet an overwhelming response from people and said that the service will be more widespread in coming days and informed that the channel is available on Play Store and via Zeno Radio on Apple devices. “In just two to four days, we have around 161 listeners. It paints a very encouraging picture,” he added.
One of the beneficiaries of the channel pointed out that the radio channel serves as a great advantage as books in Braille scripts are not always available.
Shirish Darvekar, co-ordinator of the channel & a member of Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal said, “For the last few years, visually impaired people used to come to us and get their audiobooks made by us on their devices. But COVID-19 put this to a halt. It affected their learning so we had to think of a stand-by arrangement. We got to know of launch of Internet Radio in India and we got in contact with a company making softwares for it. Though our requirements were unique to them, they promised cooperation. This is perhaps the first Internet Radio for the visually-impaired.”
“Unlike FM and AM, Internet Radio has no geographical limits. Content is pre-recorded. We have presenter each for various subjects covered on the radio. We have a team of 20 people, mostly women who are housewives. They are trained and know their work well. No one is paid, all have a sense of servitude,” he added.
Educational resources encompassing many subjects are made available through this platform on digital platforms owned by visually-impaired people, who can access this vast bank of information from anywhere as unlike the FM and AM Radio, the technology of Internet Radio is used, which knows no geographical limitations.
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A dedicated team of trained volunteers, mostly women, help in the creation of content for the radio channel, which can be streamed to the visually impaired across India and the world. The complex, carefully-performed processes of going through large amounts of content, recording, sound editing and making corrections do not dampen the productivity and the sense of servitude guides the entire team.
Darvekar said that their channel has got limited, yet an overwhelming response from people and said that the service will be more widespread in coming days and informed that the channel is available on Play Store and via Zeno Radio on Apple devices. “In just two to four days, we have around 161 listeners. It paints a very encouraging picture,” he added.
One of the beneficiaries of the channel pointed out that the radio channel serves as a great advantage as books in Braille scripts are not always available.
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