MANGALURU: Eight years ago, it was launched as a community radio by Mangaluru’s St Aloysius College. Today Radio Sarang is growing strong and, as its tagline says, “celebrating the colours of life” on 107.8 FM. Founded by Fr Richard Rego, the community radio has seen several changes in its programming format, but its underlying theme has been to give a voice to local people, communities, cultures and issues. It has also been a launchpad for many radio jockeys (RJ), and a guiding and entertaining force to its listeners who belong to different strata of society.
What sets the radio apart is the voice that it gives to the unheard and unsung. Sudhama, a goldsmith on Car Street, is an avid Radio Sarang listener. “When I first tuned in to Sarang it impressed me. I never knew there was a radio that can become the voice of people like us. Its programmes are closer to society and real. The pains and emotions of the common man are brought out. New programmes like Vratti Santrapti focus on us and make an attempt to make others know more about the nature of our jobs, lives and problems,” he said.
Programmes like Beedida Baduku, focusing on the lives of beedi workers, Namma Sarang Nimmedege, where radio jockeys reach out to people from all walks of life in and around Dakshina Kannada, or the newer Vratti Santrapti, which features all kinds of professionals like shoe or watch repairers, potters, tailors, goldsmiths and so on, have touched a chord with listeners. By featuring such unsung people who touch our lives every day, the radio acts a bridge too.
Abhishek Shetty Padil, programme producer at Radio Sarang, says, “The people we meet during the recording are so humble and grounded that we feel an instant connect. They are the ones who speak from their hearts and are open-minded.”
It also addresses a wide range of civic issues and offers corporators and complainants a common platform. Many visually challenged listeners form a chunk of the radio’s fan brigade.
The marginalised sections like transgender too will be highlighted in a new programme planned by the radio. Thimmappa Kadaba, a programme producer, said, “We are encouraged by the response to our programmes. We’ll be trying to highlight as many people as we can across various spectra.”
It has also gathered a lot of attention from the public Also, frequent listeners call in and participate in the live shows. Jayaprakash Yekkur, who works in a laundry shop, said, “Sarang reaches out to that section of society unknown to the larger spectrum of people. It’s ad free. It promotes Yakshagana and plays old songs on request. Being a listener for the past five years, I expect it to bring the politicians and the public more closer through its programmes.”
Radio Sarang has also been a breeding ground for many RJs. RJ Rashmi, who now works for a commercial radio station, says, “Sarang introduced a whole new world to me. Five years later, people still call in and recognise me as the RJ at Sarang. I anchored the song-based Volavina Haadu programme.”
SARANG STATS
Radio Sarang is on air for 16 hours daily, it also went live for 24 hours making it the only community radio to do so. It has ad-free programmes in 5 languages including Kannada, Konkani, Tulu, Beary and occasionally in English The radio covers a range of 65km, going as far as Kasargo and Puttur
In 2012, it won a national award from among 130 community radio stations for the best programme in promoting local culture for its programme in Beary language