NEW DELHI: It was a freak brain stroke in 2011 that left Vishal Gupta, 47, bed-ridden for longer than he thought. He had to battle loss of partial memory on one hand, and a job with a leading publication as a photo journalist on the other hand.
When he decided to restart, his long stint in media and love for radio came in handy, and he set up Radio Dwarka—the first-of-its-kind online community radio in India—in August 2012, which now gets more than 12,000 hits per day. “It was a crisis that created an opportunity for me. When I started off, I had no example to follow. I had dared, so I had to lead,” says Gupta, who ploughed in his resources to start the self-funded venture.
He read and researched a lot, but banked heavily on a friend, Anurag Ranjan Singh, who came along with the requisite technical know-how to set up the online community radio.
In five years, it has gathered steam, and people have started noticing the portal that gives a voice to unheard stories.
“The idea was to connect people in the suburb and give them a platform that is of them, by them, and for them. It was difficult to sell the idea, but slowly people came along,” he says. The earnings come in the form of ad spots on the website and sponsored shows.
The platform helped talented young and old residents showcase their journalistic skills. “Radio Dwarka runs with only two permanent employees—Sunny Kumar and Shiva—who are multi-taskers. They can report, write, take pictures and edit audio clips. Anchors who host shows come with no prior journalistic background, but with varied professional experiences,” he says.
There are shows that inform, communicate and entertain people of all age groups. Dwarka-based IM Khanna, who hosts Tazurba, a chat show on senior citizens, says, “Our chat show provides an opportunity to talk to ordinary people who are doing something for community welfare.”
The purpose of the community radio is not just to report events, but to create awareness. There are many plans in the offing, including expanding radio’s base in the NCR and taking it to other cities too.