Radio Surabhi @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Dr. Shisir Kumar Das 

Broadcasting Language:  Odia, Hindi & English 

Genesis: Radio Surabhi was established in Odisha in 2015 with the mission to make a difference in the target community.  Indian Institute of Education & Care (IIEC) facilitated the emergence of this CRS with an aim to build a strong sense of identity and unity among community members who collectively raise concerns and take action to find solutions to their problems through this locally accessible media platform. The CRS emerged as a product of an evolutionary process started around 27 years ago by IIEC with its varied development interventions. It was felt necessary for the local communities to have a platform where they can raise their voice against injustice, share culture and traditions, and showcase local talent. 

Thematic Focus: The major focus areas of Radio Surabhi have been inclusive education, girl child issues, agriculture, rural development, healthcare and disabilities, and promotion of art and culture. The CRS focuses on fostering an inclusive approach in the community and advocates equal rights for all individuals and sections of the society. 

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio Surabhi is focussed on achieving the following SDGs:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 13: Climate Action

SDG 17: Partnership for Goals

Primetime Programmes: The following are the primetime programmes that are broadcast on Radio Surabhi.

Chasa Basa – This programme deals with all aspects of agriculture combining indigenous and scientific knowledge, application of technology, organic fertiliser, farmers development including women farmers. The topics range from soil management, IPM and continues the knowledge upgradation of local farmers by agricultural scientists and agro-business professionals.       

Sikhsya Surabhi – The initiative was primarily meant for visually impaired children/students. The CRS devised a radio programme called ‘Sikhshya Surabhi’ with its innovative study material being a source of enormous delight, joyful learning and enlightenment for students and teachers in almost all parts of Odisha. With a team of members having rich experience and expertise in teaching students in both special and inclusive education systems, the CRS prepared radio episodes based on school curriculum from class I to V and projected learning outcomes to help students develop understanding and clarity on specific subjects.  

Suna Jhia – Suna Jhia otherwise known as Golden Girl covered 3 areas such as survival, protection and development of girl child. The local district, i.e Nayagarh, infamous for girl infanticide and girl trafficking needed adequate awareness and information on girl child, which was provided by Radio Surabhi.   

Biswakarma – This programme intended to promote and preserve local art, culture and heritage. Docra art, a two thousand year old art on the verge of extinction was taken up by the CRS. Three hundred Docra artisans were involved in the programme through content/script development, production and presentation. Moreover, the local folk art forms like danda nacha and dhudki were also promoted by Radio Surabhi. 

 Swasthya O Sampad – This remarkable health programme covered a wide range of episodes ranging from preventive, curative and rehabilitation for communities affected by COVID-19. Many talk shows, songs, jingles and plays based on COVID-19 were presented through broadcasting and narrowcasting. 

My village My life – This signature program aimed to deal with rural development issues of each village in the surroundings of the CRS. The villagers presented their problems and got addressed through interventions from respective government authorities. The programme also highlights the village culture, resources, talent and aspirations of the local community.      

Innovations in format or any other way: The content of each programme reflects a unique blend of traditional indigenous knowledge and modern scientific fervour. Storytelling and folk song influence most of the programmes and help in the preservation of the rich art, culture and traditions of the region. 

Core Team: Radio Surabhi has a strong and robust team. There are about 30 CRMC members. The core team is constituted by 7 members, and there are eight other members in the support staff. The CRS also banks on a team of twenty volunteers who contribute to the activities of the CRS.

Major Projects Undertaken: The following are the major projects undertaken by Radio Surabhi. Most of these are internally development interventions meant for the welfare of the community.

• Agriculture (Chasa Basa), in association with Govt. of India & ATMA 
• Girl Child Welfare in association with the District Administration, Nayagarh
• Enhancing Business and Accounting Literacy of Docra Artisans  
• Sikshya Surabhi I- Community Radio for Visually Impaired Students in Inclusive Education   
• Sikshya Surabhi II- Mitigating Learning Poverty through Community Radio Pedagogy 
• Sikshya Surabhi III- Combating Learning Disability for Holistic Inclusive Education 

Sustainable Strategies: The following are some of the strategies adopted by the CRS to be a sustainable model

• Capacity Building of local teachers, farmers, parents, volunteers in respective areas. 
• Engagement of local communities as primary stakeholders  
• Capacity building of local youths in CRS management including repairing & maintenance of CRS equipment and strengthening of CRMC 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The CRS broadcasts its programmes in an area with a potential outreach of three lakh people and the CRS has an active listener base of one lakh listeners. 

Major concerns in the Community: Government schemes and other initiatives need to be transparently executed so that the community members can draw maximum benefit out of them.  Strengthening the educational