Column: Radio Active Bangalore

RJ Beula and RJ Vijaya of Radio Active 90.4 MHz were at the fine hand block-printing workshop organised by Tharangini in Sadashivanagar on 13 May 2017. The event was held in celebration of 40 years of the organisation promoting the ideas of Indian artisanship, textiles, and eco-friendly production, one of the very few such initiatives remaining in our city today. All dyes are eco-friendly and made in-house. Many of the artisans have been with Tharangini for nearly 2 - 3 decades. Padmini Govind speaks about the history and various activities of Tharangini - a textile unit that was started by…

The best feeling that one can have is the happiness that comes from within. Add to that acceptance by family, and the happiness just expands manifold. Karan Kariappa, the founder of Amour, an LGBTQ+ dating platform, talks about how he met Abdul Rahman Khan. Rahman shares his poetry and talks about his coming out, and about how his family accepted his preferences.  

Priya Dilip, a research scholar in the field of Gender and cultural studies, is originally from what she calls a 'sleepy town' in Kerala. She talks about her childhood, her love of reading, and authors who left an impression on her. She 'recognises' herself in the characters of Alice Munro and sways with Carson McCullers. She has travelled extensively for her doctoral research paper on Devdasis of Kerala, and has many an anecdote to narrate. She also talks about the changing academic sphere, the struggles a woman goes through, and life.  

RJ Padma Priya recently interviewed Dr. Vedamurthy from Victoria Hospital for the weekly radio programme 'Manocharche (Mental Health)'. The topic was 'Understanding Psychopathology and Assistance For It'. In this interview, Dr. Vedamurthy explains the various conditions that are included under the umbrella of mental disorders / disabilities / illness, the criteria that distinguish such conditions, and the government benefits that are available.  

Theatre changed her lawyer dreams Ranjitha Surya Vamshi talks about how, when and why she got into Theatre even though her childhood dream was to become a lawyer. She talks about the various people who encouraged and supported her through her journey. She also shares her views on why women should not limit themselves to the four walls of their houses.   For the love of acting Nayana Sooda, a native of Dakshina Kannada / Karnataka has lived in Bangalore for over 20 years. She shares how she entered the world of theatre. Many people encouraged Nayana to take up…

Pooja Bhatia Arora, a fitness expert in Bengaluru, talks about her journey from a small town to city life and the impact it had on her health and the moments that put her on the path to fitness, and that fitness is about trying out different ways to be fit and in the process finding what works for you.

Hear about her journey from working in the garment industry to learing to drive an auto and then to driving an auto for hire. She now has her own auto with support from a bank loan. She talks about how her life, experience, learnings and the interactions will different people she comes across every day.

Andalamma identifies herself as a 'Raitha mahile' and a 'Samaja sevike (social worker)'. She is a woman who 'may be physically old but is mentally strong'; She has done so many different things over the decades, from running a pre-primary school, an orphanage, and a full-fledged school (day care to 10th standard). She is a director in a factory, has started a Mahila Samaja and many stree shakti groups too. She has spent time in learning about mushroom cultivation and vermicompost; she also enjoys learning languages, and can speak and understand Malayalam and Bengali. Andalamma is currently involved in building…

RJ Shruti was at the BBMP Head Office at Corporation Circle, the venue of the Pourakarmika strike, on Women's Day this year. The 'temporary' Mahila Powrakarmikas are currently taken on through a contract system and do not get any of the crucial benefits that 'permanent' workers get including the notified minimum wage of Rs. 14,040 per month. They are currently being paid in the range of Rs. 3000 to Rs. 6000 per month while also not getting any weekly or festival offs. The promises made by the government last year in this regard are yet to be implemented at ground…

Nagarathana, Kavitha, Krishanavani are supported by Sparsha Trust, which works towards the holistic development for under prililedged children. Listen to three children talking about the circumstances that they were brought up in and how support from the Sparsha Trust and activities such as Dollu Kunita have enabled them to think beyound sustanance and to dream about what they want to do with their lives.