Piya recently filed a story for Radio Netherlands on the right to fight (for your rights :))
Since the Gujjars were rioting right about then, a short insight into what was going on around us made sense.
Here’s the story on the RNW web site and, as always, you can listen directly, as well.

WBUR has a new blog up to ‘liberate’ select stories from the WBUR archive. It’s very cool, but leaves unanswered the question Ken George posted: Radio with Pictures. Isn’t that TV? If there’s a story to tell - should radio be showing it with words? Do we need pictures? Does it detract from the authenticity of radio? Check it out and tell us (and them) what you think!

Marriage season in India lasts practically all year long - but in the fall, there are bands heralding the arrival of the groom and his family and well wishers in the baraat, pretty much around every corner you turn, every evening. Traffic stalls for miles, our friends won’t even try to drive to the theatres. During the day, every hair appointment in every salon is booked and so is every tailor.
This was a requested sound of nostalgia (Sumit, just for you) from the streets of Dilli. Enjoy the wedding band

Our story on the band Jagriti, made up of 8 women and a few good men whose lives have been touched by HIV, was broadcast on Radio Netherlands yesterday. You can read about it and follow the link to listen or just click here to skip straight to the radio story Comments welcome!

We’ve got some fun stuff in the pipeline. But for now we’ll leave you with the news that our commentary on silence got picked up by WNYC in New York!

<Ignore this link, it’s to claim our Odeo Channel (odeo/c503ec12a1d27628)>

You remember the vendors screaming “dus ka do, dus ka do”? Ok, that was a long time ago. You don’t get anything for 10 Rupees anymore, let alone TWO things….The going rate in March was Rs. 150 for any two items - jeans/shirts/whatever. Take a listen… Janpath vendors.

It looks like even the FM stations are feeling the pinch. Here’s DNA’s look at the royalty structure and how the radio stations in India are dealing with the high costs. (Or not dealing. It’s really the Tier II and III towns that will have to bear the brunt of the costs.) On a related note: see my last post on community radio and how ridiculously high PPL is for non-profit radio in India, especially in comparison with 1st world countries, even. -cs

Piya’s story on silence - or the lack of it - in India, one of the world’s noisiest cities aired on the 11th at Radio Netherlands as a part of a show themed “the right to silence.”

Read about it here and click on the “listen to the report link” on the top right. Or just click here to listen directly from here

India’s been a destination for medical tourism for a while, but our story on the kidney trafficking scam and the ethics involved for everyone - international recipients, “donors”, the medical profession, the lawmakers and the police - was aired on Radio Netherlands this week. You can see the slideshow and read about it here or just cut to the chase, buffer and listen here. Do let us know what you think of it.

Cinemawallah Salim
Chhavi Sachdev and Piya Kochhar of News Radio India meet Cinemawallah Salim, who splices together dozens of old, discarded film trailers and plays them on an ancient Japanese pedal-powered projector. Aired February 29, 2008, on The State We’re In.

Listen to the piece here.

<We thank our oh so awesome voice-over artists for their help with recording translations!>