Community Media

The media plays a vital role in ensuring the democratic functioning of any society. It acts as a society watchdog and provides a channel connecting people to their governments. It creates awareness about critical issues, such as water management and climate change. However, the mainstream media often tends to ignore some of the core challenges faced by the marginalized sections of society. Evidence suggests that there is minimal coverage of news relating to the people of rural Marwar in the mainstream newspapers and news channels. As a result, the people of this region do not have the means to voice their grievances and bring themselves to the forefront to initiate or demand policy change.

The concept of community media has been developed especially to provide a voice to those sections of society whose problems are rarely heard by the outside world. Community media can play an important role in community empowerment. The power of community media lies in the fact that it can initiate positive social change and provide a real voice to disadvantaged communities. The participation of people at the grass-roots level engenders a sense of ownership, pride, and involvement, which is critical to introducing and sustaining change. In a region where only 60 per cent of the population is literate, visual communication is perhaps the best and most effective way of reaching out to people, as video not only captures the attention of community members but also makes a lasting impression on them. It empowers people to take action on their behalf and encourages the government to carry out reforms.

Jal Marudhara Foundation has set up a Community Media Unit (CMU) called Jal Chitran to bring about social change via. giving a voice to the marginalized people of the Marwar region. The unit has been functional since March 2008 and consists of a team of highly motivated young people. The team members were handpicked from the rural belt and empowered through extensive training sessions. The programme aims to setup a local production unit run by full-time community members trained in all aspects of video production.

Jal Chitran, as part of the communications strategy of the Foundation, produces and screens regular video magazines and short films to sensitize and raise awareness among both urban and rural populations on the issue of water. Engaging large numbers of people, these films form an effective way of accelerating both social and policy change. Jal Chitran is part of JMF’s strategy of moving towards community ownership and sustainability. It provides a platform for the community members to carry out various tasks involved in film production—research, scriptwriting, shooting, editing, and screening. The aim of this effort is to create awareness at the grass-roots level that will eventually lead to pressure for change at the macro policy level. At the micro level, the films and videos made by Jal Chitran promote awareness and disseminate information within the community. This is a remarkably powerful and cost-effective way of reaching large numbers of people. Every film made by Jal Chitran has a dual focus. First, the films disseminate the message that local people must take the lead in their own development. Second, the videos inspire audiences by showing them “success stories” of local people who are making a difference. The coming together of the entire village to watch and engage with these films also encourages social cohesion.