‘Want to show that disability is not the end’: Community radio station seeks to change people’s minds about the disabled

Sandeep Trivedi, a government school principal in Ajmer, is the host for one of the Madhuban radio shows called ‘Humrahi’. Sandeep, who lost his eyesight at the age of three, said he wanted to show the world that disability was not the end.

“In 2019, I visited Madhuban radio studio in Mt Abu, where they had started a show called ‘Man Ki Aankhon Se’. They offered me a chance to contribute,” he said. This is how ‘Humrahi’ came about.

“The aim of this show was to showcase the achievements of disabled people, which motivated me to take it forward as I wanted the world to see that disability is not the end of a life,” he said.

Sonali Mukherjee with her husband. Her story was also an inspiration behind an episode of Crime Patrol.

Radio Madhuban is licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the Brahma Kumari organisation. Sister Krishna, production head of Radio Madhuban and the host of ‘Man Ki Aankhon Se’, said that through the radio station, they were able to highlight issues of various sections of society including women, children, youth, senior citizens, and others. Eventually, the radio station decided to focus on disabled people.

“We started working on the issues of disabled people in 2014. In 2019, we developed the programme called ‘Man Ki Aankhon Se’, and then in July 2020, ‘Humrahi’. Our focus is to reach the maximum number of people and make them aware about issues that are not widely discussed. The response to these shows was positive, and now the community radio station Vasundhara Vahini in Maharashtra has approached us to broadcast the ‘Humrahi’ programme in their area,” she said.

‘Humrahi’ host Sandeep said he has received a lot of positive feedback about the show. “Disabled children have contacted me about how listening to this show has given an optimistic view to their parents. Many times, we have come across disabled girls whose families don’t think they can get married. Sometimes, when they have a job, they are financially exploited. We are trying to change the mindset of people through our show,” he said.

Prateek Agarwal, a software engineer from Jaipur, is also visually impaired and says this made it difficult for him to get a job despite clearing written tests at multinational companies.

After being fed up with continuous rejections, he started his own venture in Jaipur in 2011, which is running successfully. His story was broadcasted on both ‘Humrahi’ and ‘Man Ki Aankhon Se’.

“The startup journey was not an easy one. When I approached clients over the phone, they would be impressed by my knowledge, but the moment they met me in person, they would outrightly reject me. I was mocked by various people. So, I approached some international clients who gave me contracts without hesitation as they never knew about my disability. Today, I employ 40 people and have clientele in both India and abroad,” Prateek said.

When his wife, who is also visually impaired, got pregnant in 2018, many from his family suggested that they should not go forward with having a child. This, he said, is why radio programmes like the ones on Madhuban are important.

“It is like people have no empathy to understand our situation. A lot of parents of disabled children lose hope or have no expectations from their disabled child. Madhuban radio bridges the gap of awareness by showing stories that should make parents realise the potential of their child,” he said.

In her episode of the ‘Humrahi’ show, Sonali narrated the story of the horrific acid attack by neighbourhood boys whose advances she had rejected. She talked about how, despite that, she continued to live in hope and resilience, including her marriage in 2015 to husband Chitranjan Tiwari.

“I was fighting a case in the Jharkhand High Court and getting treatment for acid burns in New Delhi. After the attack, I lost my eyesight. Amid all the chaos, I met my husband, for whom outer beauty had no impact and he accepted me with my scars,” Sonali said.

The accused are out on bail, and the case has been pending for years, but Sonali remains hopeful. For her, the radio show has been a means of spreading a positive message to the public about not losing hope despite facing massive hurdles.