(image adroitly pinched from BBC)
Hold that chuckle. Hacking, electronics, DJing...a more pure practitioner of the punk ethic cannot be found in American cities, leave alone a poor village in Bihar. Say hello to Raghav Mahato.
"Good morning! Welcome to Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1! Now listen to your favourite songs," announces anchor and friend Sambhu into a sellotape-plastered microphone surrounded by racks of local music tapes.
For the next 12 hours, Raghav Mahato's outback FM radio station plays films songs and broadcasts public interest messages on HIV and polio, and even snappy local news, including alerts on missing children and the opening of local shops.
Raghav and his friend run the indigenous radio station out of Raghav's thatched-roof Priya Electronics Shop.
The place is a cramped $4-a-month rented shack stacked with music tapes and rusty electrical appliances which doubles up as Raghav's radio station and repair shop.
After I read this piece of news on BBC, I felt like playing "London Calling" loud enough to make the plaster on the walls start to peel.
Goodbye CBGB, hello Mansoorpur!
P.S.:
Now would be a great time to quote some Rage Against The Machine lyrics. Like this one, maybe?
Lights out, Guerrilla Radio!
Turn that shit up
...
It has to start somewhere It has to start sometime
What better place than here, what better time than now?
11 comments:
What a delightful story !!
Now, I am missing my home even more :(
Yes, I am from that hallowed place called Bihar ;)
Alok,
I was born and raised in a another hallowed place not too far from your hallowed place - a place called Uttar Pradesh.
So, we're practically neighbors :)
Love this. Am a sucker for such stuff.
I am thinking...for less than the price of a sandwich, one can run a radio station. Pirate Radio! John Peel would have been proud of this kid, I tell you.
If the BBC had published this guy's address, I wouldn't mind sending him some money (and music) to support his venture! Though that might make him more vulnerable to those licence checkers.
Wow, what an inspiring story. Im sitting infront of the screen supposed to be writing my dissertation, and feel totally bummed out, really sleepy, and slightly bleak, then I came across your blog... and the world seems like a better place to live in.
To the Bihar Punk 'after all a '...Dj saved my life'.
Aluta Continua
Oh, by the way I am going to the Metallica concert on the 21 of March. Just wanted to share my excitement with you all...I cant wait
Simmi, thanks for the comments...
Metallica live should be an unforgettable experience. Flash a devil sign for me when they start playing "(Welcome Home) Sanitorium", will ya? Or maybe when they start playing "Seek and Destroy" :))
Will do.
Feel free to visit my blog anytime.
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Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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