Font Size 
Radio Gupshup breaks Hindi-non-Hindi barriers
Published on Tue, Feb 12, 2008 at 13:02, Updated on Tue, Feb 12, 2008 at 13:43 in 
Tags: 
WINDS OF CHANGE: Where communities are coming closer through the airwaves.
Other stories in the section:
After Vienna victory, it's time to face the nation
What does this deal mean for India and who will ultimately benefit from it?
Guwahati: Language is often a divide between the natives and the outsiders in any city. But in Guwahati, Radio Gupshup is using a mix of Hindi-Assamese, and this new language is now bridging the violent divide.
A daily show in progress at a Guwahati radio station is, Jhal Jhal Muri where RJs Zara and Samir navigate with equal ease between Assamese and Hindi and they claim listeners just love it.
RJ Zara says" We like to RJ is Hindi and cater to all kinds of peopel, auto drivers, rickshaw wallas. Not all who listen to us are Assamese and we want to entertain everyone."
Violent extremism in Assam has its roots in a ferocious opposition to outsiders from Bengal and Bihar. Given militant diktats against Hindi, airing a Hindi-Assamese radio show was unimaginable till some years back. Even today the ground reality in Guwahati is very grim for most Hindi-speakers in the city.
Migrant worker, Lallan Kumar Singh says, "I regret coming here and I feel that I should not stay here, because many from Bihar have been killed. And if this situation prevails, then it will be very difficult for any of us to stay here.
But killing of Hindi speakers by militants has not deterred most from coming to Guwahati. Every day at the Guwahati railway station, hundreds still arrive in trains from all over the country looking for a life and livelihood. And the city of Guwahati does not disappoint them often.
The residents of Guwahati feel the main reason for causing tensions on ethnic lines is the cultural gap between the natives and the outsiders.
Guwahati resident, Pulin Das has spent his entire life in Guwahati, witnessing the changes since the days it was a sleepy city in India's north east .
Das says, " If the people coming from outside don't align with us in our culture and language and in other forms, then some sort of misunderstanding is created and that causes tension sometimes."
Many in Guwahati believe that things will change. After all Language has so far been a barrier between the so called native and the outsiders but with unique mix of Assamese and Hindi becoming more popular on Guwahati's airwaves perhaps it's the shared language that will bridge the divide on the ground too.
More Headlines from Nation
| Related links: | |
Total Comments: 0
Read Comment | Post Comment
Be the first to comment.