Balami airs religious hymns in the mornings, apart from airing songs and conducting phone-in programs through the day. The FM station can be heard from early morning till 10 p.m. [break]
Balami, who lives in Nepane village of Dagatungdanda-1 started the FM station out of curiosity. It cost him Rs 8,000 to start. But he doesn´t have a studio. He himself built mixers and transmitters that he uses to operate the radio.
The transmission is heard across a radius of 50 kilometers, including Kurgha, Bami, Badagaun, Musikot, Paundi Amarai and Arlangkot villages in Gulmi, and Daga, Righa, Sisakhani, Gwalichaur, Bhimgithe, and Darling villages in Baglung.
“While listening to FM transmission in the past, I grew curious about how it is operated,” Balami said. He initially got hold of damaged radios and audio tapes. Eventually, he managed to use scraps to build mixers, transmitters and antennas. He also made some purchases in Palpa and Butwal to complete his dream project.
Balami has not received any kind of formal training for operating FM station. He has not even seen a real studio in his entire life.
The radio has made him a familiar name in public programs, which he airs live. In case a meeting has to be called in the village, villagers take his help.
He recently received a pat of encouragement from Finance Minister Surendra Pandey who had arrived in the village to inaugurate a micro hydropower project. Balami conducted a live transmission of the inauguration.
But the radio is his hobby rather than a source of livelihood. He hasn´t taken license from the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Balami is preparing to appear for this year´s SLC examinations.
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