Shishir says, “I started contemplating about how we can actually pour out our frustrations, express our visions, find other people with similar vision and above all, develop mutual respect and cultural understanding among people of all nationalities and religions. I also thought that it is very essential to establish one strong media to connect Nepalese youth across the globe so that they can share, communicate, discuss and be able to make real movements instead of just bashing the government, system and situation of the country back home.”[break]
Bijay Rai/Republica
L to R: Prabin Shakya and Aman Joshi
The programs include a song request and dedication show which is getting quite popular. “We have rough drafts of the radio shows we will be producing very soon. We have decided to open our own studio in Kathmandu as well from where we will run interesting and interactive shows that will be aired globally via internet. Our shows will be about current affairs, and will also include discussions of the history and the critical analysis of them instead of just feeding plain news to passive listeners,” he says.
An interesting feature, in the form of Red Record Butt on, in the radio is where anyone can come in to express their thoughts. Everyone is welcome to record their feelings of angst against the country, their feelings on certain situations and anything else they might like to get off their chest. Of course, the records will be supervised for decency before they’re aired.
The response in the UK being fairly good, Origami Radio will also be airing out of Nepal in a couple of months. The Nepal team of Origami Radio includes Aman Joshi, 25, and Prabin Shakya, 27, among others and the team is busy preparing to establish the radio here. Aman, who is pursuing ACCA course, says, “Radio is a one way communication medium but through Origami Radio we want to expand it and invite more listeners to join in.”
The idea is to involve ordinary young people directly by inviting them to host programs and they will also be paid for their effort.
Apart from Origami Radio, these young people also have Origami Pictures and an event management company in the works. Through Origami Pictures, they plan to make documentaries and music videos. Prabin, Program Coordinator at Department of Community Programs at Dhulikhel Hospital, says, “There are two kinds of development works; one is donor funded and the other is solely through the efforts of the citizens here. Such stories need to come out, too.”
The UK team has recently released a music video (James Shrestha n GX Souls’ Yo Timile Garda Ho) while those in Nepal are working on a post production of Upendra Shrestha’s video which will be released soon. Aspiring musicians will get an opportunity to realize their dreams through the support of Origami Pictures. The team of Origami Radio intends to host music concerts to raise money and have invited Abhaya Subba and the Steam Injuns to the UK in the summer.
Finding capital to establish the online radio is a challenge that the team here is currently facing. The UK team’s seed money of around 600 pounds was also pooled from the members themselves and the generosity of some of the elders. “Our goal is to be sustainable more than profit oriented,” says Aman.
Origami Radio for its founders denotes flexibility of imagination and an arena where ‘freedom of expression is respected’. Youth can air their views and make themselves heard.
Visit www.origamiradio.com to listen to the programs.
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