India just got its first radio station for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Christened Qradio, the radio station was launched in Bangalore on Tuesday
It is a unique on-line radio platform that voices the advocacy, activism and lifestyle dialogue of the LGBT community, said Anil Srivatsa, CEO and cofounder of Radiowalla.in. What spurred Srivatsa to launch the radio station was that while there were several NGOs, support groups and organisations for the LGBT community in India, they haven’t yet had a mainstream media platform. “This is a platform that brings together all the LGBT groups together, as well as a space that would create awareness and acceptance about alternate sexuality, and sensitise non-LGBT people to it and bridge the gap between various sexualities,” Srivatsa explains.
Besides music, the first week, starting Wednesday, will mainly have three shows: HQO: Celebrating gender fluidity with Vaishalli - coming out stories of LGBT people; Heart to Heart with Inner Sight - a counselling service; and LGBT (Let’s Get Beyond Ties) with John and Sandy.
“The LGBT population in India stands at two million. Yet they hardly find any mainstream acknowledgment. So, our programmes are mainly documentary features. We’ll have more talk, less music,” says Sunny Ahuja, general manager in charge of programming and operations.
At present, programmes would be in English and Hindi. However, airing programmes in regional languages too is being worked on.
It is a unique on-line radio platform that voices the advocacy, activism and lifestyle dialogue of the LGBT community, said Anil Srivatsa, CEO and cofounder of Radiowalla.in. What spurred Srivatsa to launch the radio station was that while there were several NGOs, support groups and organisations for the LGBT community in India, they haven’t yet had a mainstream media platform. “This is a platform that brings together all the LGBT groups together, as well as a space that would create awareness and acceptance about alternate sexuality, and sensitise non-LGBT people to it and bridge the gap between various sexualities,” Srivatsa explains.
Besides music, the first week, starting Wednesday, will mainly have three shows: HQO: Celebrating gender fluidity with Vaishalli - coming out stories of LGBT people; Heart to Heart with Inner Sight - a counselling service; and LGBT (Let’s Get Beyond Ties) with John and Sandy.
“The LGBT population in India stands at two million. Yet they hardly find any mainstream acknowledgment. So, our programmes are mainly documentary features. We’ll have more talk, less music,” says Sunny Ahuja, general manager in charge of programming and operations.
At present, programmes would be in English and Hindi. However, airing programmes in regional languages too is being worked on.
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