Thursday 12 November 2015

Diwali Celebrations 2015



On the occasion of Diwali,   Radio Udaan celebrated the Diwali evening with its listeners by organizing three hour long live transmission. The transmission began at sharp 7pm. At the very outset, Mr. Danish Mahajan and Mr. Bala welcomed all the listeners. In the first part of the celebration, we had our Diwali Pooja. The whole atmosphere filled with an aroma of divinity. The pooja went on for an hour. At 8pm, Tapas Bhardwaaj spoke   about this beautiful festival of lights. He shared his experience and knowledge with the listeners and the Udaan Family. Even the RJs like Rj Sandeep Trivedi, Rj Jyoti Malik, Rj Divya Sharma, Rj Ankit Rikra, Rj Naresh Kumar, RJ Geetesh etc actively participate in this transmission.
RJs and listeners shared many different things about this festival. Some of the participants  sang songs and shared pieces of shyari and poetry. The hour from 8 to 9 was full of zeel and sharing. Participants from different cities and states told about celebration going on in that region of globe. In this way, the whole Radio Udaan family and listeners had a festive taste of variety of places. Listeners shared valuable information about the main sweets in market in this festive season. Of course, Ladoos, Jalabis, Gulab jamoon, pinni, rusgulla etc all were on the Udaan menu. Really, the fragments of information from different areas made the transmission rich. Moreover, the great thing was that the listeners, who couldn’t join for voice talk, dropped their Diwali wishes and greetings. Throughout the celebration, the skype Id of Radio Udaan was flooded with text wishes and greetings. Even the full report on Diwali was presented for the listeners. From 9pm onwards, we had ‘Kavi Session’.  Kavi Dr. Dayal Panwaar, Anita Chaturvedi and Dr. S K Tarpathi packed this whole hour with the essence of poetry. All these activities denote that our listeners are full of talent and enthusiasm.
The transmission was full of entertainment, information, fun and love. We got a lot of love and affection of our listeners. We are glad that the participants took out time from their family festive celebrations and became a part of this incredible Diwali celebration.

Friday 16 October 2015

White Cane Day Celebrations 15th October 2015



International White Cane Safety Day is celebrated every year since 1964. The white cane is a symbol of independence and strength of people with vision impairment. It highlights their abilities and achievements. Where many people have understood the significance of White Cane, still there is a wide range of people who don’t know what a white cane is. People have taboos that carrying a white cane is not a good thing or they feel embarrassed when they see their family members and friends walking with a white cane. However, the truth is that it is their ignorance that puts words in their mouth. To wipe this ignorance away and to create awareness about White Cane, Radio Udaan organized a live evening transmission.
Radio Udaan has always been celebrating almost all the festivals, days and events during its ongoing flight. Maintaining this thread, we celebrated International White Cane Safety Day on Thursday October 15th.  On this occasion, we had a two hour long live transmission.
During this transmission, Udaan family presented a report on White Cane Day. Listeners from different areas, cities, states and countries become a part of this transmission. A listener from France, for the first time, joined this live transmission on Radio Udaan. All the participants shared their views on white cane.  They shared their experiences and told everybody about the celebrations going on in their region. Even there were some listeners, who came to know about the importance of White Cane Day through this special transmission. Throughout the transmission, listeners kept on sending us text messages through skype. Even the core team and Rjs kept their personal views and talked about their similar experiences. Everybody exchanged their wishes and perspectives.
It really feels wonderful that the efforts of Radio Udaan are contributing in creating awareness amidst people at large. Every addition to their enlightenment is our award.  We are here not only to celebrate or entertain our listeners but we try to add more to their knowledge. Our listeners and well wishers are our assets.

Happy Reading and Keep Listening Radio Udaan!

Tuesday 8 September 2015

15th August Celebrations


We all know that 15th August is celebrated as Independence Day of India. On this occasion, radio udaan organized a couple of activities for its listeners.
In the afternoon there was a beautiful arrangement of ‘Kavi Semailan’. This Semailan was hosted by RJ Saif and RJ Naresh.  The duration of this program was of two hours from 12pm to 2pm. Active participation by various poets made this poetic celebration a huge success. Some participants like Tarpathi Sir, Dayaal Sir etc actively took part in this program. The participation was not just confined to voice calls, even listeners constantly dropped in their views through Skype chat. This kavi Semailan proved that we have a variety of talented kavi’s / Poets out there.
Then we had many more exciting activities lined up in the evening. At sharp 7pm, we came up with a live transmission. This transmission went up to 9pm.
The hosts smoothly handled the whole program. RJs and listeners expressed their views and wishes. Some of the participants made this transmission musical by singing songs and delivering shayari. Through this transmission, we not only had a wonderful time but we too came to know about different independence celebrations going on in different areas of India. Participants told about the activities going on in their areas. Thus, these two hours were packed with fun and information.
This was not the end, from 9pm to 10pm we had a very encouraging, entertaining and meaningful play ‘Ek Pagaam Desh Ke Naam’. The play was written and directed by Danish Mahajan and edited by Jyoti Malik. In the beginning of the play, Amit Bhatt briefed about the motive of this play. He also informed the listeners about the names of all the participants of the play.  It won’t be wrong to say that every participant did an amazing acting. The names of the characters goes like- Danish Mahajan as Baljeet Singh, Jyoti malik  as Simranjeet Kaur, Manpreet kaur played the role of their mother and Ashok Mittal as their father. The other roles like Sarkari Pratenidhi - Saif Rehmaan, Abdul as Ahmed, Chacha - Ratikanta, Chachi- Monika jha,  Lt. Vikraam Singh - Puneet Soni, Baahdur - Bhushan Prabhu, Jogander Singh - Ankit Rikra, Ram Singh - Prakash  Yadaav, Sarjeet Singh - Naresh ,  Vishal - Kartik Sonay and Kulvant Kaur - Geeta Suman. This motivating play ended with a powerful moral. Indeed! It is apparent that actors put their hearts into their performances.  If you have missed this play, you can check out this link -http://youtu.be/iDjoLHE1mrA
Next to this magnificent play was a game show by Ashish at sharp 10pm. The show was fully packed with fun and action. Listeners actively took part in this game and many prizes were also given to the winners.
As a whole, the day was full of emotions, wishes, poetry, music, talks, entertainment, morals, enjoyment and information. We cannot disagree that Radio Udaan family celebrated this day in the best possible way. Cheers to all the Listeners and Participants for the success of this event.

Thursday 3 September 2015

Special Transmission on Rakhsha Bandhan


We all know that Rakhsha Bandhan is a beautiful festival of sisters and brothers. On this day, every sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s wrist and they exchange sweets. This is not just a thread but a beautiful bond which deepens the love between brother-sister and brothers promise to take care of their sisters.
This Raksha bandhan, the 29th August, Radio Udaan too had a special transmission for its listeners. The duration of transmission was of two hours. The whole transmission was hosted by new RJs like RJ Anokha Ankit ,RJ subodh, RJ Naresh and RJ Bhushan. Listeners from all over the world took part in it. They shared their moments of Rakhi and added a flavor of variety in the show. Not only listeners but the RJs of Udaan Family also participated in it. Despite the odds of network issues, the transmission was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. There was an ambience of excitement. Everybody put their views about the festival and answered the questions triggered by hosts. Of course, there were many fun moments during the transmission too. Believe me; nobody dropped the chance to put forward their warm wishes. Skype ID of Radio Udaan was flooded by wishes and voice calls. It seemed like whole Radio Udaan and listeners at large were tied together with a thread of faith, love, support, cheer and happiness.

Friday 14 August 2015

INDEPENDENCE GIFT FOR OUR LISTENERS




Finally, Radio Udaan has come up with an application for its listeners. We launched the Android and iPhone application on the occasion of 69th Independence Day. At sharp 12am on 15 August, Radio Udaan family went on air and introduced its official application. Radio Udaan is trying its best to reach out to every individual. With this application, you can listen to all the shows; can visit our facebook page, Radio Udaan official website and much more.
This application is an Independence gift for our listeners. So, don’t hesitate to drop-in your feedbacks. For your views and feedbacks, you can write us through app, can mail us or you can also leave your feedbacks in the comment box below this article. We hope you will have a wonderful time using this application.  
For Android Users, Link is -   
For iPhone Users, link is –
All the best and Happy Listening



SOUND SOLUTIONS- AN ARTICLE IN THE HINDU



Radio Udaan is looking for empowerment, companionship, entertainment and jobs — not sympathy.
Radio Udaan, a pan-Indian online radio initiative run for and by the blind, offers a platform for the visually challenged to network, counsel and motivate each other
They RJ shows, report news, network for content, manage software platforms, handle web hosting and design, and take care of finance, administration and marketing — all this, without the support of sight. Tune in to Radio Udaan, an amazing pan-Indian online radio initiative for the blind, manned exclusively by the blind.
From Chennai to Chhattisgarh, Udaan’s 25 odd RJs are scattered across the country and are heard by people in 120 countries across the globe, from Australia, Israel, Canada, U.S., and U.K. to neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Using screen readers such as JAWS and NBDA that speak out text and a special broadcast system called Station Playlist software, Udaan RJs broadcast shows right from their homes. One of them is Chennai’s 25-year-old Bala Nagendran, who teaches at UPSC centres while simultaneously preparing for the civil services. Bala says, “We were online friends who were chatting on Skype and discovered that we had a shared vision of reaching out to blind people.” Danish Mahajan, a key member of Udaan, who also holds a state Government job at Pathankot, adds, “Blind people are geographically isolated. We decided on an online radio channel so that it could reach people at every corner of the earth." That is how Bala and Danish teamed up with Minal Singhvi, who works with NGOs in Hyderabad, Jyoti Malik, who is doing her masters in political science from Punjab University in Ludhiana, Saif Rehman, who works in the Indian Standards Organization at Delhi, and Delhi-based Rajeev Bhambri, who is a recently retired hotelier, to create Radio Udaan in February this year. Initially, they spent from their pockets to keep Udaan going. Now, Udaan is looking to generate revenue from ads to facilitate expansion of its operations.
Everyone in the Udaan team pursues their professions, and still finds time to run it. And in making a success of Radio Udaan, they have shown the world that visually-challenged persons can handle any job just as effectively as the sighted. Alongside, this fantastic foray also breaks conventional myths and stereotypes about the blind. As Bala puts it, “We are looking for empowerment, companionship, entertainment and jobs — not sympathy." Incidentally, so far, the Udaan team have not met each other in the flesh and blood. But virtual ties keep them going. Within the short span of its existence, Radio Udaan has evolved as a happening platform for visually-challenged persons to network and stay updated. Readers can join voice-based discussions on Udaan, just as in FM Radio. Software support ensures that Udaan can air/speak out text messages. Radio Udaan provides respective options for Android, IOS and other systems, so that one can effortlessly hear Udaan on the go — on mobile phones, tablets, PCs, laptops, etc. Programmes are broadcast in English and Hindi.

With an eye on empowerment, Udaan airs instructive panel discussions on issues that concern the blind, programmes that help with preparing for competitive exams, etc. But perhaps, more important is another purpose served by Udaan — as a helpline, counsellor and motivator all rolled into one. “Imagine being handed a verdict of losing sight. It devastates many of us,” says Danish. Though he himself simply adjusted to the situation, Danish understood the despair that many others felt on losing sight. Danish adds, “By broadcasting success stories of blind persons and through our counselling service, we help other such people come to terms with the situation. We don’t want a single blind person to shut himself away in his house. We want to show them that life can still be beautiful."

Monday 27 July 2015

First National Convention of Radio Udaan (2015) organized by Udaan Welfare Society and Narayan Seva Sansthan

Radio Udaan has recently completed one year on 2nd February 2015. During this tremendous journey, the station has celebrated all the important festivals and days. If we talk about the monthly listeners’ statistics, it shuttles between 10 thousand to 15 thousand. Radio Udaan has also widened its wings across the
boundaries and is listened in around 115 countries.  Although all the members of Radio Udaan are equal and selflessly working towards the growth of Radio Udaan, yet there is a core team. The hierarchy goes like-   Minal Singhvi: Station Director, MS. Jyoti Malik: Programme Manager, MR. Danish Mahajan: General Secretary, MR. Saifur Rehman: Joint Secretary, MR. Rajeev Bhambri: Advisor.    MR. Balanagendran:
Media spokesperson.
Radio Udaan Society held its first National Convention at Ambedkar Bhawan, Panchkuiya Road , New Delhi on 31st January 2015. The convention started at 10 am.   Shri  Awanish Awasthi , Joint Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, was the Chief Guest. Some other special guests present to grace the occasion were Shri  Lal Kaul( Gen. Secretary AICB), 

 Shri  Santosh Kumar Rungta(  Gen. secretary NFB) , Shri   Dipendra Manocha (Managing Trustee of Saksham),  Shri   Pravanjan  Sahu (In-charge of Delhi branch of Narayan Seva Sansthan),  Dr. R.K. Sarin (Gen Secretary Progressive Society),  Shri   Amrik Singh  (President of J&K Association of Tour
Operators) , Smt. Amarjeet Kaur (National Secretary , Communist  Party of India) and Shri  Prashant Tandan.

The convention started with  Sarasvati Vandana  presented by Monika Jha, Jyoti Malik, Saifur Rehman and Bhushan Prabhu. After that , the program progressed with a welcome note by Danish Mahajan. The note comprised all the essential  information about the activities and aims of Radio Udaan. Thereafter, the guests shared their valuable views with the audience and gave their best wishes for the elevated flight of Radio Udaan. Then the RJs presented a Play "Ek Naya Savera" written and directed by Mr. Danish Mahajan.  The play conveyed a  significant and  enlightening message. The unique thing about this play was that it was prepared by the RJs through internet with the help of skype. It was the first time that the RJs practically executed the play  and there was no prior practice on the stage. The characters in the play were:   Manohar Lal (Mr.Danish
Mahajan),  Janki Devi( Ms.  Swati Saxena),  Bhawana (Ms. Jyoti Malik),  Sunder Lal( Mr. Anant Dhaiya),  Sangeeta (Ms. Monika Jha), Payal( Ms. Divya Sharma), Campaigner/Teacher ( Ms.  Nikita Patil) and  Narrator ( Mr. Amit Bhatt). Just after the play, all the RJs present in the convention were awarded by the Chief Guest in appreciation of their voluntary contribution and dedication to Radio Udaan.
Next, there was a Presentation session by Ms . Divya Sharma. The topic of the presentation was “Building Self esteem.”   There was a game session also for cheering up the audience. The Game shows were hosted by Mrs. Minal Singhvi and Mr. Ashish Singla. The good thing about these activities was that all the people present there actively participated in these. 
And finally, the convention ended up on an enthusiastic  note  with a cultural program. The management, RJs and all the spectators enjoyed the dance and songs. People came up with their solo songs and all danced together on the beats of Radio Udaan.  The convention was anchored   by Mr. Amit Bhatt, Mr. Danish Mahajan and Mr. Saifur Rehman. The entire music was given by Anant Dhaiya and Party.





Thursday 23 July 2015

First Get-together of Radio Udaan




Radio Udaan family successfully had its very first get-together on Sunday, the 12TH October 2014 at   Sai Junior College for the Visually Challenged in the city of ‘nawaabs’  that is ‘ Secunderabad/Hyderabad’. The event was hosted by Meenal Singhvi , Surya Jyothi and Neha Aggarwal. The team/RJs who couldn’t become a part of it, enjoyed all the fun in the meet through online live video chat (Skype) direct from different cities. They introduced themselves and played an active role throughout the event.  The audience encompassed around 75 people including   students from Sai Junior College and Computer Instructor- Nagaprasad etc.  Even five   volunteer members of Radio Udaan family were also present there for the smooth arrangements. For the convenience of people, the whole event was translated into three languages - Hindi, English and Telugu. 
To make the event more intense and dynamic, we had a few guests too. The list of guests includes-
·       -  Rajshaker reddy from EFLU (English and Foreign Language University) along with his family. He gave an orientation on ‘Book Share’ and told about the procedure to avail the membership.
·        - Akhilesh Malani from Google. He presented a basic overview about the accessibility on applications, web, phones, etc.
·         -LVPEI' helpdesk Aishwarya and Priya accompanied by a couple of rehab candidates.
The meet commenced at 2:30pm and it went on for two hours up to 4:30pm. It began with a brief
introduction by the hosts. After this, the participants gave their introduction. Next there came an exciting segment of games. The first game of this evening was ‘Numbering game’. People energetically took part in it. After this, Ms. Meenal (The Director of Radio Udaan) presented a motivating walk. The last game of the evening was ‘balloon blowing competition’. The gusto and confidence of participants added a flavor of warmth to this mesmerizing late afternoon get-together. At last, how can I forget to mention the ‘informative interactive sessions’. These sessions enlightened the audience about the scope and availability of options for better future. The event came to an end with snacks and soft drinks.
And apparently, this first get-together became a great success.

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Splashing Colors of Radio Udaan




Though our societies and nations are turning so advanced yet unfortunately whenever we hear about a visually challenged person, the first thing that pops  out in our mind is ‘Dependence and Sympathy.’  Keeping this point in mind, we are going to confront you with an initiative and innovative idea made by visually challenged people.  In present era, visually challenged people are doing   really a commendable job. Not only they are enduring the conservative mindsets but are setting benchmarks for our society. Here is an immensely inspirational story of Radio Udaan which will compel you to bring a change in your perspective towards visually challenged community.
Radio Udaan, is an internet radio station run by visually challenged people. This station is not backed by glamorous personalities or any elite class of society, but is an outcome of collective hard work of visually impaired people. The team members, RJs and the  whole Radio Udaan family is not only pursuing their respective careers, jobs or studies but investing their valuable time in this Radio Station.
The motive of this station is to color the lives of listeners with bright and sparking shades.  The Radio Station is not only catering lots of fun to listeners but also a lot of information and is elevating   their  level of knowledge . The RJs are trying their best to cover a large spectrum of information. It has included shows from Bollywood masti to book reviews, from inspirational talks to travelling information, cooking tips to social issues, religious dives to social harmony, etymology to rationality and much more. The discussions, debates and talks are icing on the cake   .  Here the     talks are not being imposed on any person but rather talks are about the listeners, their choices, sufferings, and current issues. These shows are not only broadcasted once a week but they are re-broadcasted as well. Radio Udaan also possesses an archive for those who missed their favorite shows. For the convenience of listeners, Radio Udaan has also made a provision of feedback forms. Moreover, interested listeners can also participate in our shows by filling a form on our website www.radioudaan.com. Keeping in mind the mobiles, which are the life-line of our generation, Radio Udaan provides respective options for android, IOS and other systems to enjoy the ride of this dynamic radio station.
A lay man may be thinking how is it possible, right? Well, being an RJ of this station let me introduce you with our way of working. We the visually challenged people, use screen readers to assist us in operating computers and laptops.  From switching on a computer to arrange our show stuff is done independently by us without any sighted assistance.  Every action regarding Radio Udaan like web hosting, web designing, Radio Jockeying, management; administration etc is being done by the visually challenged people. Our shows are both recorded and live ones.
Though Radio Udaan is an outcome of every RJ and the whole Radio Udaan family yet there is a hierarchy which goes like   Mrs. Minal Singhvi: Station Director, Ms. Jyoti Malik: Programme Manager, •Mr. Danish Mahajan: General Secretary, Mr. Saif Rehman: Joint Secretary, Mr. Rajeev Bhambri: Advisor and Mr. Balanagendran: Media spokes person.
Radio Udaan provides the bliss not only to our national listeners but to foreigners as well. It is being listened in more than 50 countries. This is a thread which is attaching the hearts and minds across boundaries. Indeed, ‘Radio Udaan, A flight of life’ is an example for people who think that people with vision impairment cannot do things themselves.  Radio Udaan is a firm model of ‘insight and vision’.  May be the people behind Radio Udaan lack eyesight but the canvas of their vision is much broader and innovative than that of a normal person.
So, wake up people, it is a time to cherish the deeds of visually challenged people. The need is of empathy not sympathy. Time has come that the society has to replace their old fashioned thinking with dynamic one.