Bundelkhand in India was once rich in flowing rivers and lush forests. A local radio DJ broadcasts the real life stories of farmers there, to draw attention to the challenges they face.
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00:00Bundelkhand used to be a beautiful place with so many rivers flowing through, like Betwa,
00:11Kain and Dhasan.
00:12These rivers were meant to be nature's gift to the farmers here, as they used to be the
00:18main source of irrigation for their fields.
00:25Earlier, they would depend on groundwater from bore wells.
00:33But there is no water in the ground anymore, and the wells have all dried up.
00:41My name is Varsha Raikwar, and I have been working with Radio Bundelkhand since 2017
00:45as a radio jockey.
00:47I am from Nivadi village, and I am 25 years old.
00:55I have so many childhood memories of this region covered with forests.
01:05The seasons were regular and easy to track.
01:08It would rain for 3-4 months, and then summers were equally long.
01:12But then, these seasonal patterns started to change because of global warming.
01:23Where once we would grow wheat in abundance, we started to face a severe shortage where
01:28we could barely grow enough to feed us through the year.
01:37Climate change has had a very significant impact on our family, so I also took a personal
01:41interest in learning more about the environment.
01:48One day, a friend of mine told me about a radio network she had heard called Radio Bundelkhand.
01:59They had a show called Shubh Kaal, and it was one of their oldest radio programs.
02:03So I used that show as my platform and started to work on creating content around climate
02:07change for this particular show, as it was one of their most popular programs.
02:19We picked the issues experienced by farmers on the ground and made them part of the show.
02:23We also introduced folk music and brought local artists into our studio to sing about
02:27those issues related to climate change, like water and forest conservation.
02:36We also introduced a unique segment in the show.
02:40It was a first-of-its-kind reality show designed exclusively for radio.
02:53We selected about 100 villages in this region and organized a competition for the best climate
02:57action solutions that farmers can present from these villages.
03:01Some of them demonstrated their talent with rainwater harvesting or creating compost,
03:05and some even built a kitchen garden.
03:14Whenever I would go to the fields to take interviews, mostly men would come forward
03:18to speak to me.
03:20Women farmers were not encouraged to talk about their work, despite the fact that they
03:25worked equally hard in the fields.
03:32So I decided to change that and would actively seek out women farmers to share their experiences.
03:42And they can be that agent of change we need on the ground.
03:46I wanted women to lift their veil, talk about their feelings, and share their perspectives
03:53and understanding about climate change.
04:02Working on climate change has transformed my life.
04:05I opened so many more opportunities for myself.
04:08I was selected by the United Nations as one of the young climate leaders from India.
04:12It was a very big achievement.
04:16Whether it's rural or urban India, we all have to come together for climate change.
04:24The problem is urgent.
04:25It's about time we all work as a collective in saving whatever we can for our future generation.