Umar Nisar Of Kashmir Start His Own Radio Channel to Highlight Problems Faced By The Youth

Coverage in conflict regions like Kashmir tend to oscillate between two extremes — stereotypical mass media coverage that presents an over-wrought, untrue picture of what the realities onground really are, or a refreshingly honest portrayal of local voices on local matters. Young journalist Fahad Shah’s Kashmir Wallah, a monthly online magazine that focusses on Art, Society and Politics in Kashmir is one such initiative on the other extreme, which has grown organically and impressively over the years. And now, a 15-year-old boy, Umar Nisar of Tral, South Kashmir, has joined the fray by developing an internet radio program by himself within 8 months.

Now, his channel Pannun FM can be heard in any part of the world. Nisar felt there was a mass unavailability of signals from FM stations that were privately run in Kashmir, and the lack of radio channels from outside and within Kashmir. This made him want to set up one locally. A self-taught programmer, he studies in a government school in Tral, a military hotbed in the region. He started the online radio program to highlight problems faced by the youth in Tral and created a space that showcases the people of Tral outside the violence of security forces and insurgents. 

In a report to IANS, Nisar said “I went to school amidst protests, shutdowns and violence. But that never stopped me.” 

In creating this channel, he helped create a platform for local children to showcase their talents to the world as well. “This innovation of mine is open for them to take part in any way and the user would get to listen to this frequency anywhere they wish,” said Nisar.

Pannun FM is available on the Android app in the Google Play Store. The station helps bring Kashmiri culture and music to the forefront, but there’s still work to be done. 

“I have invested my own money. But I am yet short of important equipment like microphones and computers,” said Nisar to IANS. As of now, Pannun FM still seeks advertisement revenue and investors to set up a studio to create more programmes as opposed to the current set up, which is done on a simple desktop.

Currently, the show is run by journalists and friends of Nisar,  all of whom do it for free. The segments within the show have musical programmes, children’s question-and-answer sessions and the ‘daily life in Kashmir’ segments. In the future, Nisar hopes to be a broadcast journalist, so it’s safe to say he’s on to a good start.

Feature Image Courtesy of Mid Day