Saturday 23 July 2016

INSIGHT MAGAZINE

Mitra Jyothi along with Radio Udaan has started ‘Insight’, an English quarterly magazine in Braille. We have published first edition of this magazine. It is a unique platform that caters a variety of informative reading and give you a chance to express yourself and share your writings with visually impaired community.  It is a community driven magazine, and anyone can play a significant role as a reader, writer, and content contributor. So, if you have a flair for writing, do share your writings.
The magazine comprises of articles written by visually impaired people and   articles from other sources. If you wish to contribute by sharing your thoughts or experiences, or have read something interesting that you would like us to publish, then 'Insight' offers just that space for you. We will help you with the review and editing to make the article print-ready. To make a submission for editions of the magazine, please email your contribution to insighthyd.editor@gmail.com
 The following topics are featured in the magazine. Please feel free to make a submission for any of the topics. In case the article is from another source, please include reference of the source.
 1.      From around the world/Happenings/Top stories:
 This includes short two-line descriptions of some of the most important happenings from around the world, including sports, world events, award ceremonies, etc.
 2.      The Motivators:
It has two narrations about achievers among us, and two stories of people anywhere in the world who have been or could be an inspiration for us.
 3.      Technology:
This segment will be about technical solutions, reviews of gadgets and mobile apps, tips and tricks that may act as an enabler in the life of visually impaired people.
 4.      Entertainment-movie and music reviews and updates:
It contains reviews and recommendations of movies, music albums, or other avenues of entertainment. Additionally, it may also include news from the world of entertainment.
 5.      Health and Science:
 This is about useful information such as home remedies, common practices to stay healthy, etc. It may also have the latest news from the world of science and health taken from featured journals/magazines.
 6. News and updates provided by Mitra Jyothi and radio Udaan:
 In this corner we present most relevant information from the world of disability and government schemes, as well as initiatives started by us.
 7.      General Knowledge:
This provides some mind jogging fun through quick, snappy questions and answers that are not only interesting, but also challenge your wit.

 8.      Lifestyle –Recipes, reviews, grooming and beauty tips:
Here you can find kitchen tips and tricks, recipes, and other related titbits. It also have reviews of restaurants and other eating places.  Additionally, it contains body care, grooming and beauty tips for both men and women.
 9. Reader’s corner / Short stories written by readers:
It provides an opportunity for writers among us to express their sensitivity, imagination and creative expression through short stories.
 10. Expressions in verse / poetry
 This will be a collection of expression of poetic talent of people among us, as well as humorous and motivational one liners.
 Thank you for contributing.
Now for the subscription details:
 Here are the Bank details for Magazine subscription transfer.
 Bank Details
 Name: Mitra Jyothi Braille press
 Bank: Union Bank of India
 A/c No: 688602010001022
 IFSC Code: UBIN0568864
 Branch: NIFT Campus Bangalore
 Braille Executive:
 Name: Madhu R
 Phone No:  9900285676
 Email: mjbraillepress@mitrajyothi.org
 After they transfer the amount, they need to send an email with their complete postal address to our Braille Executive Madhu R. His email is

Happy Reading and Keep Contributing!



Wednesday 6 July 2016

Hello to all the wonderful Readers out there!


You all will be delighted to know that Radio Udaan has become Radio Partner of a photography awards.
TPA is Launching its very first award show "The Photography Awards" in association with Smile Foundation as a charity partner and Radio Udaan will be its Radio Partner.
You can check out TPA live on: www.thephotographyawards.com
If any one of you want to do online registration for The Photography Awards 2016, then note down that registration is on from 1st of July to 31st of July for all the Photographers worldwide.
Keep on capturing the beauty of nature in your cameras
Happy Reading!

Saturday 21 May 2016

Online Interview of RJ Ankit

Below is a link of Interview of RJ Ankit.

http://www.allhelpinhindi.com/2016/05/udaan-rj-ankit-interview.html
Happy Reading! 

Monday 7 March 2016

RJs of Radio Udaan Making News!

In this post, we can go through different article contents related to different Rjs. The purpose of this post is to share with our listeners the articles revolving around our RJs published in different newspapers / magazines .. Some of the content is in text while the rest is in Graphic format. Happy Exploring!

1.    Indore: Visually impaired RJs give light to their dreams
Nida Khan, Hindustan Times, Indore |  Updated: Feb 28, 2016 17:42 IST


Shyaam Sharma and Gitesh Gehlot belong to a team of 19 visually-challenged radio jockeys associated with Udaan.

Two visually impaired youngsters in Indore who double up as radio jockeys while holding regular jobs in banks have blended a perfect balance to realise their dream of making a difference in the lives of people like them.
Shyaam Sharma and Gitesh Gehlot belong to a team of 19 visually-challenged radio jockeys associated with Udaan. They said they got the idea of starting a dedicated radio station for blind people to teach them about new electronic gadgets and computer software.
“We have an entire network of people who are visually impaired and we chat with each other on WhatsApp and Skype and that is how the concept of starting a dedicated radio programme came and we decided to volunteer and do our bit,” says Sharma.
The reason behind the radio station was to help blind people, says Sharma, the technical brain behind the initiative.
“I started taking session on radio and explained to the listeners how to operate a gadget or software. My aim was to help blind people like me to become independent,” he says.
“I decided to work as a part-time radio jockey for an educational program while continuing with my job at the bank,” says Sharma, who compares a programme called Tech-city.
The programme helps people to know about new software and gadgets, he says. “We teach visually impaired people about different software and key board shortcuts to operate them.”
Gitesh Gehlot, who conducts a 20-20 quiz programme on the radio talk-shows, says the programme gives students an opportunity to prepare themselves for competitive exams. “In my programme I ask students questions related to bank, UPSC exams and other competitive exams,” he says.
The road to fulfill their dreams was not that easy, he says. “The government does little for us. There are no books or study material for blind students and they face a lot of difficulty and often drop out.”
Sharma says they do not get any government fund to run their radio station. “The entire funding is done by us are operating it as internet radio. People who have a stable job contribute their bit…”
The duo want the government to allot them a radio frequency for the station as it will be a boon for the visually impaired people.
“Not everyone can afford a good internet connection or even a device that connects them to the web. By shifting us to a normal frequency even youngsters who are not financially well-off, can listen to our programmes and learn things,” says Sharma.
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2.      Soaring through soundscapes:
A dialogue with RJ Mahajan

Covering over a hundred countries, and winning thousands of hearts, Radio Udaan, an online radio initiative for the visually impaired, meets SIMC through
RJ Danish Mahajan’s exuberant insights
‘A flight of life’, as Radio Udaan calls itself, is a unique community-based radio station, which provides both its listeners and RJs an opportunity to be inspired and empowered. The Journalism students at SIMC were allowed an insight into the same, when RJ Danish Mahajan, one of the creators of Udaan, agreed to be interviewed by the former via Skype.
Talking about his childhood and how he lost his eyesight in 2002 at age 14, RJ Danish expressed, “I had no idea, at all, that even a blind man could study as I came from a remote village. It was only later that I went to study in a school in Ludhiana. There however, I realized there are many challenges faced by the visually impaired people. I observed that while media covered all other issues, matters related to disabled people were being ignored”. Now, an inspiration to thousands, he constitutes a valuable part of Radio Udaan while also working at a state government office in Pathankot.
Born out of the desire to communicate and reach out to the visually impaired, Udaan brings together “geographically isolated” individuals to form an inclusive world which is devoid of stereotypes. He explains how Udaan took off through the Internet, becoming a one of a kind, special interest radio station. “This was going to be a radio for the blind, by the blind, through which the community would reach out to others as well”, said an article commemorating the Udaan’s six-month anniversary.
With ‘Braille Day’approaching on January 4, RJ Danish says Udaan is, “going to have a special transmission where listeners can join us and share their views. We will discuss the Braille system and how it benefits the blind. Apart from this, we will also air a movie on Louis Braille on that day, which is made by our fellow organization which is working for the blind community. This of course, after taking their permission. All our team members and RJs will make the people around them aware of Braille”.
In conclusion, RJ Danish was particularly careful in clarifying the misconception shrouding the idea of Braille: “Everyone thinks that braille is a language but I would like to dispel this thing that Braille is not a language but a script.”
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3.    Denik Jagaran Article
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4.   Blind but not without vision - ‘Visually-impaired students need support to
shine’

FPJ Bureau
— By  | Feb 22, 2016 12:21 am
voice-for-blinds

Indore :  Shyam Gehlot, a 30-year-old RJ for Radio Udaan, conducts a
programme on general knowledge so youngsters can sharpen their knowledge to
prepare for competitive exams. He gives a vision to many a youth but he
himself is visually-impaired.

His pal, Gitesh also visually-impaired but is giving full support to
Gehlot. He too hosts a programme on Radio Udaan- ‘Tech City’ in which he
provides insightful details and updates regarding changing trends of
technology and its efficient use by people like him, visually-impaired.

Both, Shyam and Gitesh are graduates and working with the State Bank of
India for last five years. They both running the radio programme on their
own through ‘Skype’ which are broadcasted from Hyderabad through a mobile
application on the name of their radio channel.

During a gathering of visually-impaired people at Ranjit Hanuman Temple on
Sunday, founders of Voice For Blind Anita Sharma, Shyam and Gitesh shared
their ways to run the programme and methods to crack competitive exams for
proving themselves among people.

“These people are not dependent on any one as they fund the programme.
Radio Udaan is established by a group of visually impaired people as its
mobile application, website and programme were handled by the same people,”
Sharma said.

She added, “These people are very talented but the only problem they are
facing is lack of awareness among people and negligence by the government.”

The students do not get books in Braille manuscript for higher studies and
not even get scribes for writing their exams. Moreover, the government do
not provide any support to them and to the people who come ahead to support
them.

Anita said that she is working for last six years for the development of
blinds and visually impaired and also recorded about 2000 programmes on
various subjects for ‘Divyang’ people.

She also informed that some of her students are also selected for IAS in
New Delhi and many of them are working for the banks.

During the gathering, Sharma appealed to people to come ahead for
supporting these people as they don’t need any monetary help but a moral
support only.
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5.  Meet the special radio jockeys of Udaan (India Today)

They don't see, but they believe: Meet the special radio jockeys of Udaan
The station breaks many stereotypes. Many of the RJs, who currently work on a voluntary basis, are employed with sectors such as IT, human resources, management and creative writing.
Ashwin Ahmad
New Delhi, February 8, 2015 | UPDATED 10:38 IST
A +A -

Seeing is believing or so the adage goes. But a brave group of young men and women are proving this adage wrong. Despite having lost their sight, these people are giving hope to other blind people across the country, and across the world, through a unique initiative called Radio Udaan. An internet radio station started in February 2014, Radio Udaan has over 30 visually-impaired RJs who conduct shows, primarily for the blind community.

According to Minal Singhvi, station director of Radio Udaan, "Our listeners today range from 10,000-15,000. We deal with a variety of topics from sports to quizzes to Bollywood. We also deal with a number of practical concerns such as employment for the visually impaired; challenges a blindsighted married couple may face and dealing with problems that someone who has lost his sight may be going through."

The station breaks many stereotypes. Many of the RJs, who currently work on a voluntary basis, are employed with sectors such as IT, human resources, management and creative writing.

Amit Bhatt, who does a show on Radio Udaan, has proven nothing is impossible. An IT professional, Amit has also worked with All India Radio as their sports correspondent in 2002, where he did a show called Khel Siva. When asked how he managed this Bhatt says, "This is exactly what they asked me." When pressed he says: "There is nothing wrong with my hearing. I used to listen to audio interviews of sportstars and present my show."

Amit adds that he did his own share of reporting while interviewing personalities such as former Test umpire S.K. Bansal. "I used an old fashioned tape recorder and I took notes writing in the Braille script. But I realised that I could not do journalism long term and so I turned to IT."

The first question that strikes anyone is that how could anyone from the visually-impaired community be able to handle computers? Divya Sharma, another RJ from Radio Udaan explains: "We (the RJs) use JAWS, a software program to ensure that everything that is written is spoken. For my phone there is a 'talk back' facility so one can speak and work normally."

Divya is currently pursuing her Masters in English from Punjab University. She has two weekly shows on Radio Udaan - Inspirational Wings and Mystery of 26. In her spare time, she is a poet, freelance writer, guitarist and singer.

"My show Inspirational Wings is about building courage and positivity, while my other show is about learning English, something which many of my listeners have appreciated," she says.

There are challenges though. Singhvi admits that being a nonprofit organisation ensures that some RJs drop out due to lack of remuneration. This certainly was the case with Swati Saxena. Working as an HR manager after completing her MBA in Human Resources Management from TISS, Mumbai, Swati admits that her show called Sports Galaxy, which she did with her sister Shubhra, changed her life immensely.

"The day I got associated with Radio Udaan (in June 2014), my Facebook post got the maximum number of likes so far. Some people thought I had given up my HR job to be an RJ," she laughs.

The success of Radio Udaan has not only changed lives but also attitudes. As Singhvi reveals, plans are on to raise funds amid the visuallyimpaired community to monetise Radio Udaan there is a plan to create other media such as a magazine for their visually-impaired listeners. As she says, "We want to show everyone that the visually impaired have the same concerns as anyone else. If encouraged, they can educate themselves, take jobs and do everything that everyone else can." Thanks in part to Radio Udaan that many of them are already doing so.
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6.  Sound solutions - The Hindu

Special Arrangement
Radio Udaan is looking for empowerment, companionship, entertainment and jobs — not sympathy.
Radio Udaan, a panIndian
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 panIndian
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 25yearold
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 Delhibased
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 visuallychallenged
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 visuallychallenged
persons to
network and stay updated. Readers can join voicebased
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.....
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7. Drishtiheen deh rahe hain geevan ko dristikone (Hindi Article)













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8.  The Tribune Ludhiana
Radio Udaan turns two Ludhiana, January 30
Radio Udaan, internet radio channels run by visually impaired, completed two years. A Radio Udaan Convention was held to mark the occasion at Braille Bhawan, Jamalpur.

Produced and thoroughly managed by persons with visual challenges, Radio Udaan is listened across 100 countries and by more than 20,000 listeners per month. The full processing of Radio Udaan such as web designing, show hosting, and so on are completely governed by the visually-challenged members.

Danish Mahajan, general secretary from Pathankot, said it was a national-level convention that saw participants from across the country coming to the city.

“The last convention was held in Delhi. It was an awareness event to showcase that visually impaired persons should not be looked at with negative attitude, as they are equally able and part of the mainstream society,” he said.

At present Radio Udaan has six executive members and 25 RJs. As many as 300 visually impaired persons were part of the convention.

Several events, including paper presentations on motivation and Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 were organised. Play on "Visually Challenged and the Matrimonial", people-to-people interaction, game show, cultural events were also held.
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9. A Graphic of Article Rj Divya Sharma ( Radio Udaan)

 10.  A Graphic of An article published Related to Rj Jyoti Malik (Radio Udaan)





















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11. Radio Udaan kay 20 Blind Rjs Ludhiana main Jutay (Article Graphic)












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Happy Reading.....
Many More to Come Soon!


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Wednesday 3 February 2016

Radio Udaan 2nd Convention




Radio Udaan is an online radio station. It began its journey in the year 2014 with around 30 visually challenged radio jockeys (RJs). At present, the listener’s statistic is around 20,000.  Listeners from different countries listen to this station and participate in the shows.  The station caters variety of shows from Kitchen to technology, inspiration to fantasy, debates, discussions, game shows and what not. It celebrated its first convention on 30th January 2015 in New Delhi.
Recently, on 30th January 2016, Radio Udaan had its 2nd successful Radio Udaan Convention at Braille Bhawan, Ludhiana (Punjab).  Radio Jockeys and listeners from Hyderabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, New Delhi, Indore, Naya Nangal, Orissa and Chandigarh etc. became a part of this event.
The event commenced with Sarasvati Vandana. After the melodious beginning, the chief guests: Mr. Ranjit Singh Dhilon and Mrs. Virendar Singh Thandi shared their views related to Radio Udaan and Persons with Disabilities. All the RJs received appreciation awards by the guests.
Play: Ek Nayi Musibut
The cultural activities began with a powerful Play named ‘Ek Nayi Musibut’. RJs presented this play on matrimonial perspectives related to visually impaired people. The preparations of the play were done through internet/skype and the play was directed by RJ Danish Mahajan.  The actors include Danish, Jyoti , Sangeeta, Naresh and Gitesh. The play left the audience amidst the thoughts and humorous and witty dialogues enchanted the audience to the brim.
Different presentations added a spice of information and motivation to the event-
Mr. Ramesh Kumar Sareen shared valuable information regarding PWD policy, Mrs. Madhu Singhal talked about challenges being confronted by visually challenged women in the areas of education, job/career and marriage. Ms. Divya Sharma did a motivational session on the topic ‘Positive Inclusion’ and Mr. Mahesh told about a useful Toll Free Number.
Games and Entertainment
Mrs. Meenal Singhvi (Station Director) and Mr. Akhil Malahni came up with variety of games for all the people present in the convention. Everybody took an active part in the games. Even the winners got exciting prizes. After the game session, there was a cake cutting ceremony and a musical evening. People enthusiastically participated in the musical evening especially, Mr. balu Srivastava from UK gave harmonious performances. Finally the event came to an end with delicious Dinner.
Note: The overall music was arranged by Mr. Sanjeev and the stage was conducted by Mr. Ankit Rikra and Mr. Danish Mahajan. 

For pictures related to Convention, stay tuned.  Coming soon!

Monday 4 January 2016

Article published in Symbiosis International University's news paper (Pune)



Ananya Barua & Arundhati Sarkar
‘A flight of life’, as Radio Udaan  calls itself, is a unique community- based radio station, which provides  both its listeners and RJs an opportunity  to be inspired and empowered.  The Journalism students  at SIMC were allowed an insight  into the same, when RJ Danish Mahajan,  one of the creators of Udaan, agreed to be interviewed by the former via Skype. Talking about his childhood and  how he lost his eyesight in 2002 at  age 14, RJ Danish expressed, “I had  no idea, at all, that even a blind man could study remote village. It was only later that  I went to study in a school in Ludhiana.  There however, I realized there  are many challenges faced by the  visually impaired people. I observed  that while media covered all other  issues, matters related to disabled  people were being ignored”. Now,  an inspiration to thousands, he  constitutes a valuable part of Radio  Udaan while also working at a state  government office in Pathankot. Born out of the desire to communicate  and reach out to the  visually impaired, Udaan brings  together “geographically isolated”  individuals to form an inclusive  world which is devoid of stereotypes.
as I came from a
He explains how Udaan took  off through the Internet, becoming  a one of a kind, special interest radio  station. “This was going to be  a radio for the blind, by the blind,  through which the community  would reach out to others as well”,  said an article commemorating the  Udaan’s six-month anniversary. With ‘Braille Day’approaching  on January 4, RJ Danish says Udaan  is, “going to have a special transmission  where listeners can join us and  share their views. We will discuss  the Braille system and how it benefits  the blind. Apart from this, we  will also air a movie on Louis Braille  on that day, which is made by our  fellow organization which is working  for the blind community. This  of course, after taking their permission.  All our team members and RJs  will make the people around them  aware of Braille”.
In conclusion, RJ Danish was  particularly careful in clarifying the  misconception shrouding the idea  of Braille: “Everyone thinks that  braille is a language but I would like  to dispel this thing that Braille is not  a language but a script.”
Photo: Financial Express Janet Louise Yellen, Chair of the  Board of Governors of the Federal  Reserve System The official logo of Radio Udaan I realized there are many  challenges faced by the  visually impaired people.  Matters related to disabled  people were being ignored.
-RJ Danish Mahajan,
Radio Udaan
For more: visit –