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The salty wind blowing over Bhimasar in the arid Kutch along India's western coast is whispering stories of hope, dreams and aspirations.
Located nearly 300 km from Gujarat capital Gandhinagar, Bhimasar set up a community radio station of its own in 2012 with support of UNESCO and UN Women, a body that advocates gender equality and work towards empowering women.
Saiyar Re jo Radio, meaning 'women's friend', a part of UN Women's information technology based intervention is quietly ushering in myriad changes in the lives of women of 26 villages of Nakhatrana block.
For Sharifa Sedat, 27, explaining the nitty-gritties of radio handling to the Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlmabo Ngucka, who is on a five-day India trip, was a big leap from her days in depression after being abandoned by her husband.
"I was disturbed after my divorce but the arrival of 'Saiyar Re Jo' has helped me turn my life around. I can edit as well as broadcast programmes and am a lot more confident now," said Sarifa.
Stories like these, from the arid fields of rural Gujarat, were shared in a day-long "information fair" organised over the weekend at Shihore Block of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat as part of an Information and Technology based intervention project of UN Women.
The fair was attended by the Executive Director of the UN Women, Phuzmile Mlambo Ngucka, Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri and the Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, representative for the South Asia Office for UN Women.
Terming the women as "frugal innovators", Phumzile, in her address praised theem for "bridging the digital divide".
