As producers and collaborators on Spotlight for Soar Sound, we—John Coster and Rob Watson—often find ourselves in conversations that leave a lasting impression. This recent Spotlight Special was no exception. On Thursday, 3rd July, we welcomed visitors from India’s Snehalaya project into our studio in Leicester. These weren’t ordinary interviews—they were reminders that the work we do in community radio here in the UK is part of a much broader, global effort.
Spotlight with Girish and Anil
Snehalaya operates in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, supporting marginalised people with services ranging from healthcare to education, women’s rights, and outreach. The project’s founder Girish, operations lead Anil, and community media producer Dr. Priti spoke with us about their work—and, crucially, about Radio Nagar 90.4 FM, the community radio station they established to amplify the voices of the people they serve.
Hearing them talk about the challenges they face and the passion that drives them was deeply familiar. In many ways, it was like holding up a mirror to our own experiences with Soar Sound. The tools may differ slightly. The contexts certainly do. But the motivations—the reasons we persist—are strikingly aligned.
What stood out was the openness. Snehalaya doesn’t just broadcast messages; it brings people in. Literally. Dr. Priti described how they give young people from the community, often young women, the opportunity to become presenters and producers. That resonated with us because at Soar Sound, we work every day to make our platform not just about broadcasting to communities, but about building communication with them.
What’s clear from these conversations is that community radio is an international practice. It may go by different names in different places, but the intent remains constant: to create space for people to speak, to listen, and to connect.
We talked about how the relationship between presenter and listener is what makes community radio special. It’s not a delivery channel for official messages—it’s a conversation. It’s not polished PR—it’s raw, sincere, and rooted in local experience. That’s something we both believe in deeply and try to maintain with Soar Sound. The trust we build with our contributors, our listeners, and our partners is what gives our work meaning.
Snehalaya’s story also reminded us that sustainability in this sector isn’t just financial—it’s personal. It’s cultural. It’s about building long-term relationships, nurturing local leadership, and allowing communities to set their own agendas. The same goes for Soar Sound and the wider community media movement in the UK. We need to resist the temptation to measure value in reach or ratings alone. The real impact is in those moments of connection—when someone hears their own life reflected back through the radio.
There’s much we can learn from the way Radio Nagar operates, just as we hope there’s something to be shared in the way we work here in Leicester. These conversations are part of an ongoing exchange—of ideas, values, and practices. They remind us that we’re not working in isolation. Community media isn’t a fringe interest. It’s a global project, rooted in common principles of inclusion, dialogue, and social responsibility.
As we look towards events like World Radio Day and International Women’s Day, we’re reminded again that the stories we tell and the voices we platform matter—not just here, but everywhere.
These Spotlight Specials are more than interviews. They’re part of a shared practice, one that we’re proud to contribute to from Leicester, and one that continues to inspire us through conversations like these.