Sajha Sawal Episode 442 || 2016

Sajha Sawal radio discussion program goes anywhere in Nepal these days, people throng the venue just to catch a glimpse of the dapper presenter. It just goes to show how popular radio is in Nepal and reflects approval for the way in which Shrestha afflicts the powerful. “It was hard to get people to ask questions initially,” Shrestha admitted in an interview with Nepali Times this week, “they mostly gave suggestions. We had to run an orientation on how to ask questions.” Four years later, the program’s format has become famous for sharp and hard-hitting exchanges between public figures on the stage and a citizen audience. Imitation being the best form of flattery, Sajha Sawal has spawned a whole lot of similar radio and tv discussion programs. But when it started four years ago, it was a revolutionary format for radio and TV in Nepal: common people asking questions to a panel of invitees which included political leaders, bureaucrats and experts. “Our idea initially was to involve the common people’s voice in constitution making and peace process,” Shrestha says, but as the program started traveling across the country the discussions soon ranged from agriculture, foreign employment, local development and infrastructure.

Post a Comment