Nepal radio breaks taboos

Kathmandu : In a Kathmandu recording studio, young workers sift through piles of letters from Nepalese teenagers seeking advice on everything from unrequited love to drug abuse and HIV.

Two presenters in their early twenties talk animatedly into microphones as they record the latest episode of Chatting with my Best Friend or Saathi Sanga Manka Kura (SSMK), one of Nepal's most listened-to radio shows.

The programme, a blend of discussion, drama and music, was launched nine years ago as part of a project funded by the UN children's agency Unicef to spread awareness among Nepalese teenagers about the dangers of HIV and Aids.

Since then it has become required listening for young people across Nepal, a deeply conservative, majority-Hindu country where teenage sex and drug abuse are usually taboo subjects.

The show — the first to be produced by and for young Nepalese people — began as a half-hour slot on national radio, considered the most effective medium in a country where around a third of the population is illiterate.

Its no-holds-barred approach to sexual health quickly won it a loyal following among young people and within months, so many letters were coming in that it had to double its running time to an hour.

Now, SSMK draws six million listeners a week, is the winner of several international awards, and has even featured Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom, a Unicef goodwill ambassador.