BEING a woman from a marginalised community in a backward district of Uttar Pradesh is very tough. For such a woman to become a journalist would, predictably, require a huge effort.
Meet Meera, Kavitha, Shanti, Mithilesh, Tabasum, Nazni, Meera and Kiran a group of award-winning journalists from the Dalit, Kol and Muslim communities of Chitrakoot and Banda districts. These gritty and determined women together manage to report, write, edit, illustrate and publish Khabar Lahariya, an eight-page fortnightly newspaper, against all odds. The Bundeli language newspaper has been a path-breaking effort in rural journalism. Not just because it is published by a group of women; their writing has made an impact in the region.
Having successfully published one edition of the newspaper, the group is embarking on the launch of a second edition from Banda. A team is also being put in place to start a newspaper in Rajasthan, which is the second phase of their bold experiment.
Khabar Lahariya, which means news waves in the Bundeli language, was born in May 2002, at Chitrakoot, with the assistance of Nirantar, a non-governmental organisation working in the spheres of gender and education. Today the newspaper has a print run of 2,800 copies. It is sold for Rs.2 in approximately 300 villages in both districts. In 2004, Khabar Lahariya won the Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding women journalists.
The reason that their effort should be lauded is the context. To begin with they are women, they belong to marginalised communities, most of them were illiterate, not many have the support of their families. Yet they bring out a newspaper all on their own, says Shalini Joshi of Nirantar.
Chitrakoot is among the 200 poorest districts in the country. The only source of income for the people here is agriculture, which is rain-fed. There is little opportunity for employment as there is no industrial activity or employment scheme for income generation. Typical of all backward districts, the administration is lax and literacy and health services are minimal. It is a completely male-dominated society where women lead a hard and restricted life. Violence against them is common and there are few routes to empowerment and justice.
In this backdrop, the eight women got together and decided to bring out a publication that would report on issues that concern them. Khabar Lahariya focusses on current political news, stories on the functioning of panchayats and the bureaucracy, literacy, schools, health and atrocities on women and the marginalised sections of society. It also has a section on entertainment and gives information on events taking place in the region.
We see so much injustice and we ourselves have been victims of violence and neglect. We thought it was time to expose all these wrongs, said Meera, the editor of Khabar Lahariya. Of course, we are constantly threatened and they think they can bully us, but we have not buckled and I can proudly say we have broken some very good stories that have had a much needed impact.
However, while Khabar Lahariya is making waves, the story of how it is published and the women behind it is in itself headline material. A look at its production cycle gives a clear picture of how unique this publication is and how brave and capable the women who bring it out are. The paper has a two-week production cycle. At an editorial meeting, all the reporters decide which areas to cover for that issue. They then visit government offices, villages and farms to follow leads, gather information and interview people. For instance, if they hear of an epidemic spreading in some villages, they follow that lead. With no luxuries such as hired jeeps available, the women reach their destinations on foot or by bus often waiting for hours to catch the local transport.
In gathering news, the women naturally face discrimination and harassment. Sometimes I happen to be the only woman at a press conference, says Kavita. If the conference or event was held in the evenings or night we were a little nervous but now its not so bad. I think they are also used to seeing us, after all these years.
Mid way through the production cycle, the women hold a day-long editorial meeting at which the stories being pursued are discussed and editorial content is decided. A few days later, they meet again at the Khabar Lahariya office in Chitrakoot and over the next three days hammer out the editorial content, edit and proofread reports, design pages, do illustrations and finalise the layout. On the fourth day, one of the women takes the paper to the printer in Allahabad by bus. They print about 3,000 copies. These she carries back to her office. The rest of the team then double up as sales women and take their share of the copies to be distributed in the 150 villages in Chitrakoot and the four blocks in Banda. If reporting is tough, distribution is equally backbreaking they say as they take buses or trains or walk to the neighbouring areas to circulate the paper. Sometimes it takes a little convincing to make someone buy a copy, the women say. But once you have a buyer, then you are almost certain to have captured a regular reader.
The villagers now recognise us. First we go to collect news and interview people. Then we go there to sell the paper. We even sit with some of the villagers, particularly women, as they cannot read, and read out some of the stories, says editor Meera. I feel our efforts are worth it when people appreciate our stories or, more importantly, when we have created some impact.
We have also learnt how to write better and in simple language so that people who are not very educated can read the paper. We have learnt how to verify facts and make sure our quotes are accurate. Its important to ensure quality. People then take us seriously, she says.
Here are some instances of Khabar Lahariyas effectiveness: A report on Sukhrampur village where nearly all the villagers had tuberculosis resulted in some health officers being pulled up for negligence and the villagers receiving better treatment. Khabar Lahariya reported a case of police brutality on a Kol woman. An NGO took up the case and the administration was pressured into taking some action. Not all stories get a positive result. But the idea is to expose happenings in the region that are totally neglected by the big media, says Shalini Joshi .
A turning point in Khabar Lahariyas existence was the coverage of the last general elections. Although the women had covered the panchayat elections, they felt they lacked the skills. Nirantars team immediately conducted workshops and courses in politics. Three election specials were planned and, needless to say, the team pulled off a stupendous job, says Shalini Joshi. Khabar Lahariya was the only paper to publish interviews with almost every candidate in the two districts.
While Khabar Lahariya have had an effective impact in the region in general, the newspapers more crucial influence has been on the women themselves. Take for example Shantis story. She is a from the Kol community, which is a Scheduled Tribe. Having had no access to education as a child, she began to study only when she was in her mid-30s after she got in touch with social workers who put her on to an education programme in her village. Shanti is now a senior editor with the paper. Kavita, another team member, was married at age 14. Somehow, she says, she managed to complete her schooling. After 10 years of being in an unhappy marriage, she left her husband, took her children away and now lives separately. She could do this only because she was empowered by the work she was doing with the paper.
Recently, the Mumbai-based documentary filmmaker Bishakha Dutta made a short film, Taaza Khabar, on the women and their brave efforts at bringing out the newspaper. Bishakha Duttas camera follows the two-week production cycle, complete with covering a particular event, to the editorial sessions to the final printing. She captures some poignant moments such as Shanti selling the newspaper on an early morning train, two women folding the paper at the station early in the morning and, subsequently, waiting for the arrival of a train to begin distribution.
One of the biggest achievements is that now people, such as bureaucrats and politicians, who would not talk to us or give us any importance in the early days, are willing to speak to us, says Kavita at the screening of the film in Mumbai.
Khabar Lahariyas content is as mainstream as any big newspaper. It may be small but the fact that it exists and upholds good journalistic practices is itself a significant contribution to the country.
Anupama KatakamCOMMents
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