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Unlike big players, a few Indian publications that cater to a small audience, defy great odds to remain in print. These include a newspaper for the blind, the only Sanskrit newspaper in the world, and a Bundeli tabloid run by fearless women journalists
Sparshdnyan is like a typical newspaper office. It is messy, with papers and books strewn around. At a corner, a machine buzzes constantly, ejecting reams of newspapers. The editor of the paper, a senior journalist with a French beard, stands at one end of the machine. He adds a pair of glasses to his face, picks up the freshly printed and still-warm paper, and scrutinises it for overlooked errors. A few agonising minutes later, while his colleagues wait nervously for his approval, the editor smiles. The paper is ready for distribution.
A Khabar Lahariya journalist interviews a group of villagers.
Just like at any other newspaper office. Except that Sparshdnyan runs out of Shop No 11 in a residential society in Andheri whose ground floor has been converted into shops. The neighbours include a tailor, pharmacist, carpenter and a real estate broker. And the paper itself does not contain letters but dots. It is a newspaper for the visually challenged.
A KL journalist interacts with a reader. The paper, in the format of a
tabloid, has a print run of 5,000 copies. Over 25,000 people in around
400 villages read the paper. PICS/Nirantar Resource Centre
So with a paraplegic sub-editor, who subs articles and works out of her home in Kolhapur, two production assistants, one of who is partially blind, a visually-challenged reporter, and another employee, recently hired to manage advertising and distribution, Swagat Thorat, the editor brings out the fortnightly Sparshdnyan in Braille.
It was first published in 2008 with 100 issues, and is now so popular, it publishes 400 prints; the maximum his printer can print. "There is a demand and a need for more literature in Braille. I want to increase prints, except that it requires more investment," says Thorat, as he shows a bunch of letters he has received from visually-challenged readers. (The paper gets a minimum of 600 letters in Braille every month.) Thorat goes through every letter, and publishes the interesting ones in the Letters To Editor section.
Many well-meaning journalists contribute columns to the paper, free of charge. The paper itself, which ranges from 40 to 48 pages depending on the length of articles, provides a mix of news and features. All crime stories are avoided, because of Thorat's distaste for the genre. According to him, such stories have no value. Even cricket is shunned. "I can't waste newsprint," Thorat says, adding, "There are more interesting stories that need to be told."
For the August 1 issue, apart from listings of workshops and seminars that might be of interest to visually-challenged readers, there is an article on the recent Cabinet reshuffle, another on political journalism, a food recipe item, a health column and a piece on atomic power. The paper is available on an annual subscription of Rs 1,200.
Institutes and NGOs for the blind from over 31 districts in Maharashtra subscribe to it. It is open to carrying advertisements but hasn't received any so far. Few individuals and organisations help out with funds, but the rest is borne by Thorat. "I believe, there is a big demand, and in the long run, this paper will do well financially. Right now, I am only biding my time."
A newspaper of the Gods
Equally passionate, are the publishers of another niche newspaper. This one is called Sudharma, a two-page tabloid published from Mysore. Here, a husband and wife team KV Sampath Kumar and Jayalakshmi contribute as writers and publishers to bring out India's, and probably the world's, only Sanskrit daily.
It has some 2,000 subscribers in Mysore, and is available for a modest annual subscription fee of Rs 300. It gets very few advertisements, despite being in the business since 1970. The paper publishes articles on the Vedas, yoga, religion, politics and culture, and was first started by Kumar's father Pandit Varadaraja Iyengar. "Pandit Iyengar, for almost 20 years, until his last breath, worked tirelessly to make sure that Sudharma regularly reached subscribers' doorsteps," Kumar says over email. The first copy, which was hand-written, cost five paise.
On his deathbed, Kumar's father had reportedly asked his son to continue the publication, come what may. Despite shortage of funds, Kumar has kept the promise.
What's the khabar?
While Sparshdnyan and Sudharma continue to struggle to meet costs, another paper is expanding and taking gigantic steps in Bihar and UP villages. Called Khabar Lahariya (KL), or News Waves, this Bundeli tabloid has editions in the Bundelkhand regions of Chitrakoot and Banda in UP, with a recent edition started in Sitamarhi, Bihar. More editions are set to follow.
What makes KL interesting is the staff. Working as reporters, editors, illustrators, marketers and distributors, all rolled into one, a group of Dalit and Muslim women, many of whom have had little education, bring out the paper. All they undergo is a short training in journalism in a programme organised by Nirantar, that helped set up the tabloid.
Shalini Joshi, co-director of Nirantar says, "When they first started out, no one took them seriously. Their families did not want them to work, and many of them continue to face pressures." Nirantar had conducted literacy programmes in these areas earlier. They established KL in 2002, in order to have a wider reach, and create job possibilities for women in the region.
KL, however, is now regarded as a fearless paper, with tough-as-nails reporters. "They are now invited by officials and authorities for briefings. Many of the women have also developed sources, who give them great stories," says Joshi.
The paper, as is the USP of tabloids, gives special weightage to local stories, but also carries pieces on national and international events. It has a print run of 5,000 copies and according to a survey, over 25,000 in over 400 villages, read the paper.
As extraordinary as KL's success is the story of its employees. Joshi says, "These women would have been housewives. Now, they are journalists."
To subscribe to or support Sudharma or Sparshdnyan Email sudharma.sanskritdaily@gmail.com or sparshdnyan@gmail.com |
