Charkha Development Communication Network, a non-profit organization that works towards the social and economic inclusion of marginalized communities in remote and conflict areas through the creative use of media, celebrated its 27th Founder’s Day on December 7, 2021. The day marks the birth anniversary of Sanjoy Ghose, a visionary and social activist who founded Charkha in 1994, to carry the voices of rural poor to those who influence policy.
Rural marginalized communities often remain unheard and have little access to information that they can use to overcome their social and economic disadvantages. Charkha is committed to empowering these communities by building their capacity to speak up at the local, state and national levels and access available resources to obtain their rights and entitlements.
Charkha is driven by its vision to highlight development concerns of rural communities through media and to advocate policy changes to ensure an inclusive development. Charkha runs a tri-lingual in Hindi, English and Urdu that places articles on grassroots development issues in the media.
The event was also a tribute to Mario Noronha, Charkha’s CEO for almost a decade, and to Arvind Ojha, the Founding Chair of Urmul Seemant Samiti, Bikaner and Chairman of Girls Not Brides, Rajasthan. We lost both of them to Covid-19.
Chief Guest of the event, Tinni Sawhney, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation, India, shared her memories of how Sanjoy Ghose guided her during the initial stages of her career. She congratulated Charkha for the work it is doing in difficult areas by empowering the communities to voice their concerns, even during the Covid-19 crisis. The organization, she said, is bridging the gap of understanding between the rural and the urban.
The event marked the release of two e-books – ‘Abhivyanjana- Yuva Ladkiyon ki Kalam Se’ and ‘Impact- Spinning Actions into Words’.
‘Abhivyanjana- Yuva Ladkiyon ki Kalam Se’ is a compilation of articles written by twenty-eight adolescent girls and women from rural Ajmer, Rajasthan, who were a part of Charkha’s workshop on grassroots journalism. These women, some of who are child brides, bring forth their experiences of the patriarchal society. The articles discuss issues including child marriages, girls’ education, menstruation hygiene management and women empowerment. The book was released by Indira Pancholi, Founder Member and Secretary, Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti Ajmer, Rajasthan. In her keynote speech, she talked about how Sanjoy’s life is still guiding and motivating people in development sector. She stressed the need for data-driven and evidence-based advocacy and highlighted the important role that journalism plays in the empowerment of girls and understanding their fundamental rights.
The second book ‘Impact- Spinning Actions into Words’ was realeasd Sayed Anwar Hussain Shah, retired Additional District Development Commissioner, Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir. Conceived as a part of the project “Strengthening Charkha’s Feature Service”, the book captures the journey of Charkha’s rural writers from J&K, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar, advocating for ground level changes through their articles.
In his speech, Anwar spoke about the Charkha’s effective presence in the border district of Poonch. “There are more than 300 writers trained by Charkha who have written more than 1500 articles highlighting the developmental challenges,” he quoted. While sharing his administrative experience, he mentioned that there is a large number of educated youth who can work together with Charkha through various workshops. He suggested that Charkha can contribute immensely towards development through extensive awareness campaigns.
Prior to the felicitation ceremony of Charkha’s volunteer trainers, a short film was presented by Charkha showcasing their journey of ten years of working in Poonch, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. Other than the impact these trainers could bring on ground, the video showed the personal transformation these young members of rural communities have exprienced through their association with Charkha. Usha Rai, Secretary, Charkha, congratulated the trainers for the important role they are playing in bringing a huge change in the society through their articles.
Chetna Verma, Manager, Programmes and Editorial, delivered the vote of thanks. She expressed her gratitude to all the 28 girls who had written the articles in the e-book. “It takes a lot of courage to pen down how the society is treating you and to demand a change. We stand with you in this and in all your future endeavours.” She also extended her thanks to everyone who has supported Charkha in its journey of 27 years!
The event is reported by Abhay Vashisht