Introducing a new Delhi based newspaper entitled "Balaknama" that tell the stories, anecdotes and dissects the lives and times of both street children as well as those children working in households, eateries, factories, construction sites or such notable others (child labourers).........
Jyoti is one such child who lives under a bridge strategically constructed near a bustling bus stop, she is a rag picker by day and a roving or then should I say intrepid reporter by night, her life has taken a turn for the better ever since her photograph was splashed prominently across the front pages of the very same newspaper and she feels like a Barkha Dutt now in her very own words........
All the contents of the paper are decided by this dedicated and committed bunch of street children, they decide upon the editorial, other contents as well as featured articles by trial, error and consensus; and the articles focus exclusively on issues of mutual interest such as child marriages, eradication of child labour, exploitation of hapless children by unscrupulous elements and so on and so forth.........
The paper set itself off the ground with 12 odd children comprising it's editorial team and 35 odd children subscribing to the same a little over a decade ago, it today boasts of an editorial team of close to 70 odd members and boasts of a readership of more than 10,000 dedicated and committed readers..........
Being unable to read and write does not constitute or prove to be a stumbling block in this case as the senior and lettered children interview such unlettered children and pen down their stories and experiences with utmost care and due diligence........
As one of the adventurous souls who comprise the editorial team goes on to say "we record and serialise our fellow beings experiences for posterity and then narrate and dissect the same in an easy to understand and reader friendly manner guaranteed to hold the interest of the readers and such notable others".........
The nominal sum of Rs. 5 per month that is collected from each reader of "Balaknama" is optimally utilised towards improving the standards of the publication as well as educating and lettering unlettered children in an expeditious and time friendly manner.......
Surely, there's a lesson in it all somewhere for us so called superior folks who go tch tch at the sight of such children, cast a few coins in their direction if we feel like it and then conveniently move on with the smugness that has become a second nature to us whenever we feel that we have done our bit for their supposed betterment......
Jyoti is one such child who lives under a bridge strategically constructed near a bustling bus stop, she is a rag picker by day and a roving or then should I say intrepid reporter by night, her life has taken a turn for the better ever since her photograph was splashed prominently across the front pages of the very same newspaper and she feels like a Barkha Dutt now in her very own words........
All the contents of the paper are decided by this dedicated and committed bunch of street children, they decide upon the editorial, other contents as well as featured articles by trial, error and consensus; and the articles focus exclusively on issues of mutual interest such as child marriages, eradication of child labour, exploitation of hapless children by unscrupulous elements and so on and so forth.........
The paper set itself off the ground with 12 odd children comprising it's editorial team and 35 odd children subscribing to the same a little over a decade ago, it today boasts of an editorial team of close to 70 odd members and boasts of a readership of more than 10,000 dedicated and committed readers..........
Being unable to read and write does not constitute or prove to be a stumbling block in this case as the senior and lettered children interview such unlettered children and pen down their stories and experiences with utmost care and due diligence........
As one of the adventurous souls who comprise the editorial team goes on to say "we record and serialise our fellow beings experiences for posterity and then narrate and dissect the same in an easy to understand and reader friendly manner guaranteed to hold the interest of the readers and such notable others".........
The nominal sum of Rs. 5 per month that is collected from each reader of "Balaknama" is optimally utilised towards improving the standards of the publication as well as educating and lettering unlettered children in an expeditious and time friendly manner.......
Surely, there's a lesson in it all somewhere for us so called superior folks who go tch tch at the sight of such children, cast a few coins in their direction if we feel like it and then conveniently move on with the smugness that has become a second nature to us whenever we feel that we have done our bit for their supposed betterment......
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