More often than not, professions become cliques riddled with stereotypes. This quiet, unassuming Dalit woman fits none of the journalist stereotypes. Married at 12, equipped with no real education, and removed from oppportunities, 27-year old Suneeta could not have imagined that she might, someday, write stories that inspire change. Today, she is one of 40 rural women reporters who run Khabar Lahariya , an eight-page weekly newspaper sold in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Their funda is simple. They’re bringing the world of media to rural villages while ushering in real, tangible change. Since 2002, this revolution, of sorts, has grown to 80,000 readers, 6,000 copies and 600 villages. And the women who instigated it have a single-minded agenda. Empowerment. For everyone.
And we’re definitely onboard.