"Balaknama"- A unique newspaper through which street kids tell their stories.
Its reporters, editors, and contributors are from what many consider the lowermost rung of the Indian populace: slum kids. But they are re-defining their role in society and providing a mouthpiece for themselves and their often-overlooked peers.
One reporter, Shambhu, works at a hotel during the night, washes cars during the day, and still finds time to write stories. Another contributor, 14-year-old Jyothi, used to collect trash from the street for salvage money. Now she is a district leader for the newspaper. Chief Editor Chandni (age 16) is in charge of compiling reports from across four states and deciding what stories are featured in the quarterly newspaper. The N.G.O. Chetna helps cover the expenses of producing Balaknama’s. The child reporters are not paid, but do receive a stipend for travel to cover a story. Chetna also provides education and training for these novice journalists.
Even though only half of Delhi’s slum population is literate, Balaknama enjoys great popularity and success -- its readership is in the tens of thousands. Some reports focus on good deeds that street kids have done, while other stories are more hard-hitting. Topics tackled in the past include child marriage, police brutality, and abuse. The stories often reflect the tough lives that Balaknama’s contributors live.
This video by Vocativ is an eye-opener!
Original YouTube Link : https://www.youtube.com/
It’s a pity to watch little kids and teenagers begging on the streets and slogging in the sun to make their both ends meet. We should feel really lucky and blessed to be able to enjoy all the comforts of life without having to struggle as much. What will surprise you is that these street kids have a wonderful way of expressing themselves in the form of stories/articles. It is indeed difficult to fathom the fact that world’s famous Hindi newspaper “Balaknama” or “Children’s Voice”, comprises of articles written and compiled by kids living in New Delhi’s slums.
Its reporters, editors, and contributors are from what many consider the lowermost rung of the Indian populace: slum kids. But they are re-defining their role in society and providing a mouthpiece for themselves and their often-overlooked peers.
One reporter, Shambhu, works at a hotel during the night, washes cars during the day, and still finds time to write stories. Another contributor, 14-year-old Jyothi, used to collect trash from the street for salvage money. Now she is a district leader for the newspaper. Chief Editor Chandni (age 16) is in charge of compiling reports from across four states and deciding what stories are featured in the quarterly newspaper. The N.G.O. Chetna helps cover the expenses of producing Balaknama’s. The child reporters are not paid, but do receive a stipend for travel to cover a story. Chetna also provides education and training for these novice journalists.
Even though only half of Delhi’s slum population is literate, Balaknama enjoys great popularity and success -- its readership is in the tens of thousands. Some reports focus on good deeds that street kids have done, while other stories are more hard-hitting. Topics tackled in the past include child marriage, police brutality, and abuse. The stories often reflect the tough lives that Balaknama’s contributors live.
This video by Vocativ is an eye-opener!
Original YouTube Link : https://www.youtube.com/
It’s a pity to watch little kids and teenagers begging on the streets and slogging in the sun to make their both ends meet. We should feel really lucky and blessed to be able to enjoy all the comforts of life without having to struggle as much. What will surprise you is that these street kids have a wonderful way of expressing themselves in the form of stories/articles. It is indeed difficult to fathom the fact that world’s famous Hindi newspaper “Balaknama” or “Children’s Voice”, comprises of articles written and compiled by kids living in New Delhi’s slums.
Balaknama is a quarterly publication with a readership base of more than tens thousand. It is regarded as one of the most remarkable publications in the world, and is backed by a non-profit organization Chetna.
Chetna takes care of the paper’s production costs and sells the print at a nominal price of Re.1. The proceeds from the sales goes into improving the living conditions of the slum kids.
Balaknama initially started with just 35 child contributors but gradually children from many parts of the country like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh started contributing to the stories. The paper consists of stories that reveal and highlight the actual problems faced by the Indian street children.
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