Charkha, Delhi : Newsletter for November – December 2006
Greetings from Charkha!
The festive season, with the anticipation of good things to come in the New Year, is always a time for cheer. At Charkha, we have many more reasons to celebrate. The long-awaited Humanitarian Awards for Writing and the Fellowships for Women Journalists in Areas of Conflict in Jammu and Kashmir have finally been announced. The Awardees and Fellows traveled to Delhi to attend an austere function held at Gandhi Smriti on December 7 and shared their experiences of writing on development issues before an eminent audience that comprised friends and supporters of Charkha. The Fellows also spoke of their research proposals which will facilitate the writing of several articles during the Fellowship period of the next six months.
These and other writings from the state will hopefully provide a better understanding of peoples issues in all three regions of the state: Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The Features section in this edition of the newsletter comprises entirely of select writings of these awardees. A write up and photo feature on the award function are also available on this site.
The programmatic approach to our activities is gaining in strength and synergy. The Trilingual Feature Services are moving towards greater integration through the programme of Development in Areas of Conflict (DAC) and the Distant Areas Programme (DAP). Extending these to newer areas of operation will provide a broader understanding of common concerns across regionally and culturally diverse communities.
Writings generated from these diverse communities are also expected to increase the coverage of the Feature Services. Charkha is in the process of developing a network of Special Development Correspondents from across states to widen the base of writings on a regular basis and facilitate active exchange of ideas for more effective highlighting of unheard voices.
This issue also features the Urdu newsletter for the first time. As the Urdu Feature Service gradually extends its reach to newer publications and greater number of writers in this beautiful but little-known language, our pride in it being the only Urdu Feature Service in the country providing writings on development issues is only strengthened further.
The year ahead holds tremendous promise and the fervent hope that our work will bring that elusive smile on the faces of those little known people in remote parts of the country. From all of us at Charkha, we wish you a happy and equally exciting year ahead!
Anshu Meshack
Email – charkha@bol.net.in