In this column we will be featuring the writings by award winning women journalists in India found in the collection of the book ‘Making News Breaking News Her Way. It is a publication by Tranquebar Press in association with Media Foundation, New Delhi which instituted the annual Chameli Devi Jain Award for an Outstanding Women Mediaperson in 1980.
Annam Suresh
Rewards and heartbreak of freelancing
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] had been teaching human rights reporting for a few weeks at a media school when a group of students visited me. I have all my awards and prizes -right from my school days lined up in the hall at home. Once the introductions were over, one of the boys, an aspiring investigative journalist, decided to start his career graph by ‘exposing’ me. ‘Ma’am, Principal-sir mentioned that you have won the Chameli Devi Jain Award. How come I don’t see that trophy or certificate in your gallery?’
‘Actually, I wasn’t given a trophy or certificate,’ I replied. ‘Oh, then was it just a cash prize? How much?’ he asked.
‘Not cash either. I was given the books you see on the top rack,’ I said.
The boy flipped through them. The books had a simple legend pasted on them naming the Chameli OeviJain Award.
‘Ma’am, sorry to sound so sceptical,’ he said when he was done, ‘but the dictionaries and books could have been bought from any bookstore. They do not even carry any logo or signature and certainly don’t carry the weight of an engraved trophy!’
The books were my trophy and had actually weighed a ton. I recalled I had needed help carrying them down from the dais.
The boys were disappointed, but the award has meant a great deal to me.
For me, journalism has been more than a profession. I apprenticed under a senior correspondent in Chennai while still in college. I was paid nothing since I was not really an employee. The reporter just passed me assignments he did not feel like doing -particularly those in rural or slum areas. The arrangement suited me fine: he got his assignments done and I got an enviable internship, a grounding in the kind of meaningful journalism that I wanted to do. Which is why, after stints in several publications, I opted to freelance in order to ensure the time and freedom to address the issues I considered important, in the way I felt would be honest and effective, without undue pressures or distortion or slant. When major Calcutta newspapers ran front-page anchor stories describing in detail the trousseau that Tahiliani was readying for]emima’s forthcoming wedding to cricketer Irnran Khan, something as tragic as the large-scale molestation of blind students in one of the oldest schools for the blind, was either ignored or relegated to a pathetic two paragraphs hidden away somewhere inside. I did in-depth reports, resulting in the guilty being suspended or dismissed.
For a freelancer, the going can often get difficult without the support system that an established publication offers, such as, easy access to a data bank, library clippings, auxiliary services like a photographer (before the digital era) or even something as basic as transport or financial resources to reach distant and difficult areas, both geographical and social. However, having decided to freelance, I ruled out half- measures and started off, armed with a camera, after a short course in photography. This modus operandi equipped me to work in red-light areas where it often takes months of effort to win the confidence and cooperation of inmates who do not welcome an additional professional visitor. I am talking of sixteen years ago, before digital cameras, mobile phones or email arrived on the scene. Most journalists had not even moved to computers from the typewriter.
In the circumstances, the Chameli Devi Jain Award and the two Statesman Rural Reporting awards gave me the much- needed impetus and motivation, while the National
Foundation of India’s media fellowship provided me with the monetary resources to work in red-light areas across the country. I now enjoyed the professional standing of a journalist, although my calling card did not carry the name of any publication. The Chameli Devi Jain Award ensured that not only women’s spaces, but also their energies in universal areas exhibited insights and perspectives distinctly different from run-of-the-mill standpoints.
I recall two women nominees confess that if the award had not been restricted to women, their bosses would not even have considered their stories for entry even though these were among the best their papers had carried. Freud may have a theory about this. Every one of my awards is of immense value to me since I have won them as a freelancer.
There is a tendency to think of freelance journalism as frivolous, light-hearted or less committed than blue-collar journalism. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. A quick run through the list of Chameli Devi freelance awardees, and their stories will bear me out. Add to this the awardees who have subsequently broken free but continue to write.
Many award-sponsors do not realise that freelance and full- time are not mutually exclusive terms. A majority of freelancers actually slog more than full-time. Yet many opportunities explicitly exclude them, which is why an award is like pure oxygen to a smothered freelancer’s lungs. The Chameli Devi Jain Award came early on in my freelance career. It opened doors. Unexpected callers and opportunities came knocking.
As a journalist, I have focused on questions normally swept under the carpet, in order to sensitise people to addressing issues proactively. The matters I highlighted required greater visibility -either because they could be used as stepping stones (for instance the sex workers’ cooperative), or because they needed to be not merely condemned but corrected. Many stories elicited positive results, such as the removal of children from prisons, action against those accused of molesting blind students, offers from individuals and organisations to support children of sex-workers and sponsorship of adventure trips for the handicapped.
Such outcomes are immensely satisfying. However, the recognition and pride that comes with an award is the icing on the cake. The Chameli DeviJain Award was my cherry on the top.
Annam Suresh is an independent journalist specialising in development and human-interest issues. She contributes to several leading publications. She has received The Statesman” Award for Rural Reporting twice, the Brief Media Award, and the Commonwealth Media Award. She also received a J, Sir Ratan Tata Trust partnered fellowship and a Media Fellowship from the National Foundation of India. Apart from her journalistic commitments, she is a training, editorial and media strategy consultant. Annam Suresh won the, Chameli DeviJain Award in 1996. She shared the award, with Rehana Hakim.
