Kavita Devi (journalist)

Kavita Devi, alternatively Kavita Bundelkhandi,[1][2] is an Indian journalist and news presenter.[3] She is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the grassroots feminist news network Khabar Lahariya.[2][4] Devi was notably the first Dalit ("untouchable") to become a member of the Editor's Guild of India.[3]

For the Indian wrestler, see Kavita Devi (wrestler). For the Indian kabaddi player, see Kavita Devi (kabaddi).

Kavita Bundelkhandi
Born
Kavita Devi

Kunjan Purwa, Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh, India
OccupationEditor-in-Chief and News Anchor at Khabar Lahariya
AwardsChameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Mediapersons (collective)

Biography

Kavita Devi was born in the remote village of Kunjan Purwa,[5] near Banda, Uttar Pradesh, to a family of Dalit farmers.[2][6] The eldest among six children,[5] she was married off at the age of 12 and received no formal education.[7] In her testimony, Devi states that a non-government organisation (NGO) had opened a center in her village where she studied extensively for six months,[5] and after substantial resistance from other villagers including her family.[8] She is noted to have been the first woman from her village to have received an education as a result.[9] In later years, she has gone on to complete her graduation and earned a Master of Arts in journalism.[6]

Devi states that she started working with a small newsletter Mahila Dakiya, which was run by the center in her village and marked the beginning of her journalistic career.[3][6] Eventually in 2002,[9] she co-founded Khabar Lahariya along with seven other women, with the support an NGO called Nirantar,[10] and funding from the Dorabji Tata Trust, the National Foundation of India and the Dalit Foundation.[11][12] In 2004, the journalists at the paper collectively became the recipient of the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Mediapersons.[10] By 2014, the paper had six editions and journalist staff of around 40 women.[13] It was described by Business Standard, as having become the backbone of the people in the impoverished rural regions of Bundelkhand and Awadh, in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.[14]

Over time, Devi has served in a number of positions in the organisation such as the editor of the Banda edition,[15] the head of digital operations,[16] and initially as a solo field journalist.[7] She also runs a weekly news commentary show called The Kavita Show on the network and has been the editor-in-chief since 2019.[6][17] In the same year, she appeared as a speaker at a TED conference which resulted in widespread attention on her story,[18] and was described by the host and actor Shah Rukh Khan as an inspiration.[19]

References
  1. Bhandare, Namita (16 October 2020). "A model for rooted, inclusive journalism". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. Pande, Pooja (2020). Momspeak: The Funny, Bittersweet Story of Motherhood in India. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-349778-3.
  3. Murti, Aditi (31 October 2020). "Tell Me More: Talking Media Ethics and Representation With Kavita Devi". The Swaddle. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  4. "Kavita Devi on the jobs that will define India's future". Quartz India. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  5. Dhamini, Ratnam (9 November 2019). "'People wouldn't think of me as a journalist': Kavita Devi, editor-in-chief, Khabar Lahariya". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  6. Hazra, Nivedita (10 November 2019). "In Conversation With Kavita Devi: The Editor-In-Chief Of Khabar Lahariya". FII English. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. Kotamraju, Priyanka (27 June 2017). "A reporter's notebook". Business Line. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  8. "Khabar Lahariya, A Women Rural Newspaper in Uttar Pradesh, India". Ritimo. 1 September 2011.
  9. Gupta, Neha (23 September 2019). "Women in News panel discusses impact of 'Me Too' in Indian newsrooms". WAN-IFRA. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  10. Katakam, Anupam (25 April 2008). "Making news". Frontline. The Hindu. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  11. Gahilote, Prarthana (2 April 2004). "Khabar Lahariya: When six women started a wave". The Hoot. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  12. Chakraborty, Sanghamitra (1 November 2004). "Mother India". Outlook India. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  13. Ratnam, Dhamini (9 November 2019). "Small-town newsrooms fail to provide equal space to women". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  14. "Khabar Lahariya: Making rural media a force for change (Media Feature)". Business Standard India. Indo-Asian News Service. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  15. Pande, Manisha (10 November 2012). "Writing from the roots". Business Standard. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  16. "The First Woman With Her Own Talk Show in Bundelkhand Shares What Freedom Means to Women". The Better India. 15 August 2017.
  17. "A video featuring a 'witch' goes viral with seeming complicity from the police and press in UP's Banda". Firstpost. 14 August 2018.
  18. "कविता गुनगुना रहीं बुंदेलखंडी हक की 'लहरिया'". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). 6 November 2019.
  19. ""Kavita Devi is an inspiration for all of us" says Shah Rukh Khan on TED Talks India Nayi Baat". Telly Chakkar. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.