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Making News, Breaking\nNews, Her Own Way
Making News, Breaking News, Her Own Way is about the lives and work of some of the most outstanding women journalists of our time who redefined and gave a whole new meaning to what constitutes news, in terms of values and themes. The groundbreaking work done by these journalists won them the prestigious Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Media person, and like Chameli Devi Jain, a simple housewife who joined the freedom struggle in Delhi, they too exemplify values of independence, courage and dedication. From across the north, south, east and west of India, in different languages, these intrepid women have exposed corruption, child labour and caste massacres, uncovered financial scams, fought against atrocities committed against women, championed human rights and celebrated when their stories have been catalysts for change. In today’s age of tweets and instant information, the early women journalists filed their reports, if lucky typed on an Olivetti typewriter, but most times from a post office, used as a conduit to get reports to the desk. They have come a long way, from the time the profession was a stronghold of men, when they were relegated to covering flower shows and beauty pageants, to the present day, when no area is forbidden territory, be it the Kargil war, terrorist attacks in Kashmir, insurgency in the North-east, art, environmental concerns, consumer rights, and everything else in between. The stories range from the days of Prabha Dutt and Usha Rai, torchbearers for a whole generation of women journalists, to those like Tavleen Singh, Barkha Dutt and Madhu Kishwar, who are in the forefront of the media today. This book also pays tribute to India’s first photographer Homai Vyarawalla, who captured a whole era of great historical change with her lens.