PVCHR-RCT workshop on capacity building of writing-skill

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REPORT ON

WORKSHOP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS FROM VARANASI, MIRZAPUR & SONEBHADRA

DISTRICTS OF UTTAR PRADESH & JHARKHAND

On October, 27, 28, 29, 30 & 31, 2009at Kamesh Hut, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Theme:CAPACITY BUILDING IN WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

Organised By:

People’s Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR) SA 4/2A, Daulatpur, Varanasi- 221002, Uttar PradeshPhone: + 91-542-2586688, +91-9935599333E-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.pvchr.org

In collaboration with

Copenhagen, Denmark

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.pvchr.org/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.pvchr.org/



WORKSHOP ON CAPACITY BUILDING IN WRITING & PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

RESOURCE PERSONS:1. Tarun Bose

Journalist & Trainer,

C-2/92A, Keshavpuram, Delhi-110035

2. Sam LitinInternLeap nowUSA

ORGANISERS:3. Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

PVCHRSA 4/2 A Daulatpur, Varanasi -221002

4. Shirin Shabana KhanNear Old Police StationKachhawa Bazar, Mirzapur

PARTICIPANTS:5. Upendra Kumar

Jali Company (Ashmashan Road), Chiragora,Hirapur, Dhanbad, Jharkhand-826001

6. Anupam Nagvanshi

D 33/59 Khalispur,Dasaswamedh, Varanasi – 221001

7. Satyaprakash Dev PandeyNear Mini StadiumAmbedkar NagarRobertsganj, Sonebhadra -231216

8. Jai Kumar MishraVillage: Gosaipur, Post – BhaithauliVaranasi

9. Rajeev Singh13 –B Kasturba NagarSigra, Varanasi

10. Jagriti RahiVisionSarva Sewa Sangh, Rajghat, Varanasi



11. Pawan UpadhayaVillage: Ajao, Post: ChaubeypurVaranasi

12. Anup Kumar Srivastava

68 E, Tilak Nagar, Allahpur, Allahabad

13. Anand KumarVillage & Post: Sarai Mohana,Sarnath, Varanasi– 221007

14. Praveen Kumar Janmadhyam,H/O Ambrose Baxla,At-DooAmba,Khora Toli, Kokar Ranchi

SPECIAL INVITEES15. Siddique Hasan

Convenor, Bunkar Dastkar Adhikar ManchVaranasi

16. Shruti NagvanshiManaging Trustee, Jan Mitra NyasSA 4/2 A Daulatpur, Varanasi -221002

17. Lal Bahadur

Trustee, Jan Mitra NyasSA 4/2 A Daulatpur, Varanasi -221002

18. Ajay RaiDeputy Editor, Amar Ujala, Varanasi



Background

People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) was started in 1996 asa membership based human rights movement in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, whichis one of the most traditional, conservative and segregated regions in India.

PVCHR works to ensure basic rights for marginalised and vulnerable section inthe society, especially children, women, dalits and adivasis. It aspires to instilhuman rights culture based on democratic principles among the broader sectionof the masses. PVCHR upholds the ideological principles of father of dalitmovement, Dr. BR Ambedkar, who struggled against Brahmanical castehierarchical system, which still exist even after 62 years of IndianIndependence.

PVCHR is working on the grassroots level in 45 villages in Uttar Pradesh. Whileworking in close collaboration with human rights activists, PVCHR documentscases of human rights violations in the rural areas, such as cases of

malnutrition and starvation, police torture or unavailable medical treatment,especially during custodial torture. It also provides legal assistance. Forraising public awareness, PVCHR lobbies with the media as well as nationaland international human rights organisations and urges local authorities toact for preventing further human rights abuses.

PVCHR has been fighting police torture and creating public awareness for‘Prevention of Torture in India' and it had developed the testimonial model forsurvivors of torture and organised violence with support of Danish organizationRehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims(RCT)

Human rights activists drawn from various places of Varanasi, Mirzapur andSonebhadra districts of Uttar Pradesh as well as Jharkhand were imparted withthe basic skills of journalism and photography in a 5-day workshop conductedfrom 27th to 31st October 2009.

Based on the manual developed by Tarun Kanti Bose, the Resource person wasused to teach reporting and interviewing techniques, on-the site coverage,format and layout designing of wall newspapers and newsletter. Sam Litin, anAmerican photographer taught the participants with the basic skills ofphotography. Trainees took appropriate photos required for the stories.

Capitalising on the skills garnered during the workshop, the trainees as humanrights defenders would use the techniques of writing and photography forgiving voice to the survivors of torture and organised violence. Wall newspapersas an independent media vehicle, without being dependent on the marketforces, would strengthen the campaign against torture and organised violence.



WORKSHOP ON CAPACITY BUILDING OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS FROMFROM VARANASI, MIRZAPUR & SONEBHADRA DISTRICTS OF UTTAR PRADESH &JHARKHAND

WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLSKamesh Hut, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 27th to 31st October 2009

PROCEEDINGS

While conducting workshops such as this one, in a classroom style theparticipants’ interest was kept intact. Seeing the intensive nature of thetraining participants was restricted to twelve, which helped in quantifying thelevel of success and the workshop achieved in imparting and bolstering theskills of the participants. The trainer, who harnessed the skill of the trainees in writing skills, hasmanaged to accumulate and cull over the years led him to design and formatthis workshop in a way he felt would benefit the PVCHR in an optimal manner.Thus the workshop was residential to accrue maximum benefit of the teachingtechniques.

The workshop was held over five consecutive days, each day comprising twointensive and highly interactive sessions. Not only were writing andphotography skills imparted to the participants, but discussions on many core-issues and problems also took place. This was followed by the participantsputting out designs and formulated content for wall newspapers ably assistedby the resource persons who had assembled at the venue to guide them

through the process of skill acquisition and the deployment of skills bylaunching the wall newspapers for wider dissemination through pre-testing. We give you here a graphical and succinct account of the workshop sessions inthe narrative format, along with the impressions, observations andrecommendations that emerged out of this entire exercise.

27.10.2009, First Session:The workshop began with Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, Convenor, People’s VigilanceCommittee on Human Rights (PVCHR) introducing Tarun Kanti Bose, theResource person. Then, the participants introduced themselves, formally and it

was done know each other informally. All this was accomplished in a mood ofopen bonhomie and good humour. This served as a tool that gets theparticipants into a perceptive mood. This state of mind, we feel, alsoencourages the transmission and reception of new concepts, ideas and skillsnot only from the resource person but also from one another.

Then, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi said a few words on the importance of suchinitiatives and how effective such skills as those imparted by Resource person



would provide the human rights defenders with an effective medium ofcommunication for bringing fore the voices of survivors of torture andorganised violence.

After the introductions were over, Tarun Kanti Bose launched the activities of

the session by explaining the five-day schedule to the participants.

Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi beginning the workshop

Then, the Resource person started with orientation of participants with thetechniques of reporting. Beginning with the essentials, he told the trainees to

remember 5 Ws and 1 H5 Ws are Who: This is whom the action is about. Who is talking

What: What happened. It usually includes a verb. When: Simply the day of the week, usually. Like where, it is a reference

point for the reader. Sometimes more specific time is important to include. Where: Leaving out where an event occurred confuses readers to no end. In

covering news, you may be expected to include an address. Often it helpsto include a landmark as well.

Why: Hard to answer sometimes. It usually involves some discussion in thesecond or third paragraph of why the event seems to have occurred or why

it is significant.1 H is How: And sometimes how, which usually takes care of the story’s

middle.

He asked the participants that whenever they go for reporting or interviewingthey should write the 5Ws and 1 H in their notebook with lots of blank space



between 5 Ws and 1 H. Before finishing an interview or reporting, go down thatlist and make sure the blanks are filled.

Post to this, the Resource person then led the participants to the tips ofreporting. The tips are as follows:

•Taking Notes: While reporting whatever information you gather do writedown in your note book. Don’t let the jargon get into your notebook.Avoid words, expressions and phrases that are known only to people withspecific knowledge or interests. You have to keep in mind that most ofyour readers are either unlettered or semi-literate. You have to usesimple words and expressions so that you are able to build up a rapportwith the readers.

• Keep the colours in: Keep the colourful details that would give life tothe story. It’s not only what people say that’s important, but also howthey say it. Consider this: Asked how he would handle council memberswho disagreed with him, Chairman Sunder Mohan looked his questioner

straight in the eye, grinned and formed his right hand in the shape of agun, letting his thumb drop like a hammer. He didn’t say a word.• Do not forget people: Remember that people like to read more about

people and their issues than about things. Such as, “Critics of thegovernment housing project say it would pollute the river water andundermine the livelihood of the residents” has less impact than “criticsof the government housing project it would kill the fish in the river andput fishermen out of work.”

• Report both (all) sides: Every story has more than one side to it. In theinterest of balance and fairness, talk to all parties concerned and reporttheir views.

•Identify the issues: Prior to the reporting a meeting needs to beorganised so that you know what you have to do. In this meeting all theactivists should be called so that they deliberate on all the issues of thearea, where you had planned to go for reporting. It would also help youto know the issues, necessities and aspirations of the area so that youtake a concrete step towards resolving the problem. Even throughregular meetings helps in acquainting you about the progress.

• Prioritising the issues: Prior to the reporting, in the meeting you couldchoose the most important issue out of the compiled issues. It meansthat the issue needs to be prioritised in tune to the ground realities ofthe area. It should like that in the area, there is outbreak of malaria or

other disease taking an epidemic proportion due to filth and dirt but youtake up some other issue. Always you have to remember that you haveprioritised the issue and choose the most important one. It helps ingiving pace to your work.

• Prepare your questionnaire: Before going for the reporting, prepareyour questionnaire on the issue, which you want to raise in your story.Your prepared questionnaire, prior to the reporting helps you tounderstand the issue compared to others.



During the reporting, following things needs to be remembered:You have to keep in mind that your work is to dig out the true facts andinform people about it so while during reporting following things needs tobe remembered:• Readers are not interested to know your personal views so while

reporting do not impose your views on the readers• Use simple language, which people understand and report in such a

manner, which enhances their interest.• Do not use words, expressions and phrases which are not known to the

people. Use the words, expressions and phrases in a very interesting wayso that readers enjoy while reading your story.

• You should have full grasp of the topic on which want to develop yourstory.

• Do not make any baseless allegations. Do corroborate it with facts.• Use correct figures.• Do not gather wrong information if there is paucity of time.

Cross check the information gathered for ironing out the mistakes: Itsresponsibility of every reporter that whatever information they give it shouldbe balanced and fair. It should be free from bias and mistakes so that thereaders get correct and accurate information. It’s possible that for the readerssome of the information might be quite new so in this situation, if anyinaccurate or wrong information is given to them, then they would think it tobe true. If it is cross checked within the team then the mistakes or inaccuraciescould be ironed out.

Sam Litin of USA introducing photography to the participants

Sam Litin, an Intern associated with Lean Now of USA, present during sessionintroduced photography to the participants. He said photography is one of themost commonly used and effective methods of visual documentation andcommunication. He was happy to note that the digital cameras given to all the



participants would help in bring fore the realities confronting the lives of thepeople among which they are working.

It should record the fact, which touches us and jolts our sensibilities.Photography is the art of recording images, which we find attractive, amusing,

or thought provoking. And, unlike many other mediums, it provides us with a"true-to-life" image, which is not too much different than to what our own eyeswould see. Photography can only record that our eyes saw.

He explained that while taking the photos there should be more to framing aphoto than just making sure everything is inside the frame. If you want to takea photo, you should also consider how the objects in your photo, called thesubjects, are placed.

Then, he asked the participants to take photos and then he promised to comethe next day and show the participants the photos taken by him during his visit

to India and other countries.

Participants were busy in taking photos in and around the room. Some of themwent outside the room and took photos. Showed it to Sam Litin, whoappreciated it and asked them to continue it with much of effort andenthusiasm.

The session came to end and broke for lunch.

27.10.2009, Second Session:The second session began immediately after a lunch. Then, Tarun Kanti Boseasked the participants to gather at the training hall.

After that, the Resource person wrote on the board and explained to theparticipants the ten tips for better interview to the participants. The tipsexplained are as follows:

1. Be prepared: Always read up on the subject you are reporting about andthe person you are interviewing. Your source will appreciate your effort,and you will be able to skip questions that can be a subordinate, book ordocument. When scheduling the appointment, ask your source to suggestdocuments or other sources of information about the topic you willdiscuss. The interviewee will appreciate your interest and often sharevaluable documents before the interview. Make sure that your tape

recorder has batteries that work. Bring an extra tape as well as pens andnotebooks.

2. Set the rules of the interview right up front! Be sure your subjectunderstands the story you are working (this will keep the interview ontrack). Additionally, the interviewee must understand that everythingthey say is “on the record”. It is best to establish these ground ruleswhen making the interview appointment. Remember that upfront



clarification may be required (especially when your source or life couldbe endangered by being quoted).

3. Be on time: The worst impression you can make on a source is being latefor the interview.

4. Be observant: Observe details of the place and of your interviewing

partner: this can add colour to your story. You may start an interviewwith assumptions about a person and leave with a completely differentimpression. However, this may be exactly what your sources intended.Perception is a tricky business! Try to talk to others, colleagues orfriends of your source, to get a bigger picture.

Resource person explaining the tips of interviewing

5. Be polite, Do not rush your source: It is important to establish a politerapport and a level of comfort for the interviewee. Some interviewees,on the other hand need a couple of minutes to become comfortabletalking to reporters. Even though you may only have 30 minutes for aninterview, you should not rush your subject. If you sense the intervieweeis in hurry, adjust your timing accordingly. Keep in mind everyone isdifferent. Taking the time to get to know your sources will provevaluable, especially when you need to call with follow-up questions oruse them as a source for future stories. If the interview goes well, it may

even go beyond the scheduled time. Give yourself plenty of timebetween appointments to avoid scheduling conflicts.

6. Listen but don’t be afraid to interrupt when you don’t understand:Keep your readers in mind. One reason you are conducting this interviewis to explain it to your readers. If your subject uses scientific jargon orexplanations only his/her peers would understand, politely interruptand ask for further explanation. Never be embarrassed about notknowing something.



7. Silence is golden: Sooner or later you will have to ask the toughquestions that your subject may be reluctant to discuss. When you startasking those provocative questions, the answers most likely will beshort, useless or carefully worded. You may get an answer at all. If thisoccurs, look your source in the eye and don’t say a word. In most cases,

your opponent will begin to feel uncomfortable and begin to shareinformation again. If this doesn’t work, ask for sources who mightanswer your question.

8. Maintain eye contact: A reporter who spends most of the interview bentover taking notes or looking into a notebook can be as disconcerting as atape recorder in an interviewee’s face. While taking notes and recordingthe interview, maintain as much eye contact as possible. Learn to takeabbreviated notes looking down only once in a while so you can focuson your interviewee. This will make the interview like a conversation,and enable everyone to be more relaxed.

9. Before you leave ….ask your source if there is anything that you might

have forgotten to ask. Perhaps the interviewee is burning to tell youuseful information but you did not even think to ask that question.Don’t leave without getting a contact number or e-mail address and agood time to call up with follow-up questions. Always ask for othersources. Colleagues or friends of the interviewee may be moreknowledgeable or willing and able to speak to you. Thank your source forspending time talking with you before you leave.

10.Review your notes right after the interview: Don’t wait until the endof the day or later in the week to review your notes. Go over them rightaway, while everything is fresh in your mind, filling in your short notesand elaborating on your observations. Review and organised your notes.

Then, the participants were asked to write a story within 600 words for testingtheir aptitude in writing. Participants gathered after an hour and everyonesubmitted their assignments to the Resource person. After that, participantswere divided into three groups and following places were selected for the on-the-site overage:

• Nakhi Ghat• Dhakarbasti• Bajardiha weavers colony

The first group was asked to develop their questionnaire and cover the

functioning of anganwadi, basic facilities such as Public Distribution System,distribution of mid day meals in Government schools, Auxiliary Nursing Mother(ANM) in Nakhi Ghat, a slum colony and even to interview the local corporatorpertaining to his role in the colony. The group comprised of Anupam Nagvanshi,Dr. Rajeev Singh, Anand Kumar and Upendra.

The second group was asked to develop their questionnaire to cover evictiondrive, police repression and the problem facing the Dharkar families living at



road side for the last four generation. Dharkar families earned their livelihoodby making basket and other article with bamboo. On 29th January 2009 atmidnight hours, over 50 policemen armed to the teeth unleashed a reign ofterror over the impoverished slum dwellers with a purpose of eviction atHukulganj. Even they didn’t spare the sleeping children or elderly people.

Police brutally assaulted women, when they failed in their attempt to molestthem. The group comprised of Satyaprakash, Anup Kumar, Jai Kumar Mishra,Pawan Kumar and Praveen Kumar. The third group comprising of Lenin, Shabana, Jagriti accompanied by SiddiqueHasan was asked to interview the victims of police firing at Bajardiha weavers’colony in March 2005. On 11th March 2005, Holi revellers tried to engineercommunal riot in Bajardiha. These miscreants threw colours on the mosque;write filthy invectives on its wall targeting the minority community. Withouttaking any action against the miscreants, police fired indiscriminately on theweavers and killed two youths and incapacitated eight people. The group was

asked to develop their questionnaire and interview the family members of theyouths killed in police firing and those injured by the police bullet.

This done, Tarun Kanti Bose asked the participants to come with thequestionnaire on the issues selected them for reporting and interviewing. Withthis, the day’s session came to an end.

28.10.2009, Third Session:The second day began with Jagriti Rahi summing up the first day’s progress.This done, the participants showed their questionnaires to the Resourceperson. Then, he suggested to some of the participants to show it to Lenin and

Praveen Kumar. All of them suggested some changes, which participantsfollowed diligently.

Tarun Kanti Bose helping participants to develop their questionnaire



After this, three groups comprising of three to five participants each and thesegroups were asked to go to the colonies to gather information and interviewpeople on the issues selected by them.

28.10.2009, Fourth Session:

After gathering information the participants came back and assembled ataround 7.30 pm at the workshop venue. Then, Tarun Bose asked theparticipants to write down their stories during the night by incorporate all theinformation they had gathered during the interviews and interaction with thepeople.

After this, Tarun Kanti Bose gave tips on effective writing style to theparticipants. He also told if they adopted it then it would help in developinggood stories for newsletter and wall newspapers. The tips are as follows:

1. Emphasise the most important item in the ‘intro’ or ‘lead’ in the firstparagraph.

2. Proceed from the most interesting to the least interesting.3. Don’t clutter your lead or intro with too many details.4. Write one idea in one paragraph5. Give your source or authority when necessary.6. Identify all persons. Write their full names the first time they are

mentioned. Sometimes, a surname/title is not always sufficient.Explain what the person does.

7. Explain all technical terms, and avoid using too many in a story.8. Use quotes sparingly. Ensure they always add something to your story.9. Avoid clichés and sloganeering:• Use concrete, specific words and phrases, rather than general, abstract

ones.• Use the active rather than the passive voice.• Strive for coherence by using connecting words, phrases, clauses and-

sometimes– sentences or paragraphs.

Resource person giving tips on effective writing style



Then, he introduced the participants to ‘inverted pyramid’, which meant, thatyou lay out the facts in descending order of importance. It is the standardnarrative, inverted. So while writing a story they should start with importantinformation and end with least important information. The inverted pyramid

form for the story has three key parts:• The lead or intro: The lead or intro is the first paragraph of any story.

The lead or intro tells everything that needs to be known, as well as themost relevant details.

• The middle: This includes paragraphs to support the lead/intro, to adddetails that are significant but not essential. In the middle you probablywill want to give the quotes of village heads, officials and peoplepertaining to the issue.

• The expendable ending: A major reason for writing stories in theinverted pyramid form is so the bottom can be cut without eliminatingsome crucial detail Stories almost always are cut a little – often from the

bottom ---- to fit the space. The expendable end should includebackground information.

This done, the Resource person then cleared doubts the participants andbrought the second day’s session to a close.

29.10.2009, Fifth Session:The third day of the workshop began on a crisp note, as participants assembledfor the fifth session. Then, Anupam Nagvanshi summed up second day’sactivities.

Anupam Nagvanshi recapitulating second day’s activities

Having done, Tarun Kanti Bose had all the assignments collected and then hewent through it and evaluated it.



Then, he explained each and every participant and wrote down intro/lead ofevery story in the white board. He was helped by Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi inchecking the assignments and developing the stories. While writing down theintro/lead of the story, both of them stressed on the following:

• From the mass of information available to you, you are expected to

select the most important and significant details and present it asintro/lead of your story. If you write in an interesting way then it willimmediately grab the reader’s attention and hold it. As you becomemore experienced, you will find that there is more to be discardedthan to be saved in your intro/lead.

• As the inverted pyramid form requires that you deal with the facts indescending order of importance, the best way to establish what isimportant is to summarise it at the outset.

Tarun Kanti Bose writing the ‘intro’ while developing the Shabana’s story



Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi writing the ‘intro’ while developing a participant’s story

This done, it was now proposed that the participants now apply their creativeenergies to rewrite their stories, keeping in mind the intro/lead written in thewhite board. The Resource person then cleared any doubts the participantshad, also told them how to put intro/lead, middle and ending of the story in amore presentable manner.

Then, the session broke for a lunch.

29.10.2009, Sixth Session:Break over, the participants assembled at the workshop venue. In the post-

lunch session, the Resource person continued writing down intro/lead ofparticipants’ stories on the white board. Few among the participants wereasked to write down their stories on the white board. Anand Kumar, Upendraand Jai Kumar wrote down ‘intro/lead’ of their stories at the right earnest.Further, it was polished by the Resource person to enhance its readability formaking it popular among the readers.

Upendra writing the intro of his story on the white board



Anup Kumar trying to develop the intro of his story

When ‘intro/lead’ of all the stories written by the participants was developed,the Resource person asked the participants to rewrite their stories and submit

it next day morning.

Before the session broke for a day, the participant groups were asked to selectthe title of wall newspapers, which would be in its masthead.

30.10.2009, Seventh Session:The fourth day of the workshop began as participants assembled for theseventh session. Then, Anup Kumar Srivastava recapitulated third day’sactivities.

Next in line, reparations were soon underfoot to get ready for a session on

photography. Sam Litin took the centrestage and showed the photos shot byhim. While participants were viewing the photos, he told them, when you takephotos, you have to remember the following: Field : The main subject, which plays an important role in composition Foreground: The area between the camera and the main subject. Background: The area behind the main subject in a photograph

Whatever you shoot, more importance needs to be given to the subject than tothe background. While taking photos, it’s necessary to capture the facialexpressions.

He explained that photos should have the following characteristics:

• Facial expression• Light and shade• Colour• Texture• Depth• Shape



After that, the 3 groups showed the photos shot by them during the on-sitecoverage. Quite appreciative of the photos taken by the participants, Sam Litindiscussed how much more practise needs to be done for taking photossynchronising with the stories. Participants appropriate photos were chosen,which would be pasted in the space left in midst of their stories.

Next in line, participants submitted their stories and then, Tarun Kanti Bose,gave many new insights into the planning and making of wall newspapers. Someexcerpts from his interaction with the participants are given below:

I would say that you have so far done an admirable job in writing and thenrewriting your stories based on the information, which you gathered from thefield. But it now needs to be placed in the wall newspapers to be designed byyou.

My express suggestion to you is to keep the community within which you work,

the main nodal point of the wall newspaper, and I suggest you build everythingelse that goes into your wall newspaper around this main focal point. In thewall newspaper, problems/issues grappled by the local people need to beraised in the language which has more readability and popular too.

The difference between a regular newspaper and a wall newspaper is that anewspaper you do not have much of control over what will ultimately getpublished. You write for it and an editor decides what will finally go into themaking of the paper. In a wall newspaper, you have full control over thecontent, that is, you decide what will go into it, and how it will look like. Youare both the writer as well as the editor. You also have full control over thefrequency, or rather, the periodicity of the wall newspaper. You may choose toput it out daily, weekly, or monthly, and you may even put up specialsupplements whenever you feel there is a need for one. Your wall newspaperstructure and content would be as follows:

• A card sheet, chart paper or tabloid sized paste sheet is mostappropriate for preparing a wall newspaper

• You must also give your wall newspaper an appropriate name, whichshould be prominently written out middle on the top of the sheet in boldletters, so that it stands out and creates a distinct identity for yourwork. Do decide about its logo, periodicity and edition number prior tolaunching of the wall newspaper.

•

The lead story/article in the wall newspaper should be topical,interesting and in tune with the needs of the community.• The stories should be with clear headings and photos.• Five to six stories which updates the readers about the issues, which are

topical and relevant.• One amongst in your group who has the best hand entrust the job of

writing the text to him/her. Calligraphy is important, as it will ensurereadability.



A wall newspaper is also an excellent medium to use as an organiser and youcan use this as a means to mobilise people on the issues that concerns you, anewspaper does not lend itself to this sort of use.

I strongly feel that bringing out a wall newspaper regularly will have farreaching effects on the people, with whom you are working. As it is acommunity effort and it is your very own paper. Secondly, regularly bringing itout will contribute enormously to your own self development, as activemembers of the community who are concerned about it.

It is of paramount importance that you first build a small dedicated team tobring out the wall newspaper. You may expand as you go along, as you will findthat more and more people will eventually get interested in contributing to itas you go along putting it up regularly. Who knows, soon your wall newspapermay get to be big enough to outreach your areas of operation.

Wall newspapers should be pasted at the vantage point, where peopleassemble or it is easily accessible.

Then, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi introduced the participants to Ajay Rai, DeputyEditor, Amar Ujala, a Hindi daily newspaper. He told that stories which youwould write need to be crisp and in short sentences, which makes itinteresting. Regular effort need to be made. Photos should be taken so that itsynchronises with the story. Photos should be intrinsic link with the stories.

With this the session came to end and the lunch was served.

30. 10.2009, Eighth Session:Break over, the participants assembled at the workshop venue. Now participantgroups were asked to start working on their wall newspapers. Groups chose thefollowing titles for their wall newspapers:

• Dastaan-a- Bunkaar

• Dakhin Tola Times

• Awaaz-a- Bazardiha

The first and second wall newspapers carried Hindi stories and the third was bi-lingual, which had stories in English and Hindi.

Upendra involved in dummy exercise of wall newspaper



Anupam assisting Anand Kumar in writing their stories on the wall newspaper

Participants worked till midnight hours for developing their wall newspapers.

It was decided that the wall newspapers would be taken to Dr. Rajendra PrasadGhat, on the banks of Ganges, which is popular for traditional, religious andcultural ceremonies organised by the government and civil societyorganisations for pre-testing. 31.10.2009, Ninth Session

The Ninth session of the workshop began at 10 am on 31st

of October with theparticipants presenting the wall newspapers that they had created as part ofthe assignment. Participants pasted it in the wall of the workshop venue. Then,Upendra summed up the 4th day’s progress.

Awaaz- a- Bazardiha, a bilingual wall newspaper



Dakhin Tola Times

Dastaan-a- Bunkaar



After that, preparations were afoot to take the wall newspapers to Dr.Rajendra Prasad Ghat, and paste the 3 wall newspapers at the entrance ofhuge dais for pre-testing.

Readers glancing at the stories of the wall newspapers

Seeing the wall newspapers pasted, people gathered around it and thoroughlyread the stories carried in the wall newspapers. Readers were of the opinion

that wall newspaper is most effective tool for communication to amplify thevoice of the excluded community. In the days to come, it can emerge as aforum for interaction.

Appreciative of the innovative medium, the newspaper correspondents andchannel reporters were of the opinion that the wall newspapers is the mosteconomically viable medium, where writers have full control over it withoutbeing dependent on the market forces.

Trainees who developed the wall newspapers were busy seen interacting withthe people, who had thoroughly read the stories placed in the wall newspapers.

Seeing the public response it was decided to launch the wall newspapers forwider and larger viewership of people living in Varanasi.

At 12.30 noon the session decided to wind up and break for lunch.



31.10.2009, Tenth & Last SessionThe tenth and last session of the workshop began soon after the participantsgathered at the workshop venue, coming back from a successful pre-testing.Shruti Nagvanshi, Managing Trustee, Jan Mitra Nyas and Lal Bahadur, Trustee,

Jan Mitra Nyas graced the occasion for giving final touches to a new beginning.

Brimming with confidence, trainees put forth the views expressed by thereaders, who had gone through the contents of the wall newspapers. AnandKumar came up and spoke, “I am happy at the outcome of the workshop.During the pre-testing at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Ghat, one Sonia and RameshPrajapati expressed that wall newspaper is the most effective medium, wherethere are no hindrances in putting fore the people’s views and reports on theirissues. Readers were of the view that at the bottom of the wall newspaper,address and phone number of the organisation should be carried.”

Dr. Rajeev Kumar said people had shown their inquisitiveness in knowingthreadbare about the issues carried in the wall newspaper. People want thatwall newspapers should be a continuous affair.

Next in line was Anup Kumar said photos enlivened the wall newspapers.People were quite amazed seeing a new innovative medium such as wallnewspaper. Wall newspaper carrying a story on the corporator should be pastedin his area, which falls in his jurisdiction.

Taking the cue, Satyaprakash said youth had shown their enthusiasm and theycould be involved in taking it ahead.

Siddique Hasan of Dastkar Bunkar Adhikar Manch, the wall newspapers is anindependent media vehicle carrying the voice of the unheard.

Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi concluding the workshop



Lenin Raghuvanshi of PVCHR, who was the main organiser of this workshop,then, spoke a few words it is a new beginning which has an immense futureahead. Please continue writing and your crusading interest in digging out thetruth, which would help in bringing fore the issues of people with whom wework.

That brought an end to the activities of the workshop, and the participantscoming from Varanasi, other districts of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand dispersedto gather their belongings and ready themselves for a journey back home.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. We recommend follow up workshops.More workshops in the PVCHR’s areas of operations, if and when conducted,

will help enormously in consolidating gains garnered during this workshop.

2. We recommend geographical broadbasing of such workshops.

Workshops such as this may be planned to cover people from more states. 3. We recommend quantification of results.The skill acquisition by participants in these workshops, we feel needs to bequantified further. This presupposes the participation of one more resourceperson, who will work at statistically quantifying the results.

4. We recommend a special workshop for rural journalists.A workshop focusing on fine tuning the writing style and imparting photographyskills, specially designed for activists from rural areas were PVCHR is working,we feel, will also be of immense help in launching wall newspapers and

generating stories for mass media. This sort of exercise will also help PVCHR ingetting their points across.

Documents

PVCHR-RCT workshop on capacity building of writing-skill