Spare a thought

The covering deprivation classes in our college was not something that I was very fond of but yes it was an enriching experience to know about the plight of the poor and the downtrodden in our country and the lack of amenities and assistance by the state and the central government to them. like the tragedy of the Vidharbha suicides, the Kosi floods, the 2002 drought etc. And P. Sainath's lectures were the ones that all of us so waited to hear. The impressive personality and the plethora of knowledge that he displayed was very difficult to ignore. Many of my colleagues, especially my dear friend Siddhartha, considers him to be their hero. And why not? after the immense contribution that he devoted for covering deprivation. Even the trips to Sunderbans, Nagapattinam( I belonged to this trip team), Vellore and Kanchipuram were rejuvinatingly different from covering national and local stories. Coming in contact with the aggrieved Land owners in Nagapattinam, the fishermen community which had lost their catch and land due to the tsunami, their satisfaction and frustration stories on the rehabilitation was brilliant. The way the women's group worked in certain pockets were very laudable. The problem of water and state government subsidies were the main threats and disappointments for those poor farmers. And also the beautiful countryside, the fun travels, the visit to the organic farming grounds-all these were really an eye opener and a different experience for me. No I dont cherish any dreams to cover rural areas like my friend Siddharth in the future, but still now when I see the bold initiative by NDTV and some dailies in covering deprivation issues, I feel proud that yes, at least some group of the media is giving weightage to this issue.