Charkha, Delhi : Newsletter for October 2004

Friends,

In this special month of birth of a great man, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, this issue of Charkha Vikas Samvad is an ode to him to a man who signifies a belief system that has now been reduced to a section in the history books and a red mark on the calendar. Through this special issue we hope to refresh our commitments to the rural poor and the anonymous.

Gandhiji is one of the greatest communicators, as the editor of some of the popular weekly newspapers like Indian Opinion, Young India, Navajivan, Harijan and an unregistered weekly called Satyagraha. The newspapers, he believed, were channels through which he aspired to educate the local Indian community.

In his mission of social and political empowerment, journalism became more than a tool in itself. Journalism was never an end in itself, but one of the means to a greater cause. In this sense, the only aim of the newspapers, Gandhiji believed, was to serve the masses, as a powerful tool that was often both used and misused.

Over the last ten years, Charkha has tried to follow the teachings of Gandhiji; his courage and determination has been our inspiration. Drawing from his insight, we endeavour to make greater inroads in the field of development communication, the latter being both a catalyst and a medium to bring about social change.

We hope to spread hope among those who have given up by enabling them to spin their own actions into their own words.

We rededicate ourselves to the values of Gandhiji.

Indrani Dey
Email - charkha@bol.net.in