 Scroll.in Essential reading: What you missed during electionsHello, Like most journalists in the country, at Scroll too, we have been intensely focused on reporting on the general election over the last six months. Our coverage included deep ground reportage, profiles of voters across various sections of society and analysis. Meanwhile, at Common Ground, we continued to dive into in-depth and investigative reportage on subjects not necessarily pinned to the news cycle. The themes that the section delves into remain the same, all of which receive relatively little attention in the mainstream conversation: health, education, work, gender, land and climate. These subjects come under scrutiny in times of crisis, such as the current fiasco involving exams conducted by the National Testing Association. But a deeper and more nuanced understanding of what is at stake comes from patient, sustained reporting over years, even when these are not hot-button topics. Here is some of the work that we’ve published over these months in Common Ground. Nolina Minj reported from Jharkhand on the tussles over the legacy of the Adivasi icon Birsa Munda, and how right-wing groups were attempting to appropriate his legacy for their political ends. Johanna Deeksha travelled to Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu to understand how the iPhone factory in the town was keeping its women workers isolated in hostels where their freedoms were restricted, and basic facilities were of a poor standard. The women were typically only granted two days of leave at a time – and even for those days, they had to suffer a loss of pay. Vaishnavi Rathore reported on how climate change was damaging the livelihoods of salt-makers in coastal Gujarat, the state that produces the majority of India’s salt. We also published a story by Astha Savyasachi that lay at the intersection of the themes of land and religion, and investigated the selective targeting of Muslim shrines for demolition in Uttarakhand. Meanwhile, Imran Muzaffar and Aliya Bashir wrote a story on how Indian fishers take up work on boats in the United Kingdom, only to face severe exploitation and abuse. If you value this kind of reportage, do consider helping us do more of it by signing up to be a member of Scroll. Click on the link below.  Already a member? Share the gift of good journalism! Consider gifting a Scroll membership to someone who values independent media like you. Click on the link below.  Your support will allow us to continue to shed light on important and often ignored stories from the ground. Join the Scroll WhatsApp channel to receive a curated selection of the news that matters throughout the day. |
