Aditi Bhaduri

When I first heard about a new digital publication “Awaz-The Voice” I was skeptical. The publication promised to be a voice for the voiceless; it also promised to highlight stories and positive changes taking place in Indian society but was being ignored by the mainstream media. “We have been reporting with a sense of absolute commitment to the truth and collective flourishing of the human kind”; reads the introduction on the home page.

It was all good and positive sounding. Yet I was skeptical. After all, over the last decade numerous such publications had mushroomed across India. Many, if not most, had professed to be something else, promised ‘something new” to readers. Yest, most had since folded up too, and fast. However, three years hence, what a pleasant surprise it is to find “Awaz - the Voice”; not just around but growing. And the stories they have been publishing are incredibly not just positive, but uplifting!

The mainstream media, in general the world over, has become rather pessimistic. The Indian media in particular highlights this trend. However, in Awaz-the Voice what I found was not just feel-good stories but news about actual positive developments in society and from across the country. From women chefs in West Bengal and Kashmir to teachers in Assam - ATW carries original and unique stories of courage, innovation, entrepreneurship, change, the different strides men, women, boys, and girls are making in the various nooks and corners of our country.

And to know of such progress being made is to both empower and be empowered. We cannot underestimate the This, however, is not all. Along with the empowering narratives, the publication does not shy away from raising or discussing uncomfortable situations. For instance, is it deviant to wish people of other communities on festivals of their faith? These are actual issues that some do grapple with, even if they seem immaterial to others. ATV, therefore, in also inclusive in its reach to its audience, focusing on issues maybe not often or usually discussed in the public domain, but nonetheless relevant to many.

Now, coming to my experience with ATV as a contributor, what is most important is that I have not met with any editorial interference so far. I have contributed on a wide range of issues, and neither before or after have I had to encounter any sudden last-minute changes made in the submissions without any notice or in a manner as to change the entire message that is being conveyed.

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This is both impressive and laudable. I have had full freedom in writing my thoughts, and they have been published in them entirety whatever the editorial opinion. This makes for transparency, objectivity, and honest journalism. It is, therefore, truly a pleasure to write for ATV as it is both encouraging and motivating.

It is therefore with great happiness and pride that I congratulate Awaz the Voice on its third anniversary and I look forward to many decades of reading and cooperating with ATV.