A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have.
Host Nidhi Suresh is joined by Aishwarya Iyer of Scroll who talks about her series on the Hindutva campaign around the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
In her series, Aishwarya talks about the five Hindu women whose petitions demanding permission to pray at the mosque have propelled the campaign. She examines their links with a former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sohan Lal Arya who had filed a similar plea in 1995. “One common point for these women was their desire to attend prayers together in the premises,” Aishwarya says, “Their petition did not have anything regarding the Shivling but now it has motivated them to go deeper into the case.”
Nidhi and Aishwarya also discuss the sociocultural fallout of the communal campaign against Gyanvapi. “Only a person born and brought up in Varanasi can understand the loss of its beautiful culture,” Aishwarya argues while explaining how the targeting of the mosque has caused unease among the city’s Muslims.
This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.
Tune in.
Contribute to our NL Sena projects Bulldozing a New Image in MP and The Yogi Who Has It All.
Watch a part of the conversation here:
The media must be free and fair, uninfluenced by corporate or state interests. That's why you, the public, need to pay to keep news free.
ContributeTimecodes
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:36 - Gyanvapi mosque
00:17:10 - Sociocultural fallout
00:43:25 - Recommendations
Recommendations
Aishwarya
Tour of Duty model could add to majoritarian violence and affect army efficiency
Nidhi
Produced and recorded by Tehreem Roshan, edited by Satish Kumar.
General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together to focus on the issues that really matter to the voter. From political funding to battleground states, media coverage to 10 years of Modi, choose a project you would like to support and power our journalism.
Ground reportage is central to public interest journalism. Only readers like you can make it possible. Will you?