Sacked by Zee, unable to find a job, journalist sets up poha stall in Noida’s media hub

Just three months ago, Dadan Vishwakarma was an assistant news editor at Zee News at the channel’s office in Noida’s Film City. But he has now set up a stall selling poha and jalebis, in front of the India Today Group office, just a few metres away from his previous workplace.  

“I was sacked amid the layoffs in December 2022 and workplace politics. I set up this stall due to financial constraints when I failed to find a job despite trying for three months,” Vishwakarma told Newslaundry.

An IIMC alumnus with nearly 13 years of work experience in the news industry, he says that he started his career with Dainik Bhaskar in 2011, going on to join Navbharat Times in 2014, Aaj Tak in 2016, and Zee News in 2020.

Named ‘Patrakaar Poha Waala’, his stall offers two kinds of poha – a reporters’ special and an editors’ special – apart from jalebis. Vishwakarma, meanwhile, insists that it is not a journalist who has set up this business but only a human forced by circumstances. Even though he is not formally employed with a news organisation anymore, he says that he will continue journalism and remain vocal on issues through social media. 

Watch.