Parth M.N, a prolific reporter, and PARI Fellow was awarded by the Rotary Club Delhi for his articles on farmers in Marathwada that appeared on PARI. The award was presented to him by senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. As Parth’s year-long fellowship with us concludes in March, please read his heartfelt message that speaks of his experience on the field as well as with the organisation.
Before beginning the PARI fellowship, I had gone to Marathwada a few times to do an isolated story on farm crisis. The focus of my stories, or even the ones I read in newspapers, was on how farmers died. Through the PARI fellowship, I focussed on how they live.
I had the opportunity to look at the agrarian crisis in continuity. How life unfolded in Marathwada. The little things like fetching water, plowing farmlands, chopping cane. They are not so little. A woman spends 8-9 hours fetching water in summers.
A sugarane worker toils 14 hours for 228 rupees. And when you focus on how the farmers live, you can try and comprehend why they die. The PARI fellowship made me do exactly that.
I have freelanced with several online portals, but none are so rigorous in their editing as PARI is. Largely because of the time-bound nature of news websites, while PARI is an archive, but still the checks in the editing process have honed my skills as a reporter. The final copy published online is a much better and comprehensive version of the first draft I have mailed.
By March end, the year-long fellowship would conclude. I feel deeply proud of my association with PARI and its team. And I hope to be a contributor/volunteer in the future.
