Communication, not literary elegance, should matter in the Field, says the Founder Editor of People's Archive of Rural India (PARI).
"Questions before the start of a session, anyone?"
Silence.
"But you were asking me questions outside the hall."
Laughs. Stares. Some hands shot up after a moment's thought. Doubts met with crisp answers. More laughs. Intense thinking.
This was just the precursor to what was to ensue throughout the 1.5-hour special lecture titled 'Thinking on your feet, reporting on the move-Field reporting in rural India', by P Sainath, at Azim Premji University, on 28 September 2022.
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| Asim Siddiqui, Faculty member, Azim Premji University, introduced the speaker |
The questions were from students who have been out on the Field as part of their Field immersion routines at Azim Premji University.
P Sainath, at his honest best, presented fact after fact for the audience to compile and examine by taking a backseat, in a room that did not deafen you with the so-called hot-selling debates on primetime news hour or drowned you with stories from media houses that have bosses to fine-tune the same to work for the 'larger good' (of course, of the stakeholders involved).
Journalism-the art of asking the right questions, as Sainath put it-came alive in this session. From tips on navigating the Field as a researcher and the homework that needs to be done before that-the session offered much for the participants to ruminate upon.
While providing tips on Field reporting, he highlighted his experiences in the Field to bring out the real issues that one may not anticipate when trying to understand it from a classroom, far away from the Field.
To enter the Field with an 'I-know-nothing' approach may often be rewarding, he said, as otherwise, one may risk losing a lot of learning as in India, water tastes different every few kilometres, just like the languages.
Striking a bond with the community will help in the long run. He explained it with a straight question: 'Tell me about your dad's drunkenness.'
"Would a question like that posed to you make you open up? Or would you accuse the person of intrusion into your personal life? It's that simple. Your credibility, the approach to people, and the network you build with people will help in the long run," said Sainath.
The suggestion he gave was to not use cameras, tape recorders, or any devices in the first half of any meeting with people. This, he suggested, would help in knowing one another and building trust. Never should one be harmed for the sake of one's research. When one opens up to you, do not do anything that will lead to a backlash for them, said Sainath.
He presented his report on the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the government-sponsored crop insurance scheme launched in India by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, New Delhi in 2016. He highlighted RTI data published in The Tribune, Chandigarh, on 13 Nov 2018, which says that in the first 24 months of the Yojana, 18 insurance companies made a profit of Rs 15,795 crores.
Field reporting should always be attempted after due homework. To highlight the same, he urged upon the importance of reading official documents before stepping out to understand its impact. He also suggested that the District Census Handbook and District Gazetteer as helpful materials for reading.
In a lighter vein, he mentioned how a lady he met summarised PMFBY:
- "A woman whose husband dies would only be eligible for compensation if more than 30 percent of husbands in the unit die."
- "In the case of vehicle insurance, it would mean 30 percent of vehicles in your unit must be destroyed before you get your compensation."
From quoting names of people to not giving away their names and places, he took the audience through the highs and lows of the same with his brilliant storytelling approach.
For PARI's work on a series on women's reproductive health in rural India, he highlighted why they had not taken the names of any women. Of course, it had a story behind it. Women walked up to the team and told them that when names are taken, only a few will be credited. But it's the story of all and not a few. So, they requested to not include any names.
People find a way to communicate with you if they want to. Literary elegance may not make sense then. Communication, then, becomes so much more beautiful. And that indeed is an important takeaway from the session for the participants.
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