Suneeta (Banda) field at Bhagolan
Cinematographer: Zulfiya Hamzaki
Duration: 00:03:06; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 21.274; Saturation: 0.097; Lightness: 0.463; Volume: 0.215; Cuts per Minute: 12.559
Summary: Suneeta, Khabar Lahariya reporter from Banda, travels to Bhagolan, a
remote village known for its notorious dacoits. She brings her stories
from this rural interior in Uttar Pradesh while distributing the
newspaper. This video captures real rural journalism where Suneeta travels in cycle rickshaws,
buses and finally walks three kilometers to and from the village to get her stories and encourage
the villagers to read the newspaper. Bhagolan is a village cut off from public transport and electricity. Dalits and adivasis
who live there are illiterate and often face the dangers of attacks from gangs of dacoits who loom large. Khabar Lahariya is the only newspaper that
reaches this village through Suneeta, who fearlessly walks her way to cover news by foot and bring out the many issues that the community faces.
Bhagolan, Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh
Suneeta, mother, travel, Bhagolan, remote, village, notorious, dacoits, distribute, Khabar Lahariya, stories, Banda, edition, journalist, district, Bundelkhand, region, Uttar Pradesh, husband, children
The video opens with a blurred background and text that reads "Suneeta, mother of three, travels to Bhagolan, a remote village known for its notorious dacoits. She reguarly visits this village to distribute Khabar Lahariya and get their stories." Suneeta is a Khabar Lahariya journalist who works for the Banda edition of the newspaper. Banda is a district in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. As the text fades out, Suneeta is seen in a photograph with her family - her husband and three children.
footsteps, stairs, newspaper, distribute, walk, day
In a contrast to the photograph where Suneeta has her head covered with her saree, standing with her family, we hear the sound of footsteps and Suneeta walking purposefully down a flight of stairs with a handbag on her right shoulder and bundle of newspapers that she's trying to fit into her bag as she steps out. Suneeta is leaving the Banda office early in the morning with the newspapers as her day starts to get stories and distribute the paper.
cycle rickshaw, morning, bus, Badausa
Suneeta sits on a cycle rickshaw and talks about how in the morning, she takes a cycle rickshaw and then a bus to Badausa (Badausa is located around 40km south-east of Banda) before reaching the office.
A glimpse of Suneeta with her little daughter Chahat sitting in an auto rickshaw, as the camera pans towards the front of the vehicle. Through the front glass, the long road lay ahead as a popular Bollywood Hindi song plays in the background. The beautiful landscape of Bundelkhand looms past with trees and greenery. Suneeta is then seen walking on a lone road to Bhagolan village.
auto rickshaw, glass, road, song, landscape, Bundelkhand, trees, greenery
As she walks, she explains how she needs to walk for three kilometers to reach the village and will walk three kilometers back after her visit. She hands over a copy of Khabar Lahariya to a woman sitting against a wall. Another women sits beside her and they both smile as Suneeta asks them to have a look and see what information is there.
walk, three kilometers, reach, village, information
problem, listen, government, provide, food, grains, grow, ration, quotas
The lady in an orange saree, brings to Suneeta's notice that there is a problem in the village and whether she would listen to her. Suneeta readily agrees to listen to her. The lady then starts to say that although the government provides everything, they don't get anything there. They need to eat food from the grains that they grow. The ration quotas are very infrequent and the villagers get them only once in three to four months. Suneeta nods her head with understanding.
house, man, ration, supplies, oil, wheat, rice, notes
Suneeta walks into a house, where a man starts to tell her about the problems that the village faces with ration supplies. He tells her that for two months, they have not got oil, wheat or rice, yet the ration cards are filled for three months. Suneeta takes down notes as he speaks.
notebook, Chotelal, villager, land, live, 50 years, services, Pradhan, road, area, work
Suneeta is at another house, sitting with her notebook. Chotelal, one of the villagers tells her how they don't have any ration cards, any land nor a house to live in. Although they have been living there for 50 years, they don't have any services. Even though the Pradhan (village head) has built a road in his area, no work has been done in their village.
A woman is sitting holding Khabar Lahariya with one hand and laying out mud on the floor of her house with her other hand. Suneeta asks her if she can read and the young lady, turning around with a smile says she can only write her name. Suneeta acknowledges this and encourages her to read the newspaper which is written in big letters. She tells her that she can get information about her village. As the camera pans up to catch Suneeta's face, she smiles and tells the young lady that Khabar Lahariya too is brought out by women like her. She once again asks her to read the newspaper to get information.
woman, sitting, mud, floor, read, write, acknowledge, encourage, big, letters, information
newspaper, area, comes, news, impact, school, midday meals, clothes, demand, call, journalist, share, problems, difficulties
With conviction, Suneeta says that Khabar Lahariya is the only newspaper that comes to this area and that no other newspaper comes there. She gives a few examples where writing the news in the paper has impacted the village positively and brought about change, and because of such impact, people demand more and call her. They don't call other journalists to share their problems, but call her and share their difficulties.
notebook, wall
Suneeta is seen sitting down with her notebook against a wall as the screen blurs out to black. The video captures real rural coverage where Khabar Lahariya travels to the most rural interiors to reach backward and often forgotten communities.
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