Aditi Bhaduri

Awaz the Voice turns four! And I could not be happier and prouder. It began in 2021 with the modest aspiration of doing "positive stories" and has stuck to its credentials and kept its promise.  And marked another year!

Awaz at 4

This New Year we have entered into an uncertain world. Several conflicts are raging around the globe, including India. Sometimes, one cannot help but feel relieved that with all its wars, India remains like an oasis of stability. Here the role of the mass media is so significant. It shapes the minds of millions, colours their views, and leavens the very approach to life. And here, ATV does not disappoint.

This is my third year collaborating with ATV.  My relationship with ATV is two-fold. As I began writing for it, so I began reading it too. And here is what I found: ATV just does not do only positive stories, it finds stories that had long been dusted and done with. It highlights nuggets of information and narratives and experiences that are so needed but are rarely highlighted for some reason or the other. 

And therefore, the site also chronicles long-forgotten or simply forgotten history.  It has become an important repertoire of human experience. At the same time, its coverage of mainstream events and news is also fully intact. Focus on one does not exclude the other. So for me, ATV has become an important source of news, views, and knowledge.

Now, coming to my experience with ATV as a contributor,  I am truly impressed. This is my third year with ATV as part of its extended family and till now I have not encountered any editorial interference.  Not only am I allowed to write on what I wish to, but even when a particular topic is assigned to me, I have full freedom to cover it the way I see it. This is a rarity in the world of media today.

My stories are never altered or edited, the process is quick and streamlined, and often publish in regional languages too, thus broadening the reach and readership.

What is also laudable is the ATV also publishes stories that sometimes have no apparent India connection, but are nevertheless important in terms of geopolitics, strategic, and world affairs. For instance, elections in Iran and the banning of hijab in Tajikistan.

While none of these topics have any immediate connection to India, they are nevertheless important in the larger scheme of things, including for India. And ATV has the astuteness and vision to understand this while many other mainstream publications lack the foresight and skip such analysis.

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This is what has aided in ATV's success. It is fast emerging as a comprehensive, sophisticated, and responsible news and analytical portal, with both its micro and macro approach. It is, therefore, with great happiness and pride that I congratulate Awaz-the Voice on completing another successful year in this cutthroat field. I also look forward to many decades of reading and cooperating with ATV.

Aditi Bhaduri is an independent journalist with expertise on Middle-East and Central Asian affairs