Unconference

A collage of photos from the different unconference sessions held on Day 1 of the National Meet

In its 20th edition, the NWMI meet planning committee introduced a series of interactive sessions conducted simultaneously by members themselves. The attendees could choose the session they wanted to attend. Some of those leading the sessions only steered the conversation while those with years of experience shared their knowledge. The sessions were:

• Listening Circle on SH@W by Neha Dixit
• Independent Journalism by Shweta Desai
• Reporting from Trivandrum by Gita Aravamudan
• Using Digital Platforms by Sangeetha Rajeesh
• Where is the Money? by Romita Saluja

Neha Dixit, author of the successful book ‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’, held a session on sexual harassment at the workplace. The vocalisation and sharing of such experiences were a cathartic process for some of the participants. In the conversation led by Shweta Desai, an independent journalist from Mumbai, many independent journalists with decades of experience shared the ways they survived in the industry without losing their drive for journalism.

Gita Aravamudan, who remained active as an independent journalist in Thiruvananthapuram, from 1970 and 1990, shared her observations about what has, and has not, changed since then. Sangeetha Rajeesh, a journalist-turned-science communication consultant, held a session on the different ways to create an online presence for independent journalists to build a brand for themselves. Romita Saluja, an award-winning journalist, who has found ways to fund her journalism through grants and fellowships, shared her experience of preparing a portfolio for these opportunities. 

Report by Shalaka Shinde 

Edited by Saraswathy Nagarajan