Extremes

Many words come to mind when thinking of India.
Contrasts.
Contradiction.
Extremes.
Opposites.
Despair.
Hope.
Courage.


Earlier today in the city of Alwar, a group of cow bhakts (protectors), lynched a poor man on suspicion, zero evidence of purchasing a cow to slaughter it. The man died of his horrific injuries. These brutal thugs are some of the many self appointed do-gooders upholding the tenets of Hinduism in India but are actually unchecked criminals. Despite this mob killing being carried out in plain public view, even recorded on a smart phone by a witness, no case has been lodged by the police.

India is a secular country although in some states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh the slaughter of cows is banned. If anyone is to be deemed guilty, there exists in theory, the rule of law. The Indian Prime Minister Modi is a supporter of the fundamentalist Hinduttva movement which attempts to impose the majority view on the minority communities in direct opposition to the principles of democracy. Politicians weigh into religious debate, mixing state and matters of Gods, fueling divisions.

Balaknama means 'the voice of children' in Hindi. It is also the name of a newspaper which has been run since 2003 by homeless children in Delhi.

These kids on the streets have become accomplished writers and investigative reporters who look into topical issues that impact young people sleeping rough. The paper's Batuni reporters are a team dedicated to exposing practices of child labour.

On the 25th of every month, the team meets for an editorial meeting and decides on the cover page, lead stories and layout of the upcoming edition.

Balaknama started off as a two page quarterly paper published in Hindi.
Today it's a 16 page monthly publication with a circulation of 8,000 copies and is distributed in Delhi and its neighboring regions of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh. Balaknama has published an English edition since 2014.