“I believe that journalism is the essence of democracy,” announces Meera Devi, the central protagonist of Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s “Writing with Fire.” Devi is the Chief Reporter at Khabar Lahariya, India’s only women-led news outlet. Committed to doing everything within her power to ensure that the media “doesn’t become just like any other business,” she’s determined to serve as a channel to justice for the disenfranchised, highlighting stories that are missing from the mainstream media and exposing discrimination based on gender and caste. She and her colleagues are all too familiar with having their own voices silenced and devalued. Besides trying to break ground in a male-dominated field, many of the reporters who work at Khabar Lahariya are Dalits, or “untouchables,” the lowest caste in Indian society. “In our region a Dalit woman journalist was unimaginable. Over the last 14 years, we’ve changed that perception,” we’re told.
Changing that perception hasn’t been easy out in the field or at home. “Speak within your limits. Don’t overdo it,” one reporter is told while covering a story. Others are reproached by their husbands for devoting time to anything other than housework. On top of all the sexist and classist nonsense they have to deal with, the women of Khabar Lahariya are in the midst of major upheaval: they’re making the transition from print to digital. Not all of the reporters have electricity at home to charge their new smartphones. Not all of the reporters have used a smartphone before. But if the women don’t adapt, they fear that they “won’t survive” the changing times. Plus, once Khabar Lahariya goes online, leadership is convinced that the outlet’s reach will be greater, they’ll have more sources of income, and the training will give the journalists more confidence. While these predictions prove to be correct, the process of taking the platform online is, as you’d expect, a challenge. But these women wouldn’t have gotten to where they are if they weren’t up for a challenge.
“I was most interested in exploring what happens when women reclaim the spaces that are designed to exclude them. What does the world that they reimagine look like?” Thomas told us.
Seeing the world that the women of Khabar Lahariya build is inspirational. And it’s encouraging to see how their tireless efforts are transforming the world around them — the doc explores how the journalists have brought tangible change to their community and country by bringing awareness to issues and demanding accountability.
The winner of two awards at Sundance 2021, “Writing with Fire” is now playing in theaters. Find screening info here.
