Community Correspondents

Bideshini Patel

Bideshini has been working ever since she graduated from school. Currently, she is enrolled in the Bachelor of Social Work programme at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). She recalls one of her fondest childhood memories-- when my picture was published in a magazine called Anteswara. She didn't know anything about what a camera was or what publishing was then. "They called me and took a photograph. When it was published, I saw a copy of the magazine with my photo in it. I felt very happy. I felt certain about doing something in life, escaping from the trouble at home", she says. Since then, she has worked with many NGOs in Balangiri, Sundergarh Gramin Unnayan Pratisthan (SGUP), as part of many programs. She has worked on an Action Aid project on HIV-AIDS as a women's organiser, as an area coordinator, and also as a program manager in a project sponsored by Andheri-Hilfe. Bidehsini's focus areas are women's health and education.  "I always plan a month in advance. My daily routine involves meeting many women, overseeing self-help-groups. My main problem is my knowledge of English and of computers, both of which I am working on. After 16 years of working in the social sector, that's why I am still stuck at the program manager level!" Bideshini heard of VV from reporter and writer Sandeep Patnaik. "There are many media organisations in my region – Indian Express, OTV, ETV, Dainik Jagran etc. They don't always report the truth. They only cover what they think are 'big issues', they don't look at the small things that affect people's lives." Bideshini is also a part of Video Volunteers' campaign #KhelBadal to dismantle patriarchy. The campaign is taking on patriarchy through stories of women and men who face, negotiate and challenge patriarchy in everyday life — at home, at work, at school, in cultural and public spaces. Under the campaign, she makes films that capture the nuances of routine, normalised gender discrimination, stories of change and runs Gender Discussion Clubs where lively, introspective conversations around gender equality and patriarchy happen. Besides working in the social sector, Bideshini is also a trained artist. "I write and direct plays, I dance, and I also sing on the radio", she says. "Now, I run a small women's organisation in Bonai, Lahunipada. It is a small sangathan (collective), I don't plan to register it as an NGO or anything like that." She created the collective to save the Khandadhar Falls; the land is under threat from the infamous POSCO project. Bideshini feels that the best thing about the people's struggle is their unity. "If anything happens, they gather instantly. The slogan of our movement is Khandadhar bachao, Posco hatao!" she says. Today, the Orissa Mining Corporation is creating havoc in the area – displacing people, polluting the air and water. Bideshini hopes that the land will become green and fertile again, like it once was.  "Being a Community Correspondent gives me strength. Watching the India Unheard videos reminds me of how far I have come." With her camera as her tool, Bideshini hopes to takes on corruption and societal evils and wants to encourage her community to do so as well. 

Videos from Bideshini

‘Swasth Aspataal’ – the campaign to bring positive change in Public Health Delivery System 

 
/ July 17, 2022

In this video, the Community Correspondent (CC) Videshini Patel tells us about the background and the strategy of this campaign. To have any positive change in this direction, one prerequisite is the participation of the community. The years of experience and insights of Video Volunteers helped in strategising this whole...

Tribal women detained for expressing dissent at a public hearing

 
/ July 8, 2022

Here in this video we can see that the locals of the area are denied entry into the public hearing and the Company is talking to their well wishers there.

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Displaced Tribal Families of Sundargarh Receives Hollow Assurance, No Relief Ensured so far

 
/ May 27, 2022

The villagers, whenever they raise their voices, were always pushed down and shooed away, the local police started harassing them, sometimes even arresting them on flimsy issues.

Fixing India: Land Allotted On Paper, But Possession Took 22 Long Years!

 
/ November 20, 2020

If not for the intervention by our community correspondent, the poor villagers would have continued paying taxes for a land they didn't own.

70 percent of women in India face domestic violence each year

 
/ May 18, 2020

Video volunteers community correspondent Bideshini reports on cases of domestic violence from her district of Sundergarh in Odisha.

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Taxing Agriculture: Farmers Forced to Pay Water Tax but Receive No Water

 
/ June 10, 2019

There seems to be no end for the decade long water crisis for the farmers of Bandhaberna village, Sundergarh, Odisha.

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People in Tashada Village, Odisha yet to Reap Benefits of Government Schemes.

 
/ April 29, 2019

Despite being a revenue village, Tashada in Odisha has failed to receive basic government schemes even after multiple appeals.

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On World Water Day, Villages in Odisha’s Sundergarh are Facing Water Crisis.

 
/ March 22, 2019

Due to Odisha Mining Corporation, the streams and water resources in Sundergarh, Lahunipada block are turning into red water.