Ramlalis a VV-PACS Correspondent from Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh. He belongs to the Baiga tribe, one of India’s oldest indigenous groups. Traditionally they have depended on and nurtured the jungles that surround them. With time they have increasingly lost management of the forests, losing access to their means of earning a livelihood. Using video as a means of empowerment,…

Ramlal Baiga

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Two young men in Bhopal started with a small idea and now they are reaching every corner of the country with their unique newspaper.

Two young friends in Bhopal, Tuhin Kumar Singh and Piyush Ghosh, despaired at the negativity emanating from the newspapers every morning. What could be the solution? How to inspire people instead of pushing them further into despondency? “We called a small public meeting in a park here in Bhopal. From that day on we started working towards our first edition, our mission and vision,” recalls Tuhin. Piyush chimes in “My parents are social entrepreneurs and their work is so inspirational. So I felt that we should use inspirational stories to motivate people instead of negative news.” And so started the journey of The Optimist Citizen.

Self-styled as ‘India’s Only Positive Newspaper’, the paper has subscribers all over the country from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala. The co-founders neither had a background in media. “We didn’t know what kind of paper is used to print newspapers or even the difference between broadsheets and tabloids!” admits Tuhin. In fact, all the employees on board learnt and grew with the newspaper. Tannson Matthews, the Marketing Director, talks about this journey to Community Correspondent Ramlal Baiga. “Once we started the paper, we realised there are different segments to cater to,” he says. It is impressive how the duo built up a successful media brand, with a solid online presence, from scratch.

It is indeed heartening to read their stories of positive change in these trying times. Instead of devoting space to antics of media hungry politicians, or page three gossip, we learn about entrepreneurs and good samaritans across the country. These stories, neglected by mainstream media are highlighted across different sections of the newspaper. We do hope that The Optimist Citizen’s continues to inspire people to become changemakers and imbue the readers with hope in these dark and difficult times.

Article by Madhura Chakraborty.

Video produced by Video Volunteers in collaboration with Vikalp Sangam.