Inspired internet initiative for our unsung heroes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: PR Rajesh never thought he was worth a ‘story’ until this Vishu, the harvest festival of Kerala. On Saturday, the boat driver who ferries tourists to the hidden wonders of Kerala backwaters, was in the limelight in Kumarakom near Kottayam.

A group of media professionals descended on his boat and wanted him to wield a laptop instead of the helm. Rajesh – economics graduate, English expert, boat driver, tourist guide – was launching a portal that features his story amid inspiring chronicles from around India.

Inspiredindian.org is a novel attempt by a group of journalists on the lookout for a forum to tell tales that won’t fit into the day-to-day grind of news biz. “A platform for the unsung heroes of this country”, the website documents very ordinary lives: a danseuse who teaches slum children in Bangalore, a kid who supports his aged grandmother and little sister by showing visitors around Gokak falls in Karnataka and a mobile crèche for construction labourers in Pune.

“This movement aims to create a network of like-minded people in the media to take up social causes. It’s a mission beyond the newsroom,” said Anantha Krishnan M, journalist and spokesperson, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, who is garnering support for this initiative.

“There’s no dearth of ideas in India, but we lack a pragmatic system to transport them to the masses, and media is an ideal vehicle,” he told reporters in Kochi.

The website will encourage journalists, writers and creative brains to post stories and photographs on a voluntary basis. On its part, the foundation will launch a series of campaigns in rural areas and under-developed regions.

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