Book Review

Moi Bhalpowa Bixoybur

Author :Teresa Rehman,

Translated by Bonya Baruah,

Publisher : Purbayon Prakashan,

Price - Rs 140

Treading Difficult Paths: A Journalist’s Experience

‘It’s a man’s job in a man’s world’ – this is no longer true about journalism. Thanks to journalists like Teresa Rehman who succeeded in bringing a different perspective to journalism especially in the Northeastern region. In this book which is a collection of her writings from her long career of covering the region for various well known news agencies – from Reuters to Tehelka, her writings reflect on her own experience.

Rehman begins the book with a chapter which focuses on the missing gender perspective in journalism. She however does not indulge in any romantic categorisation of ‘woman journalist’. When many would ask her experience as a woman journalist, she poignantly would respond that there are good and bad journalists. This professional approach and commitment never stopped her from bringing a gender perspective to the stories she did. She starts with pointing out the huge gaps in journalism – where are the women making news in sports, business, science? A woman athlete has to achieve nothing short of an entry to Olympic to make it to the headlines! Same goes for women scientists – while we hear about Gagandeep Kang, we are blind to the systematic discrimination that women pursuing science face at various points of their career.

The book also brings forth the tendency to stereotype that is deep rooted in newsrooms. Women journalists should cover lifestyle sections, sports beat or science is not their cup of tea. But when given these opportunities Rehman did an indeed good job. Covering football in Guwahati to writing about environmental issues and the forest man of Jadav Payeng, Rehman in fact showed that a woman journalist will bring a different kind of sensitivity to these issues of utmost concern.

Rehman’s work on insurgency in the region has been commendable. Her coverage of women’s movements especially in Nagaland and Manipur will give much food for thought to the larger reading community. As someone who takes interest in the Northeastern region, while accepting the limitation of this administrative coinage, I have personally felt that the mental distance surpasses the physical distance in this landlocked region. The work of someone like Teresa Rehman becomes very important in this context. Through her journalistic work she has tried to build bridges across the region. Reporting on the Naga autonomous movements, the social movements against AFSPA in Manipur, her reporting also bought home the fact that incidents in any one state of the region has ramifications for the entire region.

The book’s strength lies in the fact that it is not limited to Teresa Rehman’s work alone. As a journalist she met many other journalists working in difficult conditions. She talks about women working as journalists in Urdu newspaper. Too few in number, these hijab clad women are transcending newer challenges on a daily basis. She talks of Egyptian journalist Sondos Sabayek who covered the Arab revolution. Rehman could bring forth the intersectionality – how it is doubly difficult for hijab clad Muslim journalists who are often stereotyped as incompetent in patriarchal societies. The same stereotype is busted when gender based violence is perpetuated in comparatively progressive tribal societies. Rehman brings forth these complexities through the story of Anga who was sold to a man in Arunachal Pradesh.

The book also brings forth Rehman’s reporting on women working at the ground level. These are stories which might have been overlooked otherwise. From covering the lack of access to clean drinking water and how it impacts women, ASHA workers and the problems they face, tribal women working on socio-cultural front, she brings the lives of ordinary women doing extraordinary things to the limelight.

The book is translated by Bonya Boruah and has done justice to the issues covered. The book’s scope is very vast and covers issues ranging from society, politics, environment, culture etc. This will be an interesting read for students planning to take up journalism and readers looking for a fresh perspective in the region.

Parvin Sultana

( Parvin Sultana is a columnist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Pramathesh Barua College in Assam. She can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in the review are the author’s own)