We met Dayamani Barla for a few hours and shared her views on a wide range of topics such as: The lives of the adivasi people, her view that a journalist should not only be a reporter but also an activist interested in changing the situation that is being reported on, specific situations like how the system works or does not work in rape cases and NREGA programs, the stakes of exposing corruption. She also pointedly talked about the differences between NGOs and people’s movements and called it a “Jameen-Asman ka phark” (as different as the sky is to the earth).



Dayamani gave thoughtful replies to questions we asked, and her responses come from a unique perspective of being an adivasi, with a life time of experience as a self-employed person who runs a tea dhabha-cum-office and as a journalist-activist. She is the first adivasi who is visiting AID in the USA and she epitomizes the humility and simplicity of the adivasi spirit as well as the well-known adivasi never-say-die attitude to fight for rights and their beliefs. Her laugh has in it a poignancy - something that someone spending a lot of time with the most exploited sections of the society, someone who is working hard despite great barriers, someone who sees the naivety of hopeful remarks from caring supporters, may give - a laugh that reflects a certain sadness of the spirit. 

-Ravi Kuchimanchi, College Park
Dayamani Barla is an AID Saathi who is based in Jharkhand and is a rural journalist-activist, currently visiting chapters in the US.Also see: http://aidindia.org/main/content/view/539/1/