The year that was: 2021’s top 10 stories in Gaon Connection
The second wave, a massive vaccination drive, back to back extreme weather events, farmers’ protest and more… 2021 has been a year like none other and Gaon Connection worked hard to bring you stories from rural India, of those unheard and unseen.
Gaon Connection with its network of community journalists and field reporters in different states of the country brought its readers stories of what transpired in rural India.
2021 draws to a close after having derailed the lives of almost all human beings on the planet. When the pandemic began in early 2020, little did we realise it was there for the long haul. But, it refused to go away, and countries and governments scrambled to find ways to deal with it. There was chaos, terror, despair and helplessness that gradually resolved into a dull pain and acceptance. But there were stories of hope too.
Amidst stories of death, disease and despair were also stories of remarkable resilience, ingenuity and staggering selflessness and service. Ordinary people stepped up to do extraordinary things. And, life went on.
Gaon Connection with its network of community journalists and field reporters in different states of the country brought its readers stories of what transpired in rural India, those corners of the country where people remain unseen and unheard in the corridors of power. Side by side, it explained new terms, new concepts and new controversies that the pandemic brought along with it.
As India battled to vaccine its people, what was happening in the villages? For a large part people in remote communities feared vaccines. The feeling was that the coronavirus was a thing of big cities, of privileged people. There were rumours and misinformation that further fuelled the fears and people would not come forward to be vaccinated.
Along with the virus came the devastating vagaries of climate change. There was unprecedented rainfall, massive floods and pockets of droughts. Crops failed, businesses crashed and livelihoods disappeared.
Gaon Connection reported on the lives of people who were left stranded, who had lost not just livelihoods but also loved ones. At the same time, Gaon Connection did not forget to bring forward feel-good stories of innovations, service and initiatives.
The following are Gaon Connection’s most read stories of 2021, reflecting the myriad concerns of the country’s people.
Top Story 1: The vaccine dilemma
One of the foremost concerns of the people was the COVID-19 vaccine. The confusing bulletins on the various vaccines and their efficacy were at the forefront of everyone. More so for those who planned to pick up the threads of their lives that had come to a halt with the pandemic in March 2020. Business travellers and a big community of students planning to go abroad for studies were particularly affected and anxious to know about the situation on ground.
It became clear how much was at stake for them as Gaon Connection’s report that explained the controversies dogging the vaccines, and their efficacy was avidly read.
Top Story 2: Good news from Panna
Meanwhile, there was excitement and elation with something completely unrelated to the pandemic. Wildlife enthusiasts cheered as the elusive fishing cat was ‘captured’ on the lens at the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. In fact, it was such an unbelievable discovery that though the photograph of the endangered fishing cat was taken on January 11, 2019, the announcement of its presence was made to the world only on August 13, 2021.
Gaon Connection brought the exciting news to its wildlife enthusiast readers and the report was widely read and savoured.
Read: Endangered fishing cat finally ‘captured’ on camera at Panna Tiger Reserve
Top Story 3: A two-in-one success story
Gaon Connection has always been quick to bring stories of agriculture and farmers to readers who are interested to know what is happening in rural India. And, the stories have included the developments and research being undertaken in the Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country and in agricultural universities.
A report on Brimato, a plant developed by agricultural scientists in the lab that grows both brinjals and tomatoes wowed the Gaon Connection readers.
Also Read: Brimato, a two-in-one grafted plant that grows both tomato and brinjal
Top Story 4: Sex workers safeguard their lives
The COVID-19 pandemic changed almost everything about the world we live in. And that included the rules by which the sex workers (there are reportedly 1.26 million of them in the country) plied their trade. Cast adrift by the pandemic and with no livelihood, the sex workers regrouped and began their work once again, but with some firm groundrules in place for the clients.
Gaon Connection in its report brought to light the plight of the sex workers as they struggled to find ways to save their families and their profession with dignity.
Read: Masks, sanitisation, and no kissing: Sex workers have new rules for clients
Top Story 5: When health workers lost their lives post vaccination
Inoculations began in the country from January 16, 2021. And it did so amidst great anxiety and fears. This was not helped by the untimely deaths of 19 health workers soon after they were vaccinated. The deaths caused an uproar with many health experts demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Gaon Connection spoke to the health experts and government spokespersons to report on the matter.
Read: 19 health workers dead after COVID-19 vaccination; health experts demand investigation
Top Story 6: Tamil Nadu’s fisherwomen show their entrepreneurial skill
Necessity and adversity can sometimes lead to good things as Gaon Connection found out as it reported on five fisherwomen from Tamil Nadu who started their own restaurant in order to compensate for the loss of livelihoods of their husbands.
The positive story about the gritty women drew a huge response from Gaon Connection readers.
Read: Five fisherwomen in Tamil Nadu set up Dolphin, a restaurant, and free their husbands of debt
Top Story 7: The ‘third wave’ panic
Just when the second wave of the pandemic seemed to be receding allowing people to breathe again, came the devastating news of the impending third wave. This led to wild speculations and rumour mongering.
Gaon Connection set the records straight with a report that spoke to experts who with cautious optimism explained what the ‘third wave’ was and what its implications could be for the country.
Read: Explained: What is the third wave of COVID19? Will it hit India? Are kids at greater risk?
Top Story 8: Farm laws agitation and the marginal farmer
Farmers are at the heart of Gaon Connection reporting. When the farmers’ agitation began, Gaon Connection reported on what the small or marginal farmers in the country, who make up almost 85 per cent of the farming community, felt about the farm laws. Farmers having less than two hectares (five acres) of land are called small farmers and those having less than one hectare (2.5 acres) are called marginal farmers.
In an opinion piece, Gaon Connection’s guest writers – Parijat Ghosh and Dibyendu Chaudhuri – explained why small and marginal farmers were protesting against the three central farm laws.
Read: Farmers’ protests: Why are small and marginal farmers protesting against the farm acts?
Top Story 9: A juicy harvest
Farmers in Manipur and Mizoram in the north east had something to cheer about as experiments by CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology bore sweet fruit, quite literally.
Gaon Connection brought its readers a story of crisp and crunchy apples now being grown in the state after a lot of research and experiments by agricultural scientists who hand-held the farmers every step of the way.
Read: Now you can bite into crunchy apples from Mizoram and Manipur
Top Story 10: Bihar and its troubled waters
But along with the good is the sombre and Bihar reported high contamination levels of its groundwater, way beyond what the World Health Organization stipulated as ‘permissible limits’. At least 10 districts have reported dangerous quantities of the radioactive uranium in their groundwater, the major source of potable water for the people in the state.
Gaon Connection in a field report from one of the affected districts filed a first hand report, which had a major impact and the state government announced testing of water.
Happy New Year to our readers. Keep reading Gaon Connection as we bring you stories from rural India that you do not want to miss.
Written by Pankaja Srinivasan.