Creating a podcast that gives personal voice to the underserved and suffering in India

Nergish

Nergish knew she wanted to be a journalist since she was 15, when she heard Mariane Pearl speak at a Seeds of Peace conference in Manhattan. After graduating from Syracuse in 2010 with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and International Relations, Nergish worked at Tehelka Magazine and Time Out Mumbai before becoming a principal correspondent at Times of India. Her proudest achievements are stories that lead to decisive action in underserved communities. Recent examples include a piece on child labor in illegal mica mines that led to a government crackdown, a piece on exploited Parsi pallbearers that led to their employers acquiescing to wage demands, and a piece on the isolation of border villages, which led to PM Narendra Modi championing the building of a road during a speech in Meghalaya.

“As a journalist, I see things that put the world in perspective. I choose a topic but not the adventure. I choose a place but not what I’ll find. Fortunately, I like the unpredictability. I like talking to strangers.”

 

Nergish took part in the 2018 Gather Fellowship, SE Forum’s partnership with Seeds of Peace.

 

Seeds of Peace GATHER

Sustainable Development Goal 10

 

Marginalised Communities Podcast

Nergish has noticed that there are fewer features and profiles of people living on the margins of society compared to wealthier and more literate subjects. In response, she plans to create an Indian counterpart to This American Life or The Moth, focusing on the personal stories of marginalized individuals that highlight a larger social issue. By telling stories embedded in the culture to which they belong, with a rich world of local details that authentically capture her subjects’ voices and communities, Nergish hopes to draw parts of the country that require urgent attention into public consciousness.