We humans often live with guilt – about not living up to our own expectations. So decades ago, as a school student, when I promised myself to change the face of my village never had I imagined that it would be that difficult a dream to achieve. Today, I live with this guilt of still not being able to do enough to fulfill my promise. I am sure we all share this dream and the guilt too. The important thing is to keep trying, and therefore we are all associated with HimVani. HimVani is about to enter its fourth year in existence and till now the journey has been a mixed bag of exalted moments and also disappointments. At the end of it, we have emerged with greater confidence and, therefore, see HimVani as a potent factor in the social lives of Himachalis in the near future.
With that also arises the need for greater responsibility to meet the expectations of all those who associate themselves with HimVani. Though limited by resources, we have tried our best to offer an honest assessment of day-to-day happenings in the state, and an effective platform for every Himachali to voice their concerns. As of today, HimVani has emerged as the only productive social media initiative in the state, having a wide volunteer and reader base.
But this is just the beginning, and HimVani intends to change the landscape of media in the state, making it more responsive in reporting, dialectic in outlook, democratic in approach and proactive in action. So the year ahead can be said to be very crucial for the HimVani family as it sets on a journey of real challenges. As has been our endeavor, this year we will be focusing on more research-based stories that the mainstream media generally ignores, either willfully or due to lack of concern. Besides, we will also be running several campaigns to encourage reader reporters to come up with full length stories on issues close to their heart, besides taking them up with authorities concerned. HimVani will also hold special interaction session with its readers, reporters to help build strong pubic opinion on issues. HimVani will also be taking forward its initiative to work with civil society organizations by taking up campaigns on their behalf.
Besides, we have been working on building new channels of broadcast to build a real-time communication channel so that even an unlettered person is heard, and this year we will certainly see something on the front. There are of course many other things to do, but it is better to go step by step for proper implementation. We hope to get full support from HimVani’s well-wishers, and we are for sure are not going to disappoint you.
