Meerut :

Dinesh Kumar, 44, an ice cream hawker in the city, believes in sharing his opinion about day-to-day issues concerning people’s lives. That’s why he spends hours outside the collectorate every day and comes out with a hand-written newspaper by the end of the day. With little means, the option of circulating the paper is ruled out, so Kumar takes out its photocopies and pastes it on city walls.

Kumar says he writes about issues that don’t even make it through the vernacular press. “I try to highlight those issues which are not covered by the mainstream on vernacular media. I start my day by reaching the collectorate office at 10.30 am and scanning Hindi newspapers. Sometimes when I witness something of consequence happening around me, I pen my thoughts on that too,” he says.

“There are three reasons why I started writing. First, I try to make suggestions to the administration on how to solve problems that affect the public. My second motive is to spread social awareness. And finally I am hopeful that people who indulge in criminal or immoral activities will change after reading my newspaper,” explains Kumar.

Master Vijay Singh, a local activist, is perhaps Kumar’s most loyal reader. Singh has been protesting outside the district magistrate’s office against land mafia for nearly 20 years, and says, “Though his writing skills are not exceptional, since he dropped out of school after class VIII, sometimes the issues that he touches upon really appeal to me. He had once told me that he wanted to become a lawyer. Despite not having acces to a television, internet or a smartphone, he is quite well-informed.”

Kumar says he sends a copy of his paper to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Prime Minister Narendra Modi every day. But does anybody take notice? “Additional district magistrate Indramani Tripathi tells me he likes my work. Former district magistrate Surendra Singh called me to his office and told me I was doing a good job,” he says

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Meerut / by Pankul Sharma, TNN / February 25th, 2015