The Story Behind the Special Edition of ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike’

Even though their editor was shot dead, employees of Gauri Lankesh Patrike didn’t stop the edition.

Gauri Lankesh in her early days.

Gauri Lankesh

Before she was brutally murdered by unidentified men, journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh had taken money from one of her insurance policies in order to pay the salaries of her employees.

For those working at Gauri Lankesh Patrike, journalism was not just a job, but a commitment towards a cause. Therefore, the day after she was killed, they all gathered in the office, and decided to continue working on the paper. They decided to work day and night to bring out a special edition in Gauri’s honour, even though they were in mourning.

“We are emotionally tied. There was no employer-employee relationship. Everyone worked for half the market salary, though each one deserves much more. But they work here because they know they are working for a cause,” said Shiv Sundar, columnist, Gauri Lankesh Patrike.

According to him, doing the job was not tough. But the thought that she wasn’t around anymore was difficult. “A day after the funeral, we were at the office, and everyone believed we should not stop the press, because that would hurt Gauri.”

Soon, many offered to write for the special edition. Overwhelmed by the response, the editors had to drop some articles as there was not enough space.

But after rushing to print the special edition, reality began to sink in for them. They know there won’t be another Gauri. “If Gauri had continued in the field of journalism, she would have been a successful editor. Her journey can be traced from that of a comfort zone to one of a conflict zone, and not many choose that,” Shiv Sundar said.

Sundar concluded, saying to produce a Gauri, to produce an organic intellectual and journalist from this social milieu, will take a lot of time, but they would take her fight forward.

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