A sk any person the difference between an ‘F.I.R’ and ‘N.C.’ and chances are that you will get a blank stare in return. Awareness of one's legal rights is essential for creation of an exploitation - free society. Legal ignorance only breeds corruption and tyranny.

Hence it is with the vision to end this legal ignorance that Ms. Tasnim, a law student from Symbiosis University,Pune decided to spend an year in the rural parts of Madurai to work on a project of creating legal provisions and rights awareness among the community through community journalism.

Through this project she aims to provide legal rights and entitlement training and take sessions on the basics of journalism. Through the end of the fellowship based on the awareness sessions, the community members would be writing articles and essays which will be converted into monthly newsletters and the recorded sessions would be uploaded on a dedicated YouTube channel and broadcast through the radio media as well.

“ The project would not just help in the legal awareness of rural communities but also train them to use cameras and social media so that it can be beneficial to the larger section”

Ms.Tasnim Jahan

At her project location, people are active and very much interested in knowing their rights, she observed.

Moreover ,according to her , the project would not just help in the legal awareness of rural communities but also train them to use cameras and social media so that it can be beneficial to the larger section. The key aspects of the project would involve soft skill development and utilization of social media and internet.

As of now a local Advocate has been finalized who would be helping her in talking legal awareness sessions and the schedule has been finalized. Another part of her project would be identifying volunteers from the community who will be taking this project further ahead.

Tasnim & Members of Vayalagam Vanoli Radio