there’s a lot in one name

Several years ago, I set out to write a story on Mumbai’s dire water supply issue, which is especially faced by slum dwellers. In central Mumbai, when I was surrounded by a group of slum dwellers, most of them women, one of them said, “She [name withdrawn] The water of this slum is a part of the mafia cartel. All the tankers that come here, they are wholly or partly theirs. I am sure he bribes officials to ensure that we do not get enough water daily. He’s not alone.”

Due to the lack of water supply, the slum dwellers have to depend on water tankers, run by a group of mafia, who extort huge sums of money from the daily wage labourers. Those who control the supply also play a major role in the politics of that slum. For me, then a Cubs reporter, the woman’s quote about a man affiliated with a political party was a treat. I immediately imagined the headline in the newspaper and wondered how this politician-bureaucratic nexus could be exposed.

“It’s terrible. I assure you I’ll publish it. What’s your name?” I asked. “My name? Why do you want my name,” he asked in turn. I stopped writing in my notebook. “How would anyone believe me? I have to say who is making this allegation. Don’t worry. It’s just a name,” I said. “Don’t write about it. Do whatever you want. I’m not giving you my name,” she said and disappeared. I stood there helplessly, wondering how my editor would react if I quoted her Link it to a ‘source’.

For journalists, interesting and informative quotes are not hard to come by; The challenge lies in seeking the source’s will for the name. Often on the field, I’ve heard solid stories and insights from strangers, but when it comes to taking names, they frustrate me, leaving me well informed.

The reason for this is mostly fear. A few years back, I had joined a veteran political leader on a visit to inspect a cyclone-hit coastal part of Maharashtra. When the leader took a lunch break, the villagers came to narrate their ordeal. I saw a man speaking out loud and explaining how coconut and mango trees were damaged by the cyclone. “The government is not giving anything. It takes 10-15 years for a tree to become financially profitable and all that investment is now nil,” I heard him say.

After sometime we reached him. Assuming he had suffered a great loss, we asked him about his condition. “Me? I don’t have a single tree,” he said. “But you were giving so much information there,” I said. He laughed. “I’m a government servant. Don’t quote me. You’d better ask the tehsildar.” Ask about the actual loss,” he said and made his way.

Similarly, farmers have often given me a lot of information when asked whether they have received insurance claims, but are almost always requested not to quote them. “If my name comes up, I will be targeted,” they all say. The only exceptions are those associated with farmer organizations.

While we reporters look for stories, there can be consequences for people to provide information. A while back, I met with an architect for a story on a redevelopment project. He had invited someone who had contacted him regarding problems with the project. The person stated his problem with the proposal. “This scheme will benefit the builder, not us,” he told me. “Right. We can do a story. How do I attribute you to the story,” I asked. “You can’t,” he said bluntly. Both the architect and I were shocked. Looking at our faces, he said : “You are a journalist, you will have no problem. The builder will target me when the story unfolds. I was angry. “Then why did you meet me,” I asked. “Just you know what builders are doing for the city. are,” he said.

The answer to this dilemma lies in the story being told. Sometimes, depending on the story, we persuade the person to go on record, sometimes identify them by profession, sometimes drop their quote and go with what we have and sometimes Sometimes they even skip the story altogether.

alok.deshpande@thehindu.co.in