Lokmaanya literally means approved and loved by the people. India’s first Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore gave this coveted title to the legendary freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of the few leaders who appealed to the entire Indian subcontinent.
The fiery leader packed a punch in India’s freedom struggle and brought it to the masses across the Indian subcontinent. His bold, undaunting writing captured the imagination of the people and stirred them into action. His appeal and impact spread across British India like wildfire.
Till date, the Indian subcontinent has seen thousands of maharajas, hundreds of netas, and even two Mahatmas, but only one Lokmaanya.
Drawing inspiration from Lokmanya Tilak’s connect with the masses, bold writings, and pan-subcontinental presence, Lokmaanya is an online media portal that brings forth the stories of India and its neighbourhood. India’s neighbourhood broadly consists of the Indian subcontinent, South East Asia, the Gulf and Central Asia.
Map not to scale. Depiction and use of boundaries geographic names and related data shown on map is not guaranteed to be accurate and does not necessarily reflect endorsement or acceptance on part of the author. Created with mapchart.net.
Why Are We Doing This? (Our Purpose)
- To connect individuals, communities, organisations and cultures within the Indian subcontinent and its neighbourhood through stories.
- To extend complex topics beyond the intellectual elite circles and bring them to the people through simple language and narration.
- To expand policy discourse beyond New Delhi and give the rest of the country a stronger voice in India’s policy decisions.
- To, eventually, influence policy through research and mobilising public opinion.
Why Stories?
Simply put, the appeal of a story is universal. It is captivating, memorable, and often, more insightful than matter-of-fact information. It can start a conversation, connect people, and play a positive role in establishing cross-cultural trust.
How Shall We Do It?
- By publishing regional stories, in both English and regional languages.
- By building a network of individuals, communities, and organisations.
- By engaging in intra-regional collaborations.
What Will We Be Doing?
- Content – Our content is our hero. We are essentially a media portal that features stories on all non-fiction topics related to India and its neighbourhood. These can be stories about individuals, communities, organisations, and cultures, or even about the world from our region’s and people’s point of view. And they will be in text, audio, visual and all upcoming formats.
- Network – Through interactive events, networking groups and sessions, MoUs and collaborations on content, events, and projects.
Questions? Get in touch with us.