India in the minds of Indians abroad is a confused image which translates either into a romantic version of the country left behind which has a great tradition, culture and society or moves into the realm of the eternal litanies beginning with inept politicians, to corruption to over population to the lack of infrastructure. Indians abroad need to know India as it is today, have to hear what is happening and understand its complexities and contradictions.
We have to read about the various developmental initiatives, the stories about ordinary people like us who are doing extraordinary things, the support such people require, the policies that need to change, and the burning social issues and much more. Why should Indians abroad know this? We are the face of India in the countries we live in, we should present a true picture of the country rather than the usual platitudes about corruption, cows and over population. It is to this end that I would like to recommend two wonderful websites to the readers of Lokvani. They are run by great people and tell you about India. India together points your attention to what needs to be done, while Good News India tells you about what is being done!!

Indiatogether.com’s motto says ‘the news that matters’, Ashwin Mahesh and Subramaniam Vincent, who are the co-founders, directors publishers and editors of this website live up to the motto. I am a daily reader of this website since the last one year and as an internet empowered citizen, and concerned individual this has been my eye opener to the Indian reality. India Together brings news and in-depth views on public interest and development issues without fear or favor. They are partly funded by reader support.

Indiatogether may not be the easy to digest capsule that is fed to us by mainstream news media, but a small meaningful journal trying to reach the civic and social conscience of every Indian. This is a powerful information tool to deepen our understanding of issues pertaining to agriculture, economy, education, environment , government, human rights, poverty , women, adivasis, peace, law , media ,health and human rights. .
The agrarian crisis and farmer suicides were brought alive by P.Sainath's passionate and knowledgeable series in India Together ( http://www.indiatogether.com/opinions/psainath/suiseries.htm) and Mike Levien’s moving account of life in various dam-affected villages and rehabilitation sites of the Sardar Sarovar Project( http://wwwindiatogether.com/2004/aug/hrt-narmada.htm) . They left me questioning why this is still happening. The seeds of hope have been sown in my mind with the piece on bio-fuel alternatives ( http://www.indiatogether.com/2004/aug/env-biofuels.htm) . India Together is where I have sourced all this and much more from. Do make time to read it and I promise you will get hooked! .

http://www.goodnewsindia.com is a delight in today’s world where it’s unfashionable to hope. Goodnewsindia or GNI as its founder calls it is another name for HOPE! GNI lives up to its name and recounts wonderful tales about people that will warm the cockles of our heart. It is not based on fantasy or hear say, each of the stories is personally researched by D.V.Sridharan the indefatigable publisher, owner, chief writer cum factum-factotum of GNI. He runs the website with his own money, travels around the country seeking stories and takes refuge at his farm in Chennai to present these vignettes to the world. .

Through GNI, I met Rangaswamy Elango(http://www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/transitions/elango.html),an Engineer who left his job with CSIR to go back to lead his village, Kuthambakkam to prosperity. He has many more ideas and dreams: to start village industries for a cluster of villages, open a panchayat training academy and get a high school in his village. He needs help from each and every one of us, he needs our moral support and our encouragement and India needs more Elangos. You can reach him through GNI, talk with him and find out more and maybe join hands with him. .
Shree Padre the rainwater harvesting evangelist in Karnataka(http://www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/conservation/shreePadre.html) and Abdul Kareem the forest maker (http://www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/inspirational/abdulKareem.html) and Anuradha Bakshi who runs ‘Project Why ‘for slum children in Delhi (http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Magazine/story/74/)are all my heroes. Come to GNI meet them, listen to their stories, I promise you will not be able to stop!.

Do open the door to this glimpse of India!!! If Indiatogether and Goodnewsindia inspire you to help, to reach out, to debate and to spread the word…..don’t restrain the impulse, do it. India needs every one of us!

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