Kannada book on journalists who died during the pandemic

It covers the hardships their families had to face since the pandemic broke out

Senior journalist Shivanand Tagaduru has released ‘Covid Kathegalu’, a Kannada book about journalists from Karnataka who died because of Covid-19.

Published by Bahuroopi Publications in January, the book chronicles the tales of 45 journalists and their family members, and how the pandemic affected them.

“Around 98 journalists lost their lives to Covid-19,” says Shivanand, who is also the president of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).

Shivanand recalls how the book came along over two years: “I spoke to some families over the phone, and met some in person. From Belagavi to Chamarajanagar, the book depicts the reality of the families where journalists were the sole breadwinners.”

The second wave had a devastating effect on the media fraternity, he says.

“Every day I would get news from various taluks of journalists passing away. Be it reporters or photojournalists, working from home wasn’t an option for many. They could not stay at home and let the pandemic pass. As they went on reporting from the field, devastating stories emerged from across Karnataka,” he adds.

He recounts incidents where the families were unable to get the bodies of their loved ones for the last rites. “There was no way the bodies could be released from the hospital without paying bills which went into lakhs,” he explains.

Though journalists are considered frontline workers, these incidents never made it to front page news, says G N Mohan, journalist and founder of Bahuroopi Publications. “Stories of the people in the newsroom rarely get the limelight they deserve,” he says.

The publishing house is also trying to dedicate a separate section for Kannada books on the media industry at their bookstore.

“I haven’t seen any bookstore doing this in the city. These books will give us an insight into the industry and the people who run it,” adds Mohan.

Help for journos

With the help of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, KUWJ has organised a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of journalists who succumbed to the virus in the second wave. Now the union has reached out to the present government to arrange compensation for the families who were affected in the outbreak in the past month, informs Shivanand.

He has also started an informal group to help journalists in Karnataka. “Every month we raise approximately Rs 30,000 and the amount is donated to those in need,” he adds.