A woman’s odyssey thro’ the rough terrain

by Dilshan Boange

When reading Along the Red River by Sabita Goswami one is shown firstly that ‘it is a man’s world’, in which a woman must prove herself. In this article the focus will be on the author as a woman journalist in India. The intense male domination of social and political life in the environs described in Goswami’s narrative makes one marvel at the courage and determination shown by the veteran Assamese journalist in successfully carving out a career that proved her the equal of any accomplished male colleague in the challenging world of journalism.

Goswami’s beginnings in journalism speak of both passion for the profession, and pragmatism on the part of a wife and mother who had to be conscious of the realities of the household economy.

The earnings of a journalist compared to a corporate executive, for example, in a region such as ours, are anything but fabulous.

But owing to the nature of the domestic conditions that she had to face, Goswami had to opt for a line of work which would also allow her the space and time to attend to her household duties.

The book shows a woman journalist who adapts to routines that were highly strenuous and didn’t relent to succeed in her profession. The story is of a woman journalist who believed the ethics and the objectives of her profession to be sacrosanct.

Professional standards

The credibility and worthiness of Goswami as a journalist to the world of international news comes out clearly in the trust and faith the BBC’s Delhi correspondent Mark Tully had placed in her.

In his foreword to the book Tully says, “During my years as the BBC’s Delhi correspondent, we relied on our team of local correspondents throughout India to maintain the BBC’s reputation for broadcasting correct news, and broadcasting it first.

“One of the most dedicated members of this team was Sabita Goswami, who reported for us on Assam and the Northeast.”

As testimony to the exceptional standards of professionalism maintained by the authoress during her career as a correspondent for the BBC Tully says, “A person of great integrity and high professional standards, she had a wide range of contacts throughout the Northeast and made a point of travelling to the remotest areas to ensure authentic coverage.”

On reading the narrative in Along the Red River one will see that Tully’s words never exaggerate in testifying to the mettle Goswami had shown as an asset to the world of international news.

Braving the odds

Sleeping in bare rooms adjacent to cattle sheds in remote tribal areas, braving inimical tactics of intimidation by insurgents, rendezvousing with rebel groups at undisclosed locations at ungodly hours to get interviews at the risk of getting caught in crossfire in the event of government crackdowns, travelling along treacherously tortuous terrains regardless of the time of day, risking life and limb in areas cut off from modern modes of communication, Goswami lives to be one of those fascinating figures one may read of in novels who live through extraordinary situations that can test the solidness of one’s nerves. But the most gripping factor in Along the Red River is that it is all from real life!

As a correspondent for several international news agencies reporting mainly on the Assam agitation and the turbulent Northeast of India the author speaks of how her reputation for integrity grew among her fraternity and it engendered some rather hurtful undercutting and callous belittlement on account of her gender.

The notable regard with which she was held by many a civil servant and politico alike, shows that despite the male domination that prevailed in her society, a brave heart and iron resolve to be true to one’s conscience when doing one’s job will overcome the gender barrier.

Uncompromising integrity will always command the secret respect of even the most wily and unscrupulous of people. Sabita Goswami the journalist proves it in her narrative of overcoming all odds that may have sought to compromise her as a professional.

Mass graves

To a journalist the duty owed to the public in bringing them truthful news is paramount. Goswami exemplifies that quality through her professional conduct and must be hailed for the exceptionally praiseworthy examples she sets.

And among the high profile stories she had broken to the media at that time are stories relating to mass graves in jungles about militant violence against civilians and the extensive coverage on the Assam elections; and on one account she says thus about the elections of the early 80s; “Non-violent” was how the Assam Agitation was publicised but this was not entirely correct because it had a parallel violent streak and there were at least 500 bombs before the 1983 elections according to police reports.

“On April 6, 1981, E.S. Parthasarthy, the Commissioner of Upper Assam was killed in a bomb blast in Jorhat just as he was about to sit on his office chair that morning. The general manager of Oil India, Robin Mitra, was dragged out of his car by picketers agitating to stop crude oil being sent out of the state and lynched.”

The reader of the digital age will no doubt find rather interesting how the articles were filed to meet deadlines in the pre-internet era. Goswami through the accounts of how she relayed her story over the phone and through telegraphy has also offered in her story a record for posterity as to how journalism practically functioned ‘back in the day’.

The Northeast Times

One of the most heart-wrenching incidents one comes across that befell Goswami on her path to contributing to the world of Indian journalism is what becomes of The Northeast Times, the paper she had started initially on the whim of her husband who was ever prepared to venture into new experiments that would at times end up in misadventures. The Northeast Times had become a family run operation that won the acclaim of many and gave the author and her daughters Triveni and Nandini the satisfaction of being involved in a worthwhile endeavour that demanded their heart and soul to be committed to its success.

Sadly, The Northeast Times had failed to become financially viable over the course of a few years and had come to an end. But the ‘unkindest cut of all’ as per Shakespearean diction, had come in the form of Goswami’s husband’s thoughtlessness which is explained thus, “...what I feel really anguished by is the fact that I do not have a single copy of The Northeast Times with me now. When I left Guwahati, my husband sold off the files of all the issues of The Northeast Times and my diary of notes to the scrap dealer.” An indignation that defies description is what I feel the authoress and her daughters are entitled to feel on that matter, being a writer myself.

Myths

The role of the author in the realm of journalism is of course all pervasive in this book. Her profession defines much of who she is in this world. And what the reader may appreciate is that her life perhaps debunks the myths that an Indian woman from a somewhat traditional background may be unlikely to reach the professional heights a man would. As a veteran journalist who served the cause of her conscience with extraordinary courage and integrity that never yielded to pressure, Sabita Goswami shows how belief in oneself is foremost when setting out to meet obstacles that test the pulse of those who seek to prove that the pen can be mightier than the sword.