People are more important than those who govern them.
Karvaan India is a new-age digital media organisation that puts people and their lived realities at the centre of its journalism. We focus on how policies, laws and decisions made by institutions of power affect people’s everyday lives, rather than limiting our reporting to those who make those decisions
This does not mean that we stay away from politics or those in positions of power. We report on politics, governments and institutions, but we do so with a clear editorial principle: people are more important than those who govern them.
We call this Bottom-Up Journalism.
Bottom-Up Journalism begins with people. It asks what a policy means for a worker, a student, a farmer, a woman, a marginalised community or an ordinary citizen. It follows the consequences of decisions beyond the announcement, the press conference or the legislative debate, and seeks to understand how power is experienced at the ground level.
Our journalism is therefore concerned not only with who made a decision, but who lives with its consequences.
Our work isn’t built around trends. It’s built around curiosity.
Our Areas of Journalism
Public Interest and Sustainable Development Goals
Our Public Interest and SDGs section will focus on issues that have a direct bearing on people’s lives and on the larger questions of sustainable development. This will include environmental concerns, climate change, public health, education, livelihoods, inequality, housing, food security, urban development, gender and other issues connected to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The section will approach these issues through people’s experiences, asking how public policies and development decisions affect communities and what their real-world consequences are.
Peace, Justice and Law
This section will examine the relationship between law, justice and society. It will cover constitutional questions, rights, access to justice, legal institutions, conflicts and the ways in which laws and judicial decisions affect people’s everyday lives.
The idea is to make law and justice accessible while also reporting on the institutions and individuals who exercise legal and constitutional power.
Politics and Power
Politics remains an important part of our journalism. We will report on elections, political parties, governments, public institutions and those who exercise power.
Our approach, however, will consistently return to the people affected by political decisions.
Instead of asking only, “What has the government announced?”, we want to ask, “What does this announcement mean for the people who have to live with it?” Instead of stopping at a political controversy, we want to follow its consequences.
This is the foundation of Bottom-Up Journalism: moving from the lives of people to the institutions that govern them, and then following the story back to the people.
In the Media
Different projects. One shared purpose.
Heritage Walks & Tours
We conduct heritage walks and cultural tours that help participants engage with the history, architecture, memory, and lived experiences of neighbourhoods. Our objective is not only to explore the past but also to preserve credible and inclusive histories against distortion, erasure, and ideological appropriation. Every walk is designed to deepen understanding of the places we inhabit and the communities that have shaped them.
Library
Karvaan India hosts an online library with a growing collection of more than one thousand books spanning literature, history, politics, culture, religion, philosophy, and the social sciences. The library is open to students, working professionals, researchers, and senior citizens through an affordable membership programme designed to make knowledge accessible to all.
Workshops
We organise workshops that combine creativity, learning, and practical skills. Our offerings include:
• Urdu Language Workshops
• Creative Writing Workshops
• Reporting and Journalism Workshops
• Photojournalism Workshops
• Storytelling and Documentation Workshops
Advisory Board
Tanveer Fazal
Professor & Author
Max Krammer
Film Make & Scholar
Ambrien Alqadr
Film Producer
Aditya Menon
Journalist
Anand Vivek Taneja
Professor
Abhishek Majumdar
Professor
Tanzil Rahman
Entrepreneur