Remember Dinesh Kumar, the 51-year-old journalist from Muzaffarnagar who made headlines for defying the digital age by handwriting a daily newspaper, Vidya Darshan?

While the rest of the world debates deepfakes and AI, Dinesh Kumar uses a sketch pen, spending three hours daily to write about “real-life issues that are not attended by others,” distributing his paper, Vidya Darshan, on a bicycle. He funds his paper by selling chocolates and ice cream. This grassroots effort, focusing on crime and community issues, proves the power of the pen is far from obsolete. Kumar’s realization came in 2008 after alerting the public to a “Blade Man” incident by pasting handwritten warnings, prompting local authorities to act. His mission is to deliver ground issues directly to the government’s caretakers.

Journalist Dinesh Kumar believes: “I feel that the power of the pen is such that it can change the system and improve the condition of the country.”

“In a media landscape dominated by speed, algorithms, and entertainment, what lesson does the dedication of journalists like Dinesh Kumar (reporting on ‘real issues’ via a handwritten paper) offer to modern journalism about impact vs. reach?”