Where news doesn't reach: Man publishes handwritten paper for remote Patuakhali area
"I had a pipe dream of publishing a newspaper one day, but this was impossible for someone like me."
In this day and age of digital printing, the bi-monthly "Andharamanik" is a curious phenomenon. Published by Kalapara upazila's own Hasan Parvez, the paper is actually handwritten by Hasan himself!
Locals treat the paper as something of a miracle. Due to its remote location, the upazila is generally inaccessible to vehicles that can bring daily newspapers. As a result, locals are left without the means to stay updated with not only the world, but their own area as well.
What's more, as stable network is hard to come by, the area doesn't have much internet to be able to access news sites regularly.
Publishing a newspaper or magazine also requires heavy investment. Cameras, cutting-edge smartphones, advanced digital technology -- none of which Hasan Parvez has.
What he does have though is his hands, and with them he has been publishing the "Andharamanik" for the last two and half years.
Reader Abu Saleh said, "We don't have any newspapers here. Andharamanik is our hope. Through its pages, we get to know the stories of joy and sorrow of our area."
The newspaper was named after the river that flows through Kalapara town. As a paper dedicated to the working people, it was first self-published on May 1, 2019, marking May Day. Hasan himself is the editor and publisher.
"It took a lot for me to study up to HSC. But after passing it, I had to stop my studies altogether due to financial troubles," he told The Daily Star. "My father had fallen ill, and I had to shoulder the family's burdens."
"I had a pipe dream of publishing a newspaper one day, but this was impossible for someone like me."
"But then I decided to go for it even though I didn't have any capital for such a venture. I mean, I still had hands and I could write, right? This realisation lead me to bring my dreams into reality," a confident Hasan said.
"I've been blessed with everyone's love so far, and if that continues, I'll surely be able to improve the paper in the future."
But despite his optimism, the bi-monthly publication keeps running into financial trouble, which makes its publishing cycle rather irregular.
At 38, Parvez is the eldest among Hasina Begum and Mostafa Kamal Hossain's four children. The family lives at West Sonatala village of Kalapara, some 61km south of Patuakhali district town. He passed his SSC in 2015 and HSC two years later.
On the toughest days, Hasan has to make a living by working as a day labourer. But he's still publishing the paper as regularly as possible, as he feels there's a need for the locals to read about the injustices, problems and possibilities of society.
Walking around the village, he collect stories and puts them up on his four-page paper by hand. It is then photocopied and sold at a price of Tk 10 in the village market. Earnings from this and his temporary jobs help the family have two whole meals a day.
Contacted, Nilganj UP chairperson Nasir Uddin Ahmed said, "Hasan Parvez is the pride of locals. We're at awe of his talent. I will aid him in his work as much as possible."
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