By
March 1978 we had drafted a proposal for creating
the Journal outlining our ideas and asking
for suggestions and support. We sent the proposal
all over the country to anyone and everyone
who we thought might be interested. Numerous
people wrote, saying that such a magazine
would be filling an important vacuum and that
were ready to help in any way they could.
This was the beginning of a countrywide network
of support, distribution, feedback and information
collection.
At
this stage, we printed receipt books for collecting
subscriptions and donations, and sent them
to all who had volunteered to help. They began
a fund raising drive, collecting advance subscriptions.
We had priced the magazine at Rs.1 a copy,
without calculating the likely production
costs, which turned out to be substantially
higher. The decision to keep the price low
was taken without taking cost considerations
in view because we wanted to make it accessible
to as many people as possible.
We
hoped to make up the deficit by donations
from individuals and seeking only those ads,
which did not portray women in demeaning or
negative stereotypes. In all, about Rs. 12,000
was collected by the time the first issue
went to press, and was all spent in bringing
out the first English and the first Hindi
issue of Manushi.
At the inception, we took certain strict decisions
regarding the Journal’s finances:
• |
Manushi would raise its own
funds through small donations from individuals
and not depend on rich donors. |
• |
We would not accept grants from any institution,
Indian or foreign. |
• |
We would not accept any advertisements
which depicted women in oppressive or
stereotyped roles. This decision ruled
out most available advertisements, and
meant that we had to depend mostly on
advertisements from government agencies,
publishing houses, and complimentary
ads from well-wishers. |
However, we discontinued soliciting advertisements
after four issues because collecting ads involved
not just a lot of hard work and time-investment
but also brought with it a lot of sexual harassment.
With a small print run in a non-glamorous
magazine, Manushi was not seen as
advertisement suitable for big business houses.
Since we could not afford to have a hired
professional to solicit advertisements for
Manushi, we had to rely on personal
contacts. Apart from unpleasant experiences
at a personal level, we also found that by
saying “No” to sexist advertisements,
we were left with very few choices. Since
the advertisers required that we make the
magazine more glossy and ‘attractive’,
we decided to stop wasting our energies chasing
advertisements and instead endeavoured to
make Manushi a self-supporting, ad-free
journal. The decision meant working on a shoestring
budget and relying mainly on voluntary unpaid
labour because we simply could not afford
to hire paid staff.
The
decision against accepting grants was based
on the belief that creation of the economic
base for any political and social activity
is an integral part of its politics. By refusing
to rely on external grants we ensured from
the beginning, that we were impelled to create
an independent base for Manushi.
We saw collecting subscriptions and persuading
people to give donations as an important political
task because in the process we were simultaneously
linking many of them to Manushi’s
future and to the wider human rights movement
of which it is a part.
This
seemed a good way of not only of ensuring
readers’ sense of active participation
in Manushi’s development, but
also of ensuring its autonomy and its commitment
to the movement rather than to any set of
donors or institution. Such readers’
involvement is an everyday confirmation that
Manushi exists in response to a felt
need.
One thing that has helped Manushi
survive so far is that we never panicked when
money ran out. The Rs.12000 we collected initially
was supposed to cover the cost of six English
and six Hindi issues, but as the subscription
rates were so low, the money was all spent
in bringing out the first issue. This first
issue yielded many more subscriptions, and
this money was spent in bringing out the second
issue. Then, before sending the third issue
to press, we waited about three months for
more subscriptions, sales and ads money to
come in. We survived without budgets and calculations
– just living from issue to issue. The
only “calculation” we kept in
mind was that no cheque we issue should bounce
and that we avoid getting work done on credit.
This kept our credibility high with printers
and paper suppliers. We preferred to delay
issues rather than have creditors come angrily
knocking on our doors.
In
the early stages, we did not pay rent for
an office nor was anyone paid for working
at Manushi. Then began a yearlong search for
alternative accommodations. This was extremely
difficult; one major hurdle was that very
few landlords were willing to rent their space
to a magazine, for that would bring too many
visitors as well as get the property taxed
higher for “commercial” use, even
though Manushi is not really a commercial
magazine. Getting a personal lease was also
not easy because landlords are highly suspicious
of single women looking for an independent
place.
For
the next year or so, we literally carried
Manushi editorial material in our
shoulder bags. We met at friends’ houses,
or in cafes, parks and other public places,
doing most of the regular work wherever we
found ourselves, in our own homes or even
in the noisy and filthy atmosphere of the
printing press in a narrow gali of
Paharganj.
When Madhu finally found a two-room flat in
Lajpat Nagar it began to be used for Manushi
work as well as a residence for both Ruth
and Madhu. Friends of Manushi responded
to our appeals, and donated old tables, chairs,
shelves, and a portable typewriter, and we
organised a fund raising campaign to buy a
filing cabinet. Most of our office equipment
was similarly acquired.
The
deficit resulting from copies sold at subsidised
rates in India is covered partly by donations,
and partly by foreign subscriptions, which
have been deliberately priced above the cost
price.
The
situation has improved slowly; within 3-4
years Manushi was able to pay for
basic costs plus token salaries of some administrative
staff.
Some
of our readers come from far away to meet
us, work with us, help with Manushi
work during their vacations, invite us to
their homes; they have become close friends.
The affection and care we have received in
this way has been important source of emotional
sustenance and inspiration.
Now
that we are in the process of reviewing and
revising our policy regarding fund raising
so that Manushi can become a more effective
forum for catalysing the required social and
political reforms, we hope Manushi friends
will send us their ideas and suggestions and
join in the endeavour to provide Manushi a
more solid financial base.