Changing narratives in sports journalism with SAJF support

The Svran-Apeejay Journalism Foundation (SAJF) aims to strategically intervene in the media landscape to bolster high-quality journalism. By focusing its efforts selectively, the foundation ensures optimal impact without overlapping with the initiatives of other organisations. It maintains a neutral stance, devoid of political, philosophical, or ideological biases, and promotes a wide spectrum of viewpoints and ideas.

The SAJF initiative offers unrestricted funding, providing four annual grants of Rs 3 lakh each, dispersed monthly over six months at Rs 50,000 per month. These grants enable journalists to thoroughly explore and produce long-form stories that shed a positive light on India or its various regions, across all types of media including print, digital, and video. To date, the foundation has awarded eight grants.

One such recipient is Bhavya Dore, a freelance journalist based in Mumbai, specialising in sports, gender, and culture. In a candid interview, she shares her journey.

What inspired you to choose the topic of women in sports for your project?

From a very young age, I have played several sports, and continue to do so. I have also always enjoyed them as a viewer. For several years as a freelance journalist, I wrote different kinds of stories about women in sports: From women officials to athletes who returned to competition after giving birth, to women commentators. I learnt a lot from one particular woman sports journalist group on Facebook that helped me think of these stories in different ways. The stories I proposed as part of the grant were thus a natural extension of my interests.

How did you plan to approach the research for your stories?

I began work on these stories in January 2020, which is when my grant officially began. I was able to do an in-depth profile of Sania Mirza as she returned to the tour after giving birth, and a feisty interview with Jwala Gutta before COVID-19 restrictions clamped down on travel. A piece on women in cricket that was pending publication was abruptly scrapped with the onset of the pandemic. The stories I ended up doing were a mix of reported features, interviews, and profiles. They had to be adapted and tweaked to the moment, as travel was banned and most of the reporting had to be done on the phone.

What are some of the biggest challenges that women face?

Funding, recognition, and at the grassroots level, resources. Also, there were some articles I could not work on, like exploring women’s roles in leadership and administration within sports, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What kind of impact did the articles have on the public perception of women in sports in India?

The most impactful story to emerge from the grant was a story I did on transgender athletes. It was a completely different perspective in the Indian context and brought new facets to light. This appeared as a full-page story in Mint Lounge. It won two awards: From the Mumbai Press Club as well as the Humsafar Trust that recognises sensitive reporting on LGBT issues. I was also invited to moderate an online panel discussion on this subject. Another story on Siddi athletes was shortlisted for the AIPS sports media awards. I cannot say what impact my stories have had on public perception. That is something harder to measure.

 Has your background in writing about sports, gender, and culture influenced your views on the potential for change within the Indian sports community?

I don’t think of my job as necessarily promulgating change. To imagine that one’s work can help promote change is gratifying, but it would be vain and foolish to think that a single person or single story can set change in motion. As a journalist I believe my job is to report, describe, and bring stories to light — what happens after is not in our hands.

Are there other areas within sports or culture you are interested in exploring?

I continue to work as a journalist and write for various national and international publications. I also work as the managing editor of a podcast called Friend of the Court.

How did the grant from SAJF help further your cause?

Although I was not able to do all the stories I wanted to, because of COVID-19, the grant helped me work on stories that interested and excited me. It gave me the space and time to think about deeper issues and work on more in-depth reporting.