Readers, we will be ceasing operations in June 2023. This has been a difficult yet necessary decision, for our independent, community-driven publication.
‘For the last two years, we have put together issue after issue, with the time, talent and energy of countless volunteers, staffers, advisors and well-wishers,’ says editor @rajnithegeorge, writing with the rest of the TKC team. ‘Due to a lack of resources and limited readership, we have taken the decision to discontinue our print edition, and hit pause on all editorial work so we can reassess where we stand. We believe in the value of The Kodai Chronicle, the value of storytelling informed by lived experience in the mountains, and the importance of this perspective in any conservation effort. But we can no longer continue in our current format, given the mounting challenges: the expense of print as a medium, and the inability to pay employees in an equitable manner, to name a few.’
While we taking a breather, we will be returning the drawing board and working on fundraising, as is feasible.
We raised almost 20 lakhs last year, to produce six issues over one year and pay our team of volunteers small retainers. (We published 10 issues in total, in print and digitally, and one pilot edition in each medium.) This was no mean feat, and it was possible thanks to all of you.
But, we would need several crores to run TKC professionally for at least three years and establish it, with a full team and equitable pay. We don’t expect that this is possible via a regular subscription drive or crowdfunding campaign. Hence, the decision to pause and focus on macro-planning. For, we need funding through grants or a sustainable revenue stream, or both.
This is why we want to hire a fundraising director and support fundraising efforts. If you wish to support this endeavor, follow this link.
Meanwhile: We will be continuing to release Issue 10 and related stories! Thank you for reading TKC, and for being a part of what we haev done.
Regards,
Team TKC
