Writing for The Kodai Chronicle
A guide to writing for this new bi-monthly from the Western Ghats. This document will introduce you to:
Our Sections
We invite you to find your own space/s within The Kodai Chronicle, in one of the following sections.
Environment and Wildlife: Flora and fauna native to the Palani Hills—stories about wildlife, and environmental concerns such as dwindling sholas and pollution. In addition to covering local concerns, we aim to build environmental journalism from a biodiversity hotspot as a pivotal part of what we do.
Community: Profiles of and interviews with local/ regional personalities and places, as well as features on offbeat parts of town. Reportage, perspective, and commentary around ongoing concerns; stories from locals and former residents.
Food: Local recipes and ingredients, recommendations for Kodai’s best dishes and where to get them, and the best of new restaurants, home cooks and takeaway services in the area. Also, matters of cultivation, both personal and commercial, and guidance for growers.
Culture: Books, art, film, and music connected to Kodai, through interviews, book extracts, reviews, essays and profiles. Also, elements of subculture related to Kodai and other mountains, through our featured essay, ‘Window Seat’.
Our new feature ‘Peak to Peak’ features other mountains, expanding the narrative and speaking ‘peak to peak’. These essays could fit into any section. For a sample, please read Bulbul Sharma’s Peak to Peak: Shaya, and My Orchard in The Himalayas | The Kodai Chronicle.
Do read through our stories (archived here) to get a sense of what we are looking for. Please note: we welcome submissions from both specialists and lay people who have knowledge of, or have spent time with, these subjects.
Please write to thekodaichronicle@gmail.com with your 100-word pitch, we will be in touch if there is interest in taking this story forward.
Terms & Conditions
Articles typically run from 1000-1500 words, off a clear, assigned brief, following a discussion with our editorial team. We commission a few long-form pieces (3000 words plus). We are open to short/ long pieces as is feasible and apt. We require 4-8 images (1 MB minimum high resolution) for each piece, and help to source them if you do not access to images.
Send each section editor a clear pitch of a few lines, outlining what you want to cover and how; if there is a particular peg connecting this story to Kodai and the surrounding areas at a particular time/ season/ date, please identify this clearly. The editor will usually get back to you within 2-6 weeks, depending on where we are at with our production schedule (this is still a small team of volunteers).
Expect your article to be edited at several levels (initial structural edit, copy edit), as part of a collaborative process.
We pay for original work at the following rates: Rs 3000 for shorter 800-1000 word lists or guides; Rs 5000 for 800-1000 word reported pieces involving multiple inputs (features or profiles); and Rs 15,000 for long-form articles of over 3000 words involving extended reportage.
About Us
The Kodai Chronicle was created and published by residents and friends of Kodaikanal and neighbouring areas, launching digitally in June with a pilot issue.
Subsequently, we have moved to a bimonthly format, publishing an issue on Waste Management (Issue 1, July), Wildlife (Issue 2, August end); and Sholas (Issue 3, October end); End of the Year (Issue 4, December), and a Local’s Guide to Kodai (Issue 5, May 1st), in May 2022. While each section will focus at least one articles around its respective theme, we publish other non-related material with each issue.
We are administered by The Kodai Chronicle Trust, a not-for-profit organization established by Kodai residents.