13-year-old bride went from rag-picking to representing at UN

At 34 Maya Muktai has traversed more worlds than many twice her age From ragpicking to representing India at an international conference from a child bride to a video journalist Muktairsquos story made her one of the finalists for the 2021 Network for Women in the Media fellowshipBorn in a village in Marathwada Muktai couldnrsquot attend school because she had to help her family in the fields Married off at 13 she moved to Nashik city Her neighbours there were rag pickers and she joined them slogging all day to earn Rs 20 By the time she turned 14 shersquod had her first child However neither lack of schooling nor the daily grind of survival killed the teenagerrsquos natural curiosityUnlike other unions the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat headed by Punersquos legendary Baba Adhav which she joined in 2003 gave its members opportunities to grow introducing them to training programmes conducted by NGOs Muktai first learnt to sign her name and then signed up for every programme ldquoI wanted to learn every skill possiblerdquo she saysFirst step into filmmakingIn 2010 Maya was among three ragpickers selected by the Panchayat to represent India at the UN Climate Change conference held at Tianjin China There she was introduced to the wonder of videography On her return she requested the Panchayat to help her learn this skill The training she received from NGO Abhivyakti changed her lifeShe decided her first film would be on her colleagues ldquoOnly a ragpicker could make the film I wantedrdquo says Muktai ldquoOutsiders donrsquot even regard us as humans As an insider I knew what to highlight beginning from how much these women slog from the time they wake uprdquo The response from her colleagues encouraged Muktai to show her documentary to the authorities including Nashikrsquos police force Ironically while shooting ragpickers at a dumping ground a policeman had beaten her believing that a video camera in a ragpickerrsquos hands meant it had to be stolen propertyMaking community videos to highlight the problems of people like her became Muktairsquos new profession ldquoI couldnrsquot write using a camera was easier And Irsquove found that a 5minute video is more effective than a newspaper reportrdquoIn 2013 Muktai joined Video Volunteers an organisation that commissions video journalists from the grassroots to highlight community issues She makes two videos a month for them but stays with the story till the problem is resolved Repeated followups with officials and going back to the community to check if official claims are true have sometimes taken as long as two yearsShort of cash but full of hopeAll this means Muktai is always short of money Persuading villagers to come to Nashik to meet officials often involves paying their fare and looking after their needs in the city ldquoI need to make them feel securerdquo she says ldquoThey have put their trust in merdquoNot everyone is willing to speak on camera says Muktai ldquoI keep telling people we canrsquot wait for some leader to come and solve our problems we have the right to basic amenities and we must speak up for itrdquo Through her videos she has helped bring water and even homes to communities deprived of them ldquoThe experience of winning your rights by your own struggle is invaluable for those who feel they are powerlessrdquo says MuktaiDespite her precarious finances Muktai is unwilling to join commercial news channels in Nashik ldquoChannel owners have their own links with the establishment As a freelancer I can question anyonerdquoRecipient of many awards Muktai has now set up Pukar Films Production with activist Anand Pagare to make promotional documentaries Brimming with ideas the single mother of three now hopes to start her own YouTube channel one day