“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”

Dear readers,

2018 has flashed past and while I sat writing this note, I fell short of words to express my gratitude for allowing us to into your lives.

The media space, while ever expanding and ever-changing, has been dominated by a few extremely powerful players. The impunity with which the media has functioned, or perhaps, continues to function, is a staggering display of how a deeply entrenched ecosystem works to subvert the opinions of the masses. Media has gas-lighted its way into manipulating opinions of several key issues and they do so, sometimes, with tools of subtle propaganda, and other times, with brazen lies.

Opindia started as an endeavour by some supremely talented part-timers who were sick of the prevalent narrative. As the curtains fall on 2018, while we remain but a small ripple in the ocean of perverted power, we have consistently tried to be the voice of those who never found an avenue. Those who were beaten down with condescension and snark just because their beliefs did not conform to media’s perfumed elite. Those who wanted to say something but were never given the chance.

2018 was a rollercoaster ride for OpIndia. By the end of 2017, we had decided that it was time for us to take a leap of faith and test the waters. We separated from Swarajya.com and started to find our own identity. There were times when the team was full of hopes, and there were times when we were emersed in self-doubt. There were times when we fact-checked the media and there were times where the stories we broke made us some powerful enemies. Through it all, the only constant, the only rock of hope was you. Our readers. Who supported us unconditionally through triumphs and doubts.

2018 was a fulfilling year. From high-stakes state assembly elections to getting defamation notices for rubbing a former censor board member’s actor daughter the wrong way, from covering Rahul Gandhi’s aloo-mobile factories in rallies to ground reporting from Bulandshahr, this year was all about learning and unlearning. Learning the nuances, unlearning what has been fed to us by ‘media’ all these years. With general elections just a few months away, we are bracing ourselves for sleepless nights. We promise to keep our standards as high as the hopes you have from us. – Nirwa Mehta Sharma

At a time when being ‘right-leaning’ made one into a pariah, you, readers, supported a venture that was attempting to take on an ecosystem that had the resources unmatched to our own.

When recently we came to you to help us build our business model, you voluntary bought our subscription. Every rupee was a whisper of faith. The faith that you invested in us. In what we stand for. In what we aspire to do. In what we were, what we are, and we hope to be someday.

This year has been so crucial and important for OpIndia. We got a new beginning and we’d soon have a new offering too – OpIndia in Hindi. New challenges await us as we aim to reach new milestones. A self-motivated team is why I’m confident OpIndia will reach new heights in the new year. We’d need your best wishes and support. As Reverential Shri Arvind Kejriwal Sir had said, “paisa sabko dena hai jo bhi kamaata hai” (whoever is earning has to support us financially), so please consider supporting us by clicking here – Rahul Roushan

For this year gone by, dear readers, OpIndia team thanks you. We thank you for standing by us. We thank you for lifting us up when we were down. We thank you for keeping us grounded. We thank you for reminding us every day that we bear the responsibility of not just OpIndia.com as a venture, but the responsibility of keeping your faith in us alive. We thank you for helping us grow. We thank you for every suggestion that you forwarded to us in good faith. We thank every contributor who wrote for us, for free, because they believed in us.

As 2019 draws closer, days away, we promise to do better. We promise to do stories that matter. We promise to try every day, to come close to fulfilling all your expectations.

The OpIndia Team Speaks

Sanghamitra Purohit

The year 2018 has been an absolutely exciting journey for me in OpIndia. I have learned a lot and have been a part of some remarkable stories that would have been otherwise neglected in the chaos of mainstream media. The appreciation, support and even criticism we receive from readers make us carry forward undeterred. As we gear up for 2019, we hope we continue to bring our readers’ well-written articles on issues that matter.

Raju Das

I joined team OpIndia during the same time when it became independent, from being an entity under Swarajya. The support and enthusiasm shown by our readers for the new journey of the website have been a huge motivation for the entire team. When our well-wishers point out doubtful news to us asking us to fact check it, or when some journalist posts fake news and their friends say delete it before OpIndia sees it, such incident proves that our small website has a big role to play in this messy world of media, where the line between real and fake news is often blurry. We hope we will continue to serve content to readers that is meaningful to them, and hope that they will continue their support and blessings for us.

K Bhattacharya

It has been a remarkable year for me at OpIndia. We did a lot of exciting stories this year but the greatest part was exploring the nexus between foreign funded NGOs and those with links to ‘Urban Naxals’. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the readers taking an active interest in what we write and report. Your appreciation and kind words, even the criticism, has provided me with the motivation to constantly pursue relevant stories. Thank you for your continued support and we hope that your support will continue in 2019 as well.”

Shashank Bhardwaj

It has been an amazing experience at OpIndia for the last 8 months. It is an honour and also a great sense of responsibility to write for OpIndia. The learning here has been enormous and the support we receive from our readers is welcoming. Our fellow Indians have backed us and have accepted us as a great ‘responsible’ force. I am extremely grateful for the support received and wish our readers a great year ahead

Jhankar Mohta

While shuffling between various roles from being an obedient daughter to an exceptional mother I thought I have achieved it all, until I became a part of this astounding organisation, called OpIndia. Along with financial freedom, OpIndia has given me the privilege to speak my mind and heart. OpIndia is the platform which acknowledges and respects others perspectives, even to tenderfoots like me. As we stand to conclude 2018, I deeply thank OpIndia for believing in me and all our readers for the uninterrupted support and trust they have shown in us in the past years. Praying that my association with this esteemed organisation and OpIndia’s association with its readers keeps flourishing with every passing year!

Aditi Singh

Working at Opindia has been intellectually and ideologically fulfilling experience. It has taught me the art of separating fact from fiction

Devanshu Rajput

Another year has passed, combating the mainstream media and overcoming all odds. This wouldn’t have been possible without you. We at Opindia are indebted to our readers for being a valuable asset. In the coming year of 2019, we promise to bring you the stories that matter. Spins of mainstream media will not end with this year. Our efforts, hence also won’t.

Jinit Jain

Dear Readers, past several months have brought phenomenally edifying learnings to me. I would like to credit this wonderful experience to an incredible bunch of super-talented people at OpIndia whose infectious energy and commitment for the work has inspired me in more ways than one. I am also eternally thankful to all our readers who have been generously supporting us, showering us with praise on our good work, censuring us for our occasional mistakes. Your affection, your support and your willingness to know the right side of the story has kept us going. We look forward to our association on the other side of the 2018. Happy New Year!!

2018 was a remarkable year for the OpIndia team. We grew as a venture but the team also matured with a deep sense of duty.

None of what has happened and none of what is going to happen in 2019 would be possible without your affection and your confidence.

Thank you. From all of us.

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