A journalist sets up a poha stall in Noidas’s Media hub after being sacked by Zee. 

Dadan Vishwakarma an ex-journalist was laid off by Zee News after facing the harsh reality of not being able to find a job Dadan started his own poha stall to fulfill his financial needs. He said that “while we are working we all get a phase wherein we have to bear peer – politics or office politics that’s what happened with me too.” 

He has set up his stall in front of the Aaj Tak. His stall’s name is ‘Patrakar Poha walla’, he also stated that he did not give up and kept looking for a job for three months in a row but couldn’t find a suitable one and then he started deteriorating financially. 

He faced a hard time during this phase due to a lack of funds and financial support. He had a cesarean operation so that his disease would be treated Dadan said that he was hardly able to gather one lakh rupees for his proper treatment. 

He openly said that “a journalist has not put up a stall, it is a person who has been stuck under helplessness. If a journalist would have set up a stall then there was no difficulty. Journalism is still alive deep inside me but there is helplessness sometimes, when you don’t have money in your pocket and food in your belly till then your pen doesn’t work and where will you ask for help??” 

Dadan always wanted to pursue his career in journalism despite having a degree in computer science he left that placement round and he had a different level of passion for journalism since his school days. Sometimes, it is hard to believe for him that despite having so many opportunities in the past, he is a poha seller. 

In the year 2008, the Indoor B.Tech magazine started at that time he was associated with Makhanlal Chaturvedi, an institution in Indore where he was studying and teaching at the same time. After that, he gave the entrance exam for IMC Delhi and there he got selected. 

After passing out from IMC in the year 2010 – 11 in Hindi Journalism Delhi was his campus and then he was placed by the college in a journalism job Dadan worked in Indore for six months there also, he faced some internal conflicts and he left the job. 

Then for 2 months, he was there in Delhi making – up his mind and after gathering some courage then in the month of December he reached Ambala and joined Dainik Bhaskar along with his new and old companions who guided and helped him at the same time and then he worked here for three months. 

On 14th Feb 2014, Dadan began his new journey and started working at NBT till 2016 March he worked there and joined the India Today food website and did job there for four and a half years then he joined Zee News where he worked for three and a half years. 

When he was asked why didn’t look for a job rather than starting his own stall, did he find it a more relevant option? 

He answered “I searched for a job everywhere. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know about my condition or situation but sometimes, it happens when you, me, small children, and elders everyone is attached in an institutional knot …

I did not find a job, it doesn’t matter any problem. I don’t have complaints from anyone. It happened for my own good for a period of three months till 15th March but I had in my mind that I will be starting on my own.” 

“Then from 20th March I started this stall I had already prepared for it I started getting small orders which I kept completing you can call this stall a source of my employment I never said that I left journalism first I have to arrange for my daily bread and simple necessities and if my stomach is filled then my pen will work properly and if work on an empty stomach then my pen will come to a pause.” 

I work keeping Mahatma Phule and Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s teachings I have understood their ideals and principles and very well a great journey of Dadan was covered by Dissent Times wherein we came to know that hardships are a part of life and without them, you cannot make a progress in your life. 

We also asked him what message he wants to share with the young generation and the budding journalists – 

He said, “I want to tell them that don’t let your passion cool down, sleep a lot and wake up every day and keep dreaming, don’t listen to what other people will think, leave these things behind and keep moving ahead.” This kind of motivation we need in our life after losing a single thing we give up but we should keep patience and look ahead.