{"id":3054,"date":"2025-01-17T10:59:48","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T10:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/?p=3054"},"modified":"2025-01-17T10:59:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T10:59:48","slug":"the-twitter-girl-of-odisha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/the-twitter-girl-of-odisha\/","title":{"rendered":"The Twitter Girl of Odisha"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charubala Barik has been using the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to bring about real change in and around her village of Temri. Till date, she has helped approximately 7,000 people<\/span><\/p>\n

MARIA FERNANDES | NT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

While most of us use Twitter (now known as X) for personal, professional and social use, Charubala Barik has made it a hotline to help the poor and needy in and around her village of Temri in Bargarh district of Odisha.<\/span><\/p>\n

From helping elderly people secure pensions, getting widows financial aid under the social security schemes to assisting individuals with disabilities access their rightful benefits, her work\u00a0spans multiple areas. Her handle @CharubalaB has 11k followers to date.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt present, I am continuing my fight for the rights of migrant workers who are staying abroad due to poverty and also for basic education facilities for children. Safety and security of people, construction of new roads, bridges, etcetera, are also on my list of targets to be achieved,\u201d says the 26-year-old post-graduate student who is fondly known as Deepa by her villagers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Beyond personal assistance, the selfless young woman has also addressed community issues. \u201cMy aim has always been to ensure that government welfare schemes reach the people they are meant for,\u201d she states.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hailing from a working-class background, Deepa witnessed the struggles of the people in her village and realised the severity of the issues they faced. \u201cMy desire to help people has been there since I was a child but I did not know how to go about it,\u201d she shares. Then in 2019, her parents gifted her an Android on her birthday and with help from a local activist Dibas Kumar Sahu who introduced her to Twitter, her journey began. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just a gadget; it became my gateway to the world of possibilities. Sahu showed me how Twitter could be a platform to raise the voices of those who are unheard by tagging and connecting with senior government officials. I was inspired by the idea that I could bring real change to my village using this simple yet powerful tool,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was a way to bridge the gap between the people in need and those in power.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her first achievement was during the aftermath of Cyclone Fani in 2019. A couple in her neighbouring village had lost their home to the cyclone. To help them, Deepa tweeted their story, tagging the Chief Minister and other officials along with the social media grievance cell. \u201cTo my surprise, within 48 hours, officials visited their home and soon they received Rs. 98,000 to rebuild their house. That moment made me realise how impactful this platform could be,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

One achievement that holds a special place in her heart is the construction of a 10 km RD road from Temri, to Goibahali via Palsada, where her maternal uncle’s home is located. \u201cThis project is deeply personal to me. As a child, I vividly remember travelling with my uncle on a rainy day when the river was in full swing. Unfortunately, we were swept away by the river\u2019s current\u2014a terrifying and life-changing experience. From that day, it became my dream to ensure no one else faced such danger while travelling,\u201d she says. Years later, she tweeted about the dire need for a bridge over the river and a proper road connecting the areas. Over time the road was completed. \u201cThe road stands as a testament to the power of determination and advocacy. It\u2019s not just a road\u2014it\u2019s a lifeline for the community and a dream comes true for me,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Deepa believes the most common problems that villagers face are a lack of awareness and access to government welfare schemes. \u201cOften, they don\u2019t know what benefits they\u2019re entitled to or how to apply for them. Infrastructure issues\u2014like poor roads, damaged dams or a lack of basic amenities\u2014are also widespread,\u201d she says. Another serious concern, she states is that many government employees are not doing their duty honestly. \u201cSo many brokers\/agents are acting as middle men and looting common innocent persons,\u201d she laments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deepa too faces many obstacles while trying to help the villagers. One of the main challenges has been bureaucratic delays. Additionally, being a woman in a rural setting, she has faced scepticism and criticism from some people who doubted her intentions. \u201cBut I\u2019ve always believed in my mission, and these challenges only made me more determined to succeed,\u201d she shares.<\/span><\/p>\n

Patience and persistence have been her greatest allies. Following up relentlessly and using the available social media tools she has ensured accountability. \u201cI also relied on the support of like-minded individuals and mentors who encouraged me to keep going,\u201d she says. Empathy, she believes, is the foundation of everything she does.<\/span><\/p>\n

For other youngsters who are considering social work as an instrument to make a difference in society, Deepa states that you don\u2019t need to wait for a perfect moment or resources to start making a difference. \u201cLook around you; there are issues that need attention right now. With empathy, determination, and tools like social media, you can create real change,\u201d she says. \u201cStart small, be consistent, and don\u2019t be afraid of challenges. Every step you take can inspire others and build a better society.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charubala Barik has been using the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to bring about real change in and around her village of Temri. Till date, she has helped approximately 7,000 people MARIA FERNANDES | NT While most of us use Twitter (now known as X) for personal, professional and social use, Charubala Barik has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aspire-inspire","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3054"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3058,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3054\/revisions\/3058"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}