Vaidehi Sachin is a distinguished law graduate, editor, ethical hacker, philanthropist, and author. She has produced, directed and edited over fifty documentaries under the Newsmakers banner and for leading channels. She has authored a biography titled, Mujhe mera kaam karne do’ and has penned many screenplays. She empowers acid attack victims and daughters of red light areas. Roxy profiles this amazing young woman, in the weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths.
It was a chilly December afternoon when I first spotted Vaidehi Sachin. I had taken nascent steps into what they call cyberspace and I was petrified. My debut novel, Jihad in My Saffron Garden had been launched and I was frantically searching for reviewers. One thing I was sure of and that was no paid reviews by marketing mouths. I paid a visit to territory Twitter and there she was, Vaidehi Sachin, Editor-in-Chief of The Afternoon Voice, A Mumbai Daily.
A lot of emotions raged through me, foremost being the wow factor. Editor-in-Chief is a coveted profile, 
especially when she bosses over good ole paper rather than the electrons which are so eager to be tossed out of their outermost shell.
Well, we got talking to this pretty lass. She, in a matter of fact, remarked that she would review my book, my disdain for social media became a thing of the past. I scurried off to the courier and sent my novel to the mentioned address. For the better part of the week, I remained elated and would promptly ping my nouveau benefactor or give what we now address as gentle reminders.
Initially, she was courteous enough to reply but then I received nothing but silence. My bad luck I told myself. The gods were kind and my book started to do fairly well. So what if that editor from Mumbai hadn’t reviewed it. As you guessed, I was beside myself with surprise when Vaidehi calls me one afternoon to inform me that I going to be felicitated with best author award by the newsmakers achievers award, in Mumbai, in April. This event was to be organised by The Newsmakers Broadcasting and Communication of which Vaidehi Sachin is Group Editor. This features an English daily tabloid, The Afternoon Voice, Mee Mumbaikar, Hacker5, Beyond the News andMaritime Bridges. She is also an offensive security certified Professional, Certified Security Analyst and Licensed Penetration tester.
I flew to Mumbai with the eagerness of a spring bunny. My curiosity cravings regarding Vaidehi were oscillating between the peaks and troughs of a sine wave. It was there I learnt that alongside being a distinguished law graduate, editor, ethical hacker, philanthropist, and author, Vaidehi has enough mettle in her spine to make the most hollow legged of us, fall to our knees in awe. She has produced, directed and edited over fifty documentaries under the Newsmakers banner and for leading channels. The Afternoon Voice is her baby and she started this publication to keep factual journalism alive. She endorses parallel media where there is absolute freedom of expression and speech and no megalomaniac egos to pander to. She has authored a biography titled, Mujhe mera kaam karne do along with drafting a decent amount of screen plays. And she swears, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, in her work whether print or while microblogging.
But the most humbling part of the award ceremony was that I experienced the profound privilege of sharing the spotlight with acid attack victims and daughters of red light areas. The entire ceremony had been dedicated to them. Young women, some blinded by the suitors, who could not face being snubbed and had in a devilish act drowned them in a corrosive fluid. Women with faces scarred and disfigured beyond recognition. Their scalps denuded and nothing but a mesh of denuded tissue. Starting from these victims to the unfortunate girls, who were born on the wrong side of the tracks all were provided with monetary benefits by team Vaidehi.
Amongst the other awardees were Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pradeep Welankar, Dr. D. M Bhosale, Virag Gupta, Namrata Thakker, Deep Halder, Nandita Venkatesan, Aasha Warriar, Lubna Adams and Dr. Mukesh Batra. Needless to say, it was a star-studded night. All made possible by the dedicated efforts of Vaidehi, who proclaims the NBC team, her peers and the destitute women she rescues to be her family. But it doesn’t end here as she mentors them in her office and emboldens them with skills to carve out a living for themselves. All she wants is that women, irrespective of age and circumstances, hold their head high and have faith in themselves.
I returned from Mumbai with my reservoir of faith in humanity restored. Vaidehi is a Godmother to people, who are considered unsightly by the majority of us. They spend the rest of their lives gathering contempt and ire of onlookers. Some of us with a fair share of compassion sigh, sympathise, and thank god that it hasn’t happened to us. How many possess the heart of Vaidehi? How many go that extra mile, to actually embrace and embolden them?
If it comes to taking an informed choice what would yours be? Relax, I won’t launch a scalding offensive if there is a pregnant silence, while you debate how to be politically correct.
She didn’t pause and that’s what makes her stand apart. Ladies and gentleman, meet Mumbai’s modest maiden, our princess of hearts, Vaidehi Sachin!
©Roxy Arora
Photos sourced by the author.
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