Lost Voices

We have collected voices from across the country narrating their tales of living in digital darkness. States and Union Territories all over India from Rajasthan and West Bengal to Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka have been impacted by Internet shutdowns and residents of these regions have tales to narrate of the lost connection. We have collected first hand experiences that recount experiences of shutdowns.

Md Wahid Khan

As a student studying far from home, it won’t be wrong to say that we suffered the most, w’re totally dependent on our parents for expenses and other basic needs, said Md Wahid Khan, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia; New Delhi who hails from Manipur.

A Student from Manipur

For businesses like my cousin who runs a mini ATM, his business is non-functional now.

A journalist in Manipur

Since SMS has a short word limit, I had to sit and type multiple messages to send one single story.

Resident in Banswara, Rajasthan
A resident in Banswara explained how he could not use the internet banking facilities and could not submit reports to his firm because of the internet shutdown in Rajasthan.
Student from Udaipur, Rajasthan
A student from Udaipur in Rajasthan talks about the impact of Internet shutdown imposed in the district.
Shayan Bandey
Shayan Bandey an entrepreneur from Srinagar shares his experience during COVID-19 lock down in Kashmir.
Yunus Rashid
"It is Unfortunate that during a global #pandemic, Kashmir is without Internet" says Yunus Rashid, Spokesperson, J&K Students Association. He shares his experience during COVID-19 lockdown in Kashmir.
Resident in Kashmir
As internet and SMS services get suspended again in Jammu and Kashmir, a resident tells us about the shutdown in the valley today.
Student at Aligarh Muslim University
A student of sociology from Aligarh Muslim University talks about the internet shutdown that was imposed in the city of Aligarh. She narrates how the shutdown slowed down her research and how the general routine has been disrupted in the city.
A NEET aspirant
A young student talks about how the Internet shutdown in the erstwhile state had a dire effect on her studies.
Rafiqui
A businessman expresses the difficulty he has faced in operating a business because of an internet shutdown.
B. Tech student from Kashmir
A young student talks about how Internet shutdown has affected her studies and exam preparations.
Local Businessman
A local businessman talks about the impact that the Kashmir shutdown has had on lives of citizens.
Nasir Khuemani
The spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir student association talks about the impact on education by Internet shutdowns.
Experiences
A young professional from Kashmir talks about the effectiveness of 2G services restored on whitelisted websites in the valley.
Aman Alam
Aman Alam spoke to us about his experience of an #Internetshutdown in Lucknow. He brings in some interesting observations about the importance of the Internet and the negative effects of a shutdown.
Shriti Pandey
Shriti Pandey narrates her experience during an internet shutdown in Varanasi. She raises the point that in an age where digital transactions are becoming the new normal, an Internet shutdown can have a huge impact on a business. She further talked about how the businesses could not use the internet banking facilities.
Gym trainer from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
A gym trainer talks about how an #internetshutdown in #BHOPAL has an impact on his life.
A Shop owner in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

A shop owner from Bhopal tells us how he was not able to make sales as cashless services that are dependent on internet did not working due to Internet shutdown.

Sahil Poojan
Sahil Poojan shares his experience of the internet shutdown in Delhi
Woman from Delhi

A young woman talks about why Internet shutdowns are not only a breach of several liberties but also scary for women safety. These are the reasons why we should