Thulasi Muttulingam

Want to get more news, features, research articles and social media posts from Jaffna and other parts of Northern, and Eastern Sri Lanka?

Want to see Humans of Northern Sri Lanka up and running again?

For the past five years, I've funded my own way but this is no longer sustainable.
You've accessed my work free all these years - and you will continue to, I am not going to put up paywalls.
But to continue with my journalism work however, I need to fundraise.
Please contribute whatever you can if you would like to see my work continue.
Anything at all you feel able to, from $5.00 to $50.00.
Every little bit counts.

By all means, feel free to contribute $500.00 if you can too :)

If I reach the target, I can concentrate on solid journalism work for the year 2020 without worrying about where my next meal is coming from.
Thank you and have a nice day.

More reading?

Some FAQs which I anticipate:

Who am I?

My name is Thulasi Muttulingam and I am a freelance journalist based in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
Most of my work is concentrated on bringing under-reported or unreported issues from these regions to the fore; women, children, caste, class, war affected, the deprived of all categories who rarely have their voices heard.

Why do I need to fundraise?

Because media traditionally pays a pittance for journalism work - the pay I get for my stories hardly cover my transport costs, never mind my labour costs.
Even in this fundraiser, I am only factoring my costs for the journalism work involved, not my labour costs as a skilled, trained, professional journalist with several years of experience.

Why is the paypal account in someone else's name?

Because there is no facility currently for me to open an account in Sri Lanka - so I have to use the account of a trusted friend in the USA.
Nilmini Viswaprakash is a professor in the USA and a highly valued friend - she is a regular contributor for my animal rescue work in the North.

How did I do it all this time?

By working as a freelancer at various other jobs that pay better than media for half the month - NGO report writing, editing, fixing and interpreting for visiting academics and journalists etc etc.
Then I would plunge those earnings into my journalism work. However, that model was never sustainable and I've decided to give it up.
As retirement age looms, the fact I have no savings is terrifying.
I'll continue to work and save on the side for my own needs, but I need my journalism work funded.
If you appreciate my journalism work and would like to see it continue, please do contribute.

What happens if I don't raise the full amount?

I'm raising for a full year - if I get less than that, I'll still put in the money raised to do whatever work I can, for however many months I can. I estimate I need about $600.00 a month - that's all.
I opened a patreon account that aims for monthly donations initially, but the problem with that model is that if some monthly backers unexpectedly back out, I'd be left grappling at short notice for funds. I need to plan in advance to allocate the money, and earn if need be, around it.

Am I such a loser that I couldn't find a full time job, so giving you a sob story to fund my life?

Well no, I might be a loser because I find myself married to journalism no matter what an abusive partner it is - but apart from that I am perfectly capable of earning by myself, quite well too - just not in journalism.

Currently I work nearly full time at a well known private institute in Jaffna, teaching English - the pay is excellent but I don't have time for journalism anymore.
I can ask for my teaching hours to be reduced - but after all these years of unfunded toil, I would like at least my costs incurred on journalism to be funded. I can't keep putting my own earnings into it.
If you are regular consumers of my work - if you would like to see it continue - please understand that I need to be funded for it. Do contribute whatever you can.

You can see some of the work I've already started over here:
https://medium.com/@mthulasi - my seriliazed memoirs of my experiences in Jaffna and it's environs as a journalist.

https://www.facebook.com/thulasi.muttulingam/notes?lst=601008516%3A601008516%3A1572856340 - my weekly column on minority issues.

https://eyeofthecylone.wordpress.com/ - my published journalistic articles.