The Lao-Ti Winds speaks alongside those whose voices have long been excluded from mainstream media platforms and denied meaningful participation in the country’s democratic processes—reduced to a mere vote bank. Rather than addressing issues superficially, the Lao-Ti Winds explores their deeper layers and lived complexities. In an age marked by ‘more and more information and less and less meaning’, we priorities meaning- grounded in context, relevance, and empathy for the marginalized. Amid a Medias cape increasingly shaped by ideological noise, the Lao-Ti Winds remains committed to nuanced storytelling that captures the everyday realities of marginalized communities and individuals. We uphold the core values of democracy, freedom of expression, rational and reasoned dialogue. We actively engage with journalists, intellectuals, community leaders, and everyday citizens—welcoming diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and unheard narratives. For us, diversity is not driven by ideology, but by the multiplicity of meaning and human experiences. We recognize the financial challenges involved in pursuing our ambition and maintaining editorial independence, so we are open to adopting innovative, sustainable business models. At the same time, we view transparency as a non-negotiable ethical foundation for our work and survival.

1. The Lao-Ti Winds focuses on bringing to light the issues faced by marginalized groups, communities, and individuals in the Northeast India. Particular emphasis is being placed on the western peripheries of the Northeast—specifically the contemporary North Bengal and adjacent areas of Assam—stretching from the Siliguri Corridor to the Manas River, along with the broader North-eastern region. This region is both crucial and sensitive due to its complex pre- and post-colonial history, the contemporary geopolitics involving rival nations, and its unique demographic composition, which is often overlooked by the mainstream. As a connecting zone between the Northeast and the rest of India, the area demands both nuanced and holistic media approaches that capture its intricacies and contextualize its unique socio-political realities.

2. The Lao-Ti Winds aims to challenge the conventional understanding of ‘marginalized groups’ by consciously adopting a constructivist perspective in its journalistic approach, rather than relying on structuralism viewpoints and binary oppositions. This part of India exhibits a complex and layered demographic landscape, where ethnicity, tribalism, state-sponsored nationalism, cultural nationalism, religious radicalism, racial puritanism, and various other aspects of identity intersect in intricate ways. In certain pockets- groups often perceived as marginalized by the mainstream may themselves play the role of oppressors. As a result, there exist ‘micro-marginalized’ groups whose voices remain unheard. The media house seeks to bring these voices into public discourse and aims to serve as a platform for such micro-marginalized communities, advocating through journalism that prioritizes their concerns and perspectives.

3. The Lao-Ti Winds also aims to promote a rationalist viewpoint among the masses to counter superstition and religious fundamentalism, which have increasingly become tools for suppressing economically and educationally deprived communities.

4. Conducting ethical investigative journalism is another objective of the Lao-Ti Winds. It will seek to uncover issues that concern the weaker sections of society.

5. Digital documentation is another prime objective of the Lao-Ti Winds. It will take the initiative to collect and document content from the cultural, economic, and political spheres of subaltern/marginalised communities in the region. Special emphasis will be placed on documenting the knowledge systems of subaltern and ‘dying’ communities.

6. It will support the publication of books and other written content by the community members of marginalized groups who do not have access to mainstream platforms to raise their voices.

7. The Lao-Ti Winds will assist people from marginalized communities in creating documentaries and other audio-visual content using a participatory approach to tell their own stories.