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SAS alum Parth MN on the pitch that got him shortlisted for the prestigious True Story Award 2026

Jul 30, 2026

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Hi everyone,

I’m Uma Shirodkar, a Program Coordinator at South Asia Speaks. In this edition of our Substack, I speak to Parth MN, a journalist and SAS alum, who was shortlisted for the True Story Award 2026 for his story WhatsApp Vigilantes in India are converting Christians by force.

In this deeply reported and deeply troubling account, Parth shows how Hindu mobs are hounding Christians into converting to Hinduism by preventing them from burying their dead. The story was first published in Rest of World as part of a Tech x Religion reporting fellowship.

Parth spoke to me about his editorial process and offered some excellent advice for emerging writers. He also kindly consented to sharing his pitch.

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