The coveted day finally arrived when I realized my dream of being a journalist. So far, I had only heard the stories of how newspapers are made, stories filed and designs approved. But this time, I got a firsthand experience of the same..
When I got an opportunity to write and conceptualize a 3 day newsletter covering the prestigious Bharatiye Pravasi Divas, I was in double minds. Would I be able to carry it off? Would I be able to complete it by myself? To add to it, I had no help, no translators and no editors? But something in my heart said that I had to do it at all cost. I could not have lost this chance at any cost. I was being told that I would get all the readymade coverage which I will have to translate, which didn’t seem to be a herculean task. Journalism has always fascinated me and I wanted to test my mantle in it.
Finally it was decided, Jyotsana Arora was to be the editorial consultant for the Pravasi Meet who was to cover the proceedings from the office, taking leads from the Hindi newspaper team and translating them in English. However, it did not turn out to be a cakewalk. The work that was to start from January 8, started on January 6 itself, courtesy the miscommunication between the marketing and sales people. I could have got an idea what a messy affair it was going to be for me if I had been into a media organization before.
Situated at Kesar Garh, the office was a huge fort like structure. Upon reaching there, Madam Jyotsana got to know that there is going to be no editorial support and no leads from the Hindi team. The interviews are to be conducted by me; the proceedings are to be covered by none other than me. So I was being asked to reach the Birla Auditorium and find out matter to fill my 4 pages.
Not to talk about the technological challenges faced by me. Their computers looked like type writers. It had no spell check and no yahoo mail. There was no printer in the immediate vicinity of atleast 500 meters. So when one gives a print command one has to travel all the way from one part of the fortress to the other. And in case (which was always a case most of the time) the print command did not work and failed to generate the print, I guess I don’t need to express. No amount of words can explain the anguish of the person who will travel back to complete the cycle again and hope for the right result.
The designer I worked on the first day seemed to be was word blind. I will call him word blind because going by his work; I doubt he would even be able to spell an apple, (God bless him) which meant, this was also to be done by me. To add to it, I had the dumbest person as my boss. I cannot bear this man for more than 3 days and in case I bang into him on the fourth, I am gonna shoot him. This person would repeat the same thing 10 times a day to the people and still does not get the results. I rejected him outright and decided the pages according to my insight. The best part is that the idiot didn’t even realize what I had done him in the end.
So now coming to my first day at the convention Centre, there I was, with a letter pad in my hand, a press card in my neck and a photographer at my beck and call. My heart swelled with pride while there were shivers going down my spine. But somehow, I carried it off. I decided to cover the ongoing preparation before the big day and gave special focus on the NGO’s who are trying to make difference in society. There was a ray of hope in their eyes and they wanted me to publish their pics and their cause in my edition. I also got myself clicked with HIV positive people. My story for day one was ready to be filed.
Day 2 was even worse, as I had to fill 8 pages and I had no expectations from the editorial. The intern did not turn up and I was alone. But this time I had a better designer and had planned a draft to fill these pages. I covered a press conference and wrote on it. Cooked up a story on the cultural evening that was to be held at night but still the pages were left. That was the first time when I actually felt like a journo, with deadline approaching, piles and piles of work pending and the clock already showing 10 in the night. Two stories I had made did not find a place in the newsletter as they got extra advertisement in the end. So much of my effort had gone waste. But I guess that a part of a reporters job. First finding ways to fill gaps, then having futile fights with the marketing department and in the end, ending up giving your space to an advertisement. But somehow, the genius in me braved all this (:p) and I was free to come back at 12 in the night (big achievement as at one point I even contemplated the idea of spending the night there.. hahhahaahha)
On my last day I was being told to come at 3pm, but I woke up to a call from office which said that I had to report immediately at the auditorium as I had to interview some big shots. But upon reaching there, I realized that there was none, my Sunday morning already wasted. The day was spent at the venue gathering details about my feature story on the Pravasis. I did a full page on it and completed the other pages and proof reading. The patrika website I was relying on proved to be a crap as they uttered stupidity in every word. But still, the eight pages were filled, though not perfect by my standards but still, much much better than the patrika coverage online. My creativity said that I could have done better.
However, I was swelled with pride when I got a call from the GM who appreciated my efforts and my ability to carry the newsletter on my shoulders without any editorial support. The biggest thing I got was an offer to join the group full time. Better still, I was treated like a celeb when I went to school with my newsletter in my hand.
These 3 days, though difficult, have given valuable experience to me. I have lived the life of a journalist in these days, eating, drinking and sleeping my newspaper. What an amazing thing this newspaper is!!!!! It might be costing 2-3 Rs, but one cannot imagine the handwork of hundreds of people that go into making of a daily paper. It has much more value in my eyes now than before especially when I know that every line we read in it, is cross checked by so many people. The designs that are edited a number of times and not to forget the last minute changes. Hats off to all the media people that are involved in the process. Kudos to my media friends who have been into this line and still manage to have happy families……..
