‘When can we see you on TV’? ‘Can we see you as an anchor on TV’?
These are the questions that I get from people every time I introduce myself as a student of journalism. Now that I am an apprentice with NDTV, questions like these have become more frequent. Initially I used to casually push the question away by giving a callous answer. But guess what? I no longer want to do it.
Most people from a non-media background are under a misconception that broadcast journalism is all about anchoring and reporting. But do people even for a moment think about the amount of work that happens behind the camera? However, I do agree that it is wrong to blame people for their partial knowledge about television news.
A news anchor and a reporter might articulate a story and sometimes do more than that, but the muscle to the story is given by a million other people working behind the camera. Three weeks as an apprentice in NDTV has given me a basic insight into the tactics, efforts and chaos inside a newsroom. Everything that is shown on television looks glamorous and rosy, but it takes a whole bunch of people to make ‘our’ news screens look beautiful. So if any of you think that television journalism is a glamorous field- forget it! It’s definitely not. It has lot more dimensions to it than just glamour.
It takes years and years of experience to become an anchor or even a reporter for that matter. (In a good news channel that is). So to be in front of the camera it involves a whole process of learning, building contacts, getting on to the field and experience everything first hand.
Lastly a sincere request to all- Please Stop assuming that television journalism is all about anchoring and reporting! By doing so you are disregarding the effort of a lot of other people who actually put 'news' together.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Experience
WEEK1: Delhi
Adjustment is no longer just a word for me. It has a lot more meaning than it had before. I never imagined that shifting to a new place would drain me out mentally and physically. I was trying to push myself to adjust to every new thing that came my way- new city, new kind of food, new people and an absolutely new hostel experience. The challenging part of this phase is that it is never easy and it is of course foolish to expect to wade through this phase easily. Every day of this week started with a bitter feeling of missing home. Every new morning came with a new set of challenges. I had almost given up the hope of getting back to my old self. I desperately wanted my mind to get accustomed to ‘DELHI LIFE’. I wanted to be happy and cheerful. I wanted myself back. Throughout the week I kept thinking about the weekend. The very fact that I would be alone over the weekend made me feel sick. The first thought on my mind on Saturday morning was about how to spend the entire day alone. I was clueless.
However, Life always takes unexpected turns. As I was sitting in my room thinking about home, I got a call from a friend who stays in Delhi. As soon I answered her call she knew I wasn’t the old girl. She realised that I was going through home sickness even before I mentioned it. She just said one thing ‘Shut up and come home, NOW’. I did not hesitate to say a yes. As I entered her apartment I got what I desperately needed at that moment- A HOMELY ATMOSPHERE. I spent the entire day roaming around with her family. I got everything that I wanted. At the end of the day I realised that I have a family in Delhi now. I have MY people here. That’s all I craved for. Thank you to that friend for making me feel better.
Adjustment is no longer just a word for me. It has a lot more meaning than it had before. I never imagined that shifting to a new place would drain me out mentally and physically. I was trying to push myself to adjust to every new thing that came my way- new city, new kind of food, new people and an absolutely new hostel experience. The challenging part of this phase is that it is never easy and it is of course foolish to expect to wade through this phase easily. Every day of this week started with a bitter feeling of missing home. Every new morning came with a new set of challenges. I had almost given up the hope of getting back to my old self. I desperately wanted my mind to get accustomed to ‘DELHI LIFE’. I wanted to be happy and cheerful. I wanted myself back. Throughout the week I kept thinking about the weekend. The very fact that I would be alone over the weekend made me feel sick. The first thought on my mind on Saturday morning was about how to spend the entire day alone. I was clueless.
However, Life always takes unexpected turns. As I was sitting in my room thinking about home, I got a call from a friend who stays in Delhi. As soon I answered her call she knew I wasn’t the old girl. She realised that I was going through home sickness even before I mentioned it. She just said one thing ‘Shut up and come home, NOW’. I did not hesitate to say a yes. As I entered her apartment I got what I desperately needed at that moment- A HOMELY ATMOSPHERE. I spent the entire day roaming around with her family. I got everything that I wanted. At the end of the day I realised that I have a family in Delhi now. I have MY people here. That’s all I craved for. Thank you to that friend for making me feel better.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Childhood.
I want to go back to the time when every evening PLAYING was the only important activity.
I want to go back to the time when WORRIES were never a part of life.
I want to go back to the time when RUNNING around was only for fun.
I want to go back to the time when DECIDING what to play was the most important decision to make.
In short, I want to go back to my CHILDHOOD!
As I sat in my terrace trying to decide which chapter to study, I suddenly heard a loud laughter. In the ever calm terrace where only a few septuagenarians and people like me spend time enjoying the breeze and sunset, this sudden noise (I can’t call it noise), made the whole atmosphere in the terrace more lively and positive.
I looked behind and saw a bunch of eight kids between the ages of three and seven talking, randomly laughing and playing a game which they called the JUMPING game.
Looking at their enthusiasm, one lady asked them- ‘what is this game all about?’ The kid, who apparently looked like the head of the group, replied back saying, that the game was all about jumping around saying 'Yayyee Yayyee'.
As they continued playing, an involuntary smile slid across my face. I could not stop myself from enjoying their little activity of joy. Trust me; all of them looked unbelievably happy and enthusiastic. They looked as though no tension or sorrow could ever touch them.
I could not help but, be jealous of them. What a stage of LIFE they were in! Play, sleep, eat, and run around. I wanted to be one among them. I wanted to go back to my childhood.
So, this post is dedicated to those eight kids who made my evening!
I want to go back to the time when WORRIES were never a part of life.
I want to go back to the time when RUNNING around was only for fun.
I want to go back to the time when DECIDING what to play was the most important decision to make.
In short, I want to go back to my CHILDHOOD!
As I sat in my terrace trying to decide which chapter to study, I suddenly heard a loud laughter. In the ever calm terrace where only a few septuagenarians and people like me spend time enjoying the breeze and sunset, this sudden noise (I can’t call it noise), made the whole atmosphere in the terrace more lively and positive.
I looked behind and saw a bunch of eight kids between the ages of three and seven talking, randomly laughing and playing a game which they called the JUMPING game.
Looking at their enthusiasm, one lady asked them- ‘what is this game all about?’ The kid, who apparently looked like the head of the group, replied back saying, that the game was all about jumping around saying 'Yayyee Yayyee'.
As they continued playing, an involuntary smile slid across my face. I could not stop myself from enjoying their little activity of joy. Trust me; all of them looked unbelievably happy and enthusiastic. They looked as though no tension or sorrow could ever touch them.
I could not help but, be jealous of them. What a stage of LIFE they were in! Play, sleep, eat, and run around. I wanted to be one among them. I wanted to go back to my childhood.
So, this post is dedicated to those eight kids who made my evening!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Innocence lost!
"Dad asked me to remove all the photos from my album, Ughh, I hate him"- This was the status message of my kid cousin on facebook. My only respone was ' What are kids upto these days?' What do you say when you see a ten year old being addicted to a social networking site? As i was going through her profile I realized that I am far less active on facebook when compared to my kid cousin. I was pretty shocked and surprised to find a few random communities in my cousins profile the meaning of which she might not even know.
The other day my brother and I were discussing about how kids today are so fascinated about technology, internet,mobile phones etc at a very young age.Its sad that most of them seem more interested in creating an orkut or facebook profile than going out and playing some outdoor game! A few days back when a cousin of my age exclaimed that kids today are much more lucky when compared to us, I reacted to her comment with a complete look of disagreement on my face. I would rather prefer spending my childhood playing games and painting than spending hours in front of the internet doing nothing worthwhile!
So here are my questions! ( I might sound like a 50 year old asking all this)Why are kids today so fascinated about these networking sites? What makes them lie about their age just for the sake of joining these sites? Is it peer pressure which forces them to conform to a norm?
Would be glad to receive a few responses!
The other day my brother and I were discussing about how kids today are so fascinated about technology, internet,mobile phones etc at a very young age.Its sad that most of them seem more interested in creating an orkut or facebook profile than going out and playing some outdoor game! A few days back when a cousin of my age exclaimed that kids today are much more lucky when compared to us, I reacted to her comment with a complete look of disagreement on my face. I would rather prefer spending my childhood playing games and painting than spending hours in front of the internet doing nothing worthwhile!
So here are my questions! ( I might sound like a 50 year old asking all this)Why are kids today so fascinated about these networking sites? What makes them lie about their age just for the sake of joining these sites? Is it peer pressure which forces them to conform to a norm?
Would be glad to receive a few responses!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Drive to BIAL
It was a Saturday evening. As I reached home after attending a media seminar in Symbiosis institute, I got to know that my family had planned to drive all the way to BIAL. Why? Just like that... :) A long drive on a late Saturday evening feels good. A drive to BIAL had been a long lost plan. After having read a lot of views, opinions about the new international airport in newspapers, I kind of looked forward for the drive.
The pathway to BIAL is truly remarkable. The array of street lights, if looked at poetically, gives you an impression that a series of pearls have been carefully picked and arranged against a black background. The whole path looks illuminated. The very neatly landscaped median adds on to the whole beauty of it.
In spite of all the above mentioned positive aspects of the pathway, there was one thing which kept constantly striking me. That is, the excessive number of street lights throughout the way. I am not sure about the exact number; there were hundreds and hundreds of them! So one might ask, what is my problem if there are so many street lights?
My issue- Is there a need for so many street lights? What I noticed was the proximity at which each of these poles were placed. That was when I felt that there was an unnecessary wastage of electricity by placing these street light poles so close to each other. In fact, at a particular stretch I even noticed that even though a few lights were put off (alternate light poles were lit), the road still looked well illuminated. So why not cut down on the number of street lights being used? Won’t that be beneficial in saving electricity?
Even though I was constantly being asked to enjoy the beauty of the pathway and not analyse the reason behind erecting that many street lights, I somehow couldn’t stop ignoring the unnecessary wastage of electricity being done.
I also agree that there might be scientific and security reasons behind fixing specific number of lights. But, what is that specific reason? If anybody has an answer, do let me know.
The pathway to BIAL is truly remarkable. The array of street lights, if looked at poetically, gives you an impression that a series of pearls have been carefully picked and arranged against a black background. The whole path looks illuminated. The very neatly landscaped median adds on to the whole beauty of it.
In spite of all the above mentioned positive aspects of the pathway, there was one thing which kept constantly striking me. That is, the excessive number of street lights throughout the way. I am not sure about the exact number; there were hundreds and hundreds of them! So one might ask, what is my problem if there are so many street lights?
My issue- Is there a need for so many street lights? What I noticed was the proximity at which each of these poles were placed. That was when I felt that there was an unnecessary wastage of electricity by placing these street light poles so close to each other. In fact, at a particular stretch I even noticed that even though a few lights were put off (alternate light poles were lit), the road still looked well illuminated. So why not cut down on the number of street lights being used? Won’t that be beneficial in saving electricity?
Even though I was constantly being asked to enjoy the beauty of the pathway and not analyse the reason behind erecting that many street lights, I somehow couldn’t stop ignoring the unnecessary wastage of electricity being done.
I also agree that there might be scientific and security reasons behind fixing specific number of lights. But, what is that specific reason? If anybody has an answer, do let me know.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Six months!
I can't believe that I am updating my blog after almost six months. It would be a ridiculous excuse to say that I did not have time to write even a single post from past six months. But unfortunately, that's the only excuse I have. ;) I had a lot of things to write about, but was caught in between assignments, projects and a few other things.
I never expected that third year of college would drain me out so much. 'Hectic' is not the word for third year students in christ college. Am i exaggerating? Not sure! But I felt it was hectic. But it's strange that in spite of the busy schedule, third year has been the time when I have enjoyed college the MOST. Thanks to my friends!
The last six months has been like a roller coaster ride. Never expected so many twists in such a short time. In these six months, I have had my share of happiness and disappointments. Life seems a li'l strange sometimes. But then, life is supposed to be strange right? If its normal it gets boring.
The next six months are going to be crucial. Last semester in christ, entrance exams, change of place. Huff! My god! So many things to worry about. I guess, as my friend says, I really need to relax a bit. Thats not easy to do when you have so many things in mind. Anyway, all I can say right now is that, I am LOST!
Apprehensive, clueless, sad, demotivated, slightly excited etc etc- Thats how I feel right now!
Life moves on! :)
I never expected that third year of college would drain me out so much. 'Hectic' is not the word for third year students in christ college. Am i exaggerating? Not sure! But I felt it was hectic. But it's strange that in spite of the busy schedule, third year has been the time when I have enjoyed college the MOST. Thanks to my friends!
The last six months has been like a roller coaster ride. Never expected so many twists in such a short time. In these six months, I have had my share of happiness and disappointments. Life seems a li'l strange sometimes. But then, life is supposed to be strange right? If its normal it gets boring.
The next six months are going to be crucial. Last semester in christ, entrance exams, change of place. Huff! My god! So many things to worry about. I guess, as my friend says, I really need to relax a bit. Thats not easy to do when you have so many things in mind. Anyway, all I can say right now is that, I am LOST!
Apprehensive, clueless, sad, demotivated, slightly excited etc etc- Thats how I feel right now!
Life moves on! :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Memories!
As I was flipping through the pages of a newspaper, I read a few articles about summer camps. As I was reading through it, my mind slipped back to my summer vacations as a kid. I never went to any summer camps; in fact I had a more exciting plan for my summer vacations. My perfect getaway for my summer vacations was Moodabidri (a town near M’lore)- my grandpa and grandma’s house.
As kids, summer vacations were always filled with fun, fun and only fun! From the first till the last, everyday was different. The two months of fun and frolic would be sufficient to cherish for one whole year. As I look back, I recollect all those fun filled days at my native place ‘Moodabidri’ with a dozen cousins, aunts, grandpa and grandma!
The month of April and May used to be the most awaited months of the year. The childish games that we used to play, the trees that we climbed together, lots and lots of paper that we wasted to make boats during rains, the idli’s that we made in sand using coconut shells, being chased by dogs, the yummy raw mangoes, the horror stories by karthoo( which actually scared us :p), the craze for chocolates that Taatha and maama used to bring, Ammama’s cooking!!
Hmmm... Wow! The very thought of all these things brings a smile on my face.
Everything was just so perfect. As I pen down all these things, I realize that I can never enjoy all these things again in my life. NEVER!! Because we’ve grown up. We no longer have time for all these things. No orkut, facebook or any TV programme can replace the fun that we had.
Even if we want to, we cannot have the same fun again. We have become too mature to act immature. We no longer have time nor opportunity to come together at least for a few days in Moodabidri . Its sad! I feel nostalgic.
Summer vacations now are so much different from what it used to be. It is no longer only ‘fun’ even during holidays. There are so many commitments to be met, serious thinking to be done...
But, i am glad that atleast for a few years ( till i was in class 9), my summer vacations were made memorable. A big thank you to all my cousins, aunts, grandparents and Maama!
This post is for all you guys. Lets try and make it happen again. Love you all.
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