Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -13)

Inspite of our best efforts put forward and inspite of the fact that we worked in double shifts at times and also handled most of the routine jobs at Zee news a large number of interns were asked to leave the Zee News after the election results.I was one of them. It was perhaps the tragedy for all os us whoose names were shining broadly in the list which was pasted in big black letter right infront of In put room. We, all the interns unitedly accepted it with lot of courage as the only single channel was unable to accomodate almost twenty interns. But there were lucky few,who were selected to stay back and were promoted as trainees.

Every body from my team mates to the bureau chief,were sure that keeping in mind the long association and hard work with Zee News I would be promoted to join main news team as usual. But sadly two years later I discoverd through the same lot of interns who stood back, that the man behind me was non other than the same shift incharge,who also happened to be my team incharge at campaign trail.

I accepted my exit,but by god's grace some one was there to support me financially. My eleder brother had resigned from BITS Pilani and had joined a MNC in Noida.Hence I had the time to put my energy for job search not knowing that it was going to be big,hectic and depressing battle for me.

And then I started using all my contacts and promises made by all big shots to get a foothold in media , a second entry in a television channel.

I was sure something was there waiting for me,some thing useful,more creative and interesting which rather fell in my way after long day. But this big black gap of joblessness gave me a positive energy to develop some contacts and use my savings to stood on my own as an independent jouranlsit who discoverd some evils in society thorough unrecognised reports I dispatched to some of the best people and best organizations.

In mean time I took few Electronic News Gathering class at a film school,but primarily utilized the phase of joblessness to gather my head on my broaken shoulders and stood as one. I then was recognised by a person to whom I still admire.

Although never worked with her,she helped me in providing the contact of the most powerful person on this planet.

Anita Pratap never knew me,who I was and what I do,but she trusted me .She had just left CNN as its south asia bureau chief.I never met her but her e-mails gave me courage to sharpen my skills of dispatching reports.Till date she continue me to e-mail when she is in Norway and having diplomatic assignments.

I have no words to thank her for the ammount of courage and skills she brought me on how to file an e-mail dispatch from crisis zone.Which laterI used to which I say the most lenthy and unrecognised work in media.

Doing such kind of things and using most of my time at home the year came which was a rather fruitful year for me. And I can bet that what I learnt and the kind of contacts I developed after that year are heavier over my entire life..............................

To be continued---------------- 2003 A.D.