Thirteen Years and Counting...........................(Part-7)

By the time I contacted BBC Delhi office for my internship,Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya had left for London.But I went up to BBC office.Swati, who was handelling production at that time asked me to wait and to verify, she perhaps made a phone call to London. An impatient me waited till she return from inside and thank god that Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya verified my claims.

I was asked to meet Seema Chishti,then Bureau Chief of Hindi Service. I had already listened her husky voice many times on BBC Radio, so it was a pleasant task to speak to her.I rang her up and she asked me to meet next day. Again ,as mentioned I gatherd my certificates and reached BBC's , 1-Rafi Marg office.It was a sunday and no one else was in office.She went across all my certificates,which as I feel was not required.She allowed me to start internship from next day.

It was an exceptional chance.BBC does not have a provision to intern people.Rather it allowes traineeship at its HQ in London. But it was an opportunity and I was eager to take this .We all know that BBC is known for its Radio Services and TV service of BBC came much latter. It started its firts broadcast in India in 1932 with inception of BBC Hindustani Service. It was bifercated as BBC Hindi and Urdu Service after partition.

BBC,since then has created waves across rural (mostly) India. 1971 war, Indira Gandhis' assasination and General Elections in India are some of the events of history through which BBC firmly established its Charishma in Indian subcontinent.

I can narrate a story about reliability off BBC. Late Prime Minister Mr Rajiv Gandhi was in Calcutta ,at the moment Indira Gandhi was hit by bullets. He got to know it but did not trust and kept a radio set sticked to him through out the flight he took to return to Delhi. He only believed when BBC announced about the tragedy.

Even me , as a nine year old boy eagarly waited for BBC Bulletint til 7:45 PM to get to know about whether or not Indira Gandhi had survived. We all were waiting for a charishma which never took place.


BBC has also been home to some of the prominent figures who served it,like Bal Raj Sahni, Inder Kumar Gujral, Purushottam Lal Pahwa,Onkar Nath Srivastava and Kailash Budhwar.

Not to say BBC is a trusted name but some how in recent years It has lost its charishma among its popular listeners.

During my internship I got to work with Seema Chishti, a St Stephens graduate, Mike Woodridges,who was heading south asia bureau, Salma Zaidi and Shalini Joshi who was a new face in BBC at that time.

How ever I keenly observed Andrew White Head and Satish Jacob working on stories in BBC office. Satish Jacob, who along with Mark Tully wrote the book on Indira Gandhi's assasination is a very humble man.

I learnt about Radio editing whatso ever I was told by Swati and copy writing. I remember that one day I got late and it was raining cats and dogs.Every one has left aprat from Yadav--the peon. There was no auto,bus or cab available at that night. I walked some odd five kilometers on delhi road to finally reach one of my friends place in Ber Saray.

India was celeberating its Fifty first years of independence in 1998 and every producer in BBC was preparing a special program to mark the day. I feel high amount of pride that this special occasion ,of which I was part of have left an unforgettable mark on me. I have not been able to understand the behaviour of two ladies who asked me to wind up my internship very next day. Perhaps, I was more than enough involved or may be it was observed that I had learnt quite a lot from BBC.

What so ever the two ladies called me in a cabin and asked that let's give a stop to my internship.I asked the reason as still there were four days left in my internship. She said nothing but to leave.

I was shocked and tried to call London to speak to Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya,but as I feel know,he was not consulted about this.

I am thankful to Seema Chishti, that she released my certificates .I thanked her for making me learnt about so many new things and returned to South Campus.

BBC,by that time had made me learnt about ABC in journalism.

It was my first brush up with in an International organisation at the age of 22 .I ended up with BBC in August 1998.But till date is remaining in touch with its people.

To be contineud..................................................