Thirteen Years and Counting.................(Part-20)

We spent that night at our places while I kept worrying about Ami as town was getting tensed at it grew dark.Security vigilance was tight across Faizabad district and aticle -144 was imposed in whole state of Uttar Pradesh. We were not sure how the day was set to start,so we kept our mobile devices open,charged and ready to be recieved through out the night.
All the lodges,hotels and guest houses were occupied by media persons as only couple of days were left to the event 'Ram Shila Pujan'. I had no autority to enter inside the town as only government officials,police,security personals and media was allowed to roam around. So,the whole night I was busy discovering the route through which I can reach to the hotel where Ami was staying,and successfuly I discoverd a route ,an isolated,rough ,crossing through many viallages and at the end connected to the Faizabad route,to the hotel where Ami was staying.

I took my old bicycle which I rode when I was in 12th standerd and reached to the Hotel Shan-E-Awadh to see Ami and assist her. Ami was all awake and waiting for me .She was tensed as she got to know that army and police were going to excercise Flag March across entire town in order to build the confidence level of residents of town who were already frightended,tensed and disturbed.
Ami was not sure if I would be able to cop up with the situation.She deliberatley asked me if I was ready. I nodded that I was firm to accompany her through tight security and tensed town.
We rode that small red car and headed towards Ayodhya.We could see police and paramilitary forcess all around .We sailed across chowk and noticed that each shop was closed and there was no presence of a single person on the streets.Only security vehicles were moving in Faizabad and towards Ayodhya. We reached Ayodhya and positioned ourselves at a cross road which connected National highway to the temple bylane--the road which stretched towards Hanuman Garhi. We were among our fellows,cameras--still and TV,media persons representing Indian and western media.Some of them have come from Delhi while some had landed directly from their respective countries. Like Sky news team had landed from Beijing to see how Ayodhya and the nation was going to react on one of the massive gathering after 1992.
It was 07:00 A.M. Not a single person on street,houses and shops closed.Security personals deployed on streets,in bylanes and above roof tops of houses.
We waited for the Flag March to start. And then we saw a police Gipsy announcing about the route of the March. Ami and me just had finished our conversation that which place could be suitable to cover the Flag Mrach and ended our meeting on to manage to get inside the moving petroling vehicles,paramilitary forcess and the horses which were part of carvan.
I must admit that Ami and me both were working like a soldier deployed in a warzone all ready with our arsenals.
And then the Flag March headed from the extreme north of the town to the place where we were positioned. A 'Paidal' batallion first, then motorcade,horsebattalion,motorcade and then again the Paidal battallion. Ami was already equiped her camera and sat down on road to snap a couple of hundred photographs in less than fifteen minutes. She was moving herself with camera faster than we type on our keyboards. And then I saw the expertise of her when she entered like a hurricane inside the carwan and began taking photographs. I waited for her as she waved towards me to get on roof top of houses so we may get some excellent photographs. Within a blink of eye we were on roof top of a house from where we took hundred of photographs of the Flag March. While we were negotiating the stairs we saw a lonely child crying without anyone to take care of him.I took him in my laps,knocked at a door handed him over to a neighbourhood who knew about the parrents and rushed to accopany Ami in a bylane. The Flag March headed towards the workshop where the stones for temple construction were shaped.


To be continued...................... Ram Shila Pujan and the problem without ID Card.

Thirteen Years and Counting ........(Part -19)

Right at 10:00 A.M we met at a restaurent and chalked out the plan for whole day. We decided to see the bylanes and temples first and then the nearby places in search of meeting some people and resident of Ayodhya.

Ayodhya city is a stretch on both sides of National Highway which connects the state capital Lucknow to another important city Gorakhpur. On regular intersections this Highway is divided by narrow roads which allows you to enter in the temple town on the west side of the road while majority of the residents and houses are located on east side of the road. This is an odd distribution of temples and common residents of Ayodhya. These narrow bylanes carry you to various temples right from the entrance of Ayodhya to the extreme north of the town where river Saryu flows eastward.

We decided to pick the west side of the road to enter in the temple bylane. The road which connects the national highway goes deep inside the temple bylanes touching most of the important temples including the disputed site.

These bylanes are occupied by small shpkeepers having shops of sweets,idols,sandal,Khandau(Wooden Chappals), Books of rituals ,Kanthi-Mala(Holy necklace) and other useful goods which you require in a traditional Hindu ritual.
Most attrctive thing is that in the bylane which connects the National Highway to disputed site,you will see CDs,DVDs and Cassets of 1992 demoliotion event of mosque and sppeches of Hindu hardliner leaders.
The first temple which comes in your way is Hanuman Garhi. A prominent temple where idols of Hanuman along with his mother Anjana attrcts you from a distance.You have to cross 75 odd stairs to reach inside the temple. This temple is managed by Naga Sadhus by diving the whole area of temple in seven pattis(division).Each patti own an Akhara where wrestlers are groomed.

We crossed Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhavan (House of Gold) and proceeded towards a narrow lane which connects a small muslim area further crosses to a Jain temple on west side and another temple bylane on north side.On south of this small narrow areas is again cluster of temples. At a glance no one can notice this tiny area situtaed amidst the cluster of temples.May be a dozen of houses or even less.
Ami was determined to enter inisde that area. I too agreed but I adviced her to meet one very calm and intelectual person who had setteled in a lonely house situated alongside this area.
Ami agreed and we headed to meet Dr R.C .Prasad.
Dr R.C. Prasad was an intelligent person having an extrme knowledge about the town and the problems of it. A very humble man,he had shifted from Agra along with his family.However he was spending his days all alone when we went to meet him and seek his version.

He was known to me and I was sure that he would be glad to see a journalist at his house. He offered a chair to us and a glass of water.Did not speak anything but carried us inside his beautifuly designed house and shown us some trunks,boxes,luggage and kitcheware. I was not sure what he was trying to prove and then only he told to both of us that the boxes,trunks and luggage belonged to some Muslim families who left the town before the event of Ram Shila Pujan in fear of breaking a riot.
Ami took some photographs but we were not sure how to react on this situation when Dr Prasad told us that even he is planning to leave the town.

We thanked to Dr Prasad and headced towards that area. I could not believe that most of the house were locked and families had left the town in order to protect the woman and kids.

There was no one in that area with whom we could have a talk. As soon as we were moving out of the place, we saw a small structure in ruins. At first we could not identify but then I read on the walls of ruin building and it read 'Kanya Primary Pathshala'(Girls Primary School).

We could not identify whether the school was ruined as a result of riot which broke in 1993 after demolition of mosque or it was really an old structure which collapsed due to bad weather.
Sun was rapidly moving towards western sky,we were hungry and had spent whole day roaming around the town,so we headed towards our destinations.

To be continued......... Closing towards event--The Flag March on the streets of Ayodhya)

Thirteen Years and Counting.............(Part-18)

As soon as we headed towrds the western side of the river we saw a smal mob carrying saffron flags in their hands just over the bridge. They were shouting slogans in support of Ram Janm Bhumi. We avoided that and reached twords temple line along side the small stream of river 'Ram ki Paudi'.

Ami was determined to enter inside the temples and take some photographs. There is a very famous Shiva Temple which is famous as Nageshwar Nath.We decided to enter inside the temple and soon I discovered that Ami had reached on the roof top,some how after having a chat with Pujari of the temple. I followed her and moving on narrow,dark stairs I too soon found myself on roof top.

Sun has emerged out above the surface of river and its rays were touching and entering inside the curls of the water waves. Ami took almost hundreds of photographs of river,the rising sun and temple bylanes and houses in and around the bylanes alongside the ghats.

It was the time when most of the temples had started 'Subah ki Aarti' ,(worshiping the lords and making him awake). We participated in 'Subah ki Aarti' and sat down on the bank for a while to plan next course of action.

Ami was insisting to get inside some houses and to talk with the members of families so we may get a clearer idea on what exacltly they thought about Ram Temple issue. I was not sure about this to enter in the houses at such an early stage of the day.

But then,we ended up in deciding to get inside atleast couple of houses or rather inbuilt houses inside the temples.
We selected one rather small temple in which a family of six people were living. The male and female members and their two sons,one daughter and a new born son. We talked to them as we noticed that they were least interested in any kind of debate on Ram Temple issue as they believed that there can be no argument to the fact that Ram was born in Ayodhya and the place belongs to Hindus. As we kept talking to the male member Ami went inside the house and perhaps tried to mix up with the mother of new born. As I got to know later that mother was breastfeeding her new born son and Ami insisted to take photoes of mother feeding new born.

It was 07:30 A.M, and we required to go back our places to refresh ourselves and then to get back to work again at 10:00 A.M.,we headed for our destinations.


To be continued................... In the bylanes of Ayodhya and the The School which was abandoned due to fear of riots.

Thirteen Years and Counting...........(Part-17)

Next morning she called me up at 06:00 A.M sharp to pick me up from my uncle's residence. I was not sure what she was going to do at such an early time.It was an unwise decision to go back to my village and reach at 06:00 A.M. next morning,hence I decided to stay at place which was close to the disputed site. Aurobindo Ashram, a branch of Auroville in pondichey is a small meditation center in Ayodhya,with which I was associated since I was in class ten. There is a small guest house in serene atmosphere of Aurobindo Ashram,where I rested myself to meet Ami next morning.

I could not sleep that night as I was resteless with this new assignment. So,without having a sleep, I reached to the meeting point almost half an hour in advance,sipped a cup of tea in a tea stall as my uncle's house was locked at such an early time and waited for Ami to arrive there.
Sharp at 06:00 A.M, the same red Maruti car stopped in front of my uncle's house and I rushed to see if everything was o.k.

She was little tensed but waved me and allowed to enter in her small car. We rushed straight to river bank. Upon reaching on bank just above the bridge,we noticed that sun was about to rise. We left the car and headed towards the eastern bank of river. We would have travelled half a mile and saw small pyres burning on the bank. It was the last rite place of Hindus. I stopped Ami that it may be an unwise decision to head towards that side,as it was not going to give us a pleasant feeling. So,we returned from that place and kept walking alongside river. Ami, as a sharp photo journalist took out her ultra modern long range photographic camera and took a photography postion by entering two meters in the Saryu. She took couple of shots of bridge and then of people who were taking bath inside river( Its a holy feeling to take bath early in the morning in a river in Hidu mythology). I was standing on the riverside stairs as I saw she was waving hand and calling me towards her. She was willing to understand about river and the ghats and about the Sadhus who were busy doing meditation on the bank. I narrated to her that how it is important to meditate and take bath early in the morning in a holy river in Hindu mythology. Then she turned herself to take few shots of rising sun. Sun was just coming out from the backyards of long distant planes of river bank just above the surface of river.
She tried to move little more deeper inside river, as I noticed her expertise over camera. She remained static in deep chilling water of river for more than half an hour and took contineous shots of rising Sun.
We had finished our task on the eastern side of river bank and headed towards the bridge to cross it and then move towards the western bank. Most of the temples are lined up along side river on western bank and a small stream out of Saryu has been metamorphosid as 'Ram Ki Paudi'. The real event was waiting on that side as we moved towards bridge..............................

To be continued..............................The Woman ,who was breastfeeding her son.

Thirteen Years and Counting.........(Part-16)

When I entered in Ayodhya,I felt the heat of tension,security vigilance and a gathering of dozen of print and TV journalists scatterd in lodges and hotels of the twin town. Ayodhya happens to be my birth place and home town ,hence I decided to rest myself for first few days. This time I utilized to study the mood of people and the city. And at a glance I realized that its going to be eventful weeks.
Few TV teams has stationed themselves on the bank of Saryu,while some had set up their OB vans in the middle of the town. I took few rounds of city, talked to people and visited all possible places in next couple of days. The saffron colour was the in thing in the town and Hindu hardliners were busy giving firy statments in support of the event they scheduled in March first week.
The disputed place is located in the heart of city around which is a thrre layered security barricade. It covers an area of roughly 70 acres on western side of which the disputed structure stood before December 6,1992. You have to go inside the security zone up to two kilometers before you finally visit the site of Ram Lala.

The monk who organised the event was also a religious leader of Digamabar Akhara, one of seven Akharas in Ayodhya which manages various temples. His math is at a distance of three kilometers from disputed site close to the workshop where stones are being shaped for temple construction.

One fine morning I just went to my uncles house in the heart of town to seek some medcine and was just sipping a cup of tea. The pre curser of event had started taking shape and newsmen were busy picturising the places and people in town. All of sudden a red Maruti car stopped in front of my uncle's house and a lady came out along with driver to get herself adjusted in religiously warm town. I noticed that there was some dispute between the driver and lady on exchange of money.Perhaps the hired driver was charging a double ammount from that American photojournalist who had come all the way from Delhi to cover the event. It was only after our intervention that matter was sorted out,and then lady introduced to my homeopathic doctor uncle---Ami Vitale,journalist from Delhi.
Ami Vitale,later I discovered was a hired photojournalist by Getty Images,a world known photo agency,who had already covered events like Kashmir and Gujrat.
So, I also dared to introduce myself and my plans. She immediatly desired that she wanted a person to assist her to cover the the events supposed to unfold in next couple of weeks. I, all impressed with her intelligence and egarness replied to be in her company untill her departure from the town. Offcourse we negotiated terms and conditions before we started two weeks journey together.......................................................

To be continued............................ Shooting, Talking and learning the lenses with Ami Vitale)

Thirteen Years and Counting..............(Part-15)

I was spending my time in news tracking on TV channels and hopefully watching if something worthwhile can come out for me. It was towards end of February that a news started picking up momentum from Ayodhya. The age old dispute was getting a pick on news channels. But this time due to an extended chapter in the issue.

One of the main party from the sides of Hindus was going to organise an event to which they called as Ram Shila Pujan.The event was to be organised to show the commitment of Hindus to build a glorious Ram Temple on the site of birth of their holy God,Ram.

Now to remind my readers little about the issue and about Ayodhya, I do not wish to repeat the same old story of 1990 and 1992,but would like to addition that Ayodhya is one of the oldest city in Hindu mythology. Situated on the banks of mighty river Saryu,it is believed that the city was built himself by Hindu's law giver and first human being on earth--Manu or rather Swayambhu Manu.As the Sanskrit verse states------

Koslo Naam Muditah
Sfeeto Janpado Mahan
Nivishtah Saryu Teere
Prabhu Dhan Dhanyavaan
Ayodhya Naam Nagri
Tatrshollok Vishrtah
Manuna Manvendrena
Ya Puri Nirmita Swyam.

The lineage of Suryavanshi kshatriya which statred with Ikshvaku the remote ancesstors of Lord Rama statrts from Ayodhya which was known as Kosla. During Mahajanpada period Kosla was one of the sixteen mighty kingdom in India.

Lorda Rama was son of Dashratha and the eldest son out of four. He, according to Hindu mythology is also considerd as seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Now the story is that Shakari Vikrmaditya of Gupta dynasty built a magnificient Ram temple in Ayodhya,preserved,refurnished and redecorated by other Hindu kings along the time. It is believed that Babar,the first moughal emperor orderd his aid Mir Baaki to destroy that Ram temple and subsequently to built a mosque overthere.

People of Ayodhya and a section of historian also believe that the mosque which was destroyed by an unstructured mob gatherd on the call of Hindu hardliner leaders in 1992, was the same mosque,to which Hindus believe was built after demolition of Ram Temple.

Now, its a matter of dispute between Hidus and Muslims and the battle has been fought in and out side Indian courts in last sixty years.

Now there was a monk who first filed a petition claiming that the land and structure belongs to Hindus in 1940s is now no more. Ram chandra Paramhans a Hindu hardliner leader and a monk in Ayodhya decided to call Hindus to strenthen the unity and claim of Ram temple in 2003. And the event as it was to be organised was called Ram Shila Pujan.

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Present day Ayodhya is a Hindu pilgrimage place and is situated at a distance of 125 kms east to state capital Lucknow. It is a assembly constituency seat and is part of Faizabad district,a one time glory of Nawab of Awadh. It is believed that there are almost 3000 temples in Ayodhya out of which a chain of gtemples is located on the bank of holy river Saryu.

It is a small town ,surrounding which is a populos agricultural land on the southern side of Saryu makes the area productive and people to be dependant on this agricultural business. Some noted samajwadi and congress leaders also stretched thier lineage to this area..

The twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad,which are parted by a distance of hardly five kilometers are evidence of Hindu-Muslim unity or as its is refered as Ganga Jamni tehjeeb.

But the dispute of Ram Mandir/Babri mosque has widened the gap between two societies and after 1992 when the so called Babri mosque was demolished the bitterness had increased.


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On the backdrop of this, Hindu hardliners decided to organise event of Ram Shila Pujan and this story statred taking the shape of headlines in TV channles towards end of February 2003.

I who was lookig to jump on such opportunity decided to go to Ayodhya and to file the reports to those best of the people and organizations who refused to recognise it....................................

To be continued................ In Ayodhya and meeting with Ami Vitale.

Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -14)

Anita Pratap bears the credit of first lady head of CNN in south asia. The lady from Kerla is first international journalist to interview LTTE chief deep in Jafna during his peak days. She has been internationally recognized and awarded for her journalistic assignment during her days in CNN and Time magzine.

Its little unconfortable to write about Anita Pratap as the whole world knows about her challenging assignments she took during her journalistics days throughout Indian and international media. Upon her resignation from CNN she married Nowagian ammbessdor to India and shuttled in Norway pursuing diplomatic assignments and helping his husband.

Quite often she visits India to make some documentaries and meet her extended family overhere.

One day I was just trying to see to whom I can approach to rely on and tried her number. She immediatly picked the phone and replied. Then we started exchanging e-mails and everytime I mail her ellaborating some problem she comes out with a solution to it. However I never met her but her e-mails are almost like a face to face meeting,when ever I am in need or I require her suggestions.

We have shared comments on her books,on her on going assignments and little about future plans.She never forgets to wish me when ever I do any remarkable deed in my personal and professional life.

We continue to share the ideas and this was during 2003 U.S.A. lead strike on Iraq on the issue of WMDs that she started a signature campaign on U.S.A's decision to enter in Iraq. I was also one of them to write the comment .The report was supposed to dispatched to the senior administartion in U.S.A government. And that is how I got to know about the senior administartion of President Bush and contact of the white house.

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Ami Vitale is internationally acclaimed photojournalist currently based in Florida,U.S.A. She is on the boards of selectors in National Geographic magzine--the world famous environment,science and wildlife entity. But she has already so much so to her credit,has been warded so many times by international organisations and have so extensivly travlled to the remotest part of the world that her assignments tells her story to full length.

She has been in India for several years coverning story for world famous Getty Images and she has told the story of Kashmir,Gujrat riots,Ayodhya issue ,festivals,fairs,poverty and child issue through the lense.

She is a master storyteller and her pictures makes you think twice on the subject she raises.

The year 2003 just had started and I was still looking for some assignment to come in my way. I was eager to fill this large gap of joblessness and my optimism was soon going to be realized by these two highly acclaimed individuals......................................

To be continued------------ Assisting Ami Vitale and Designing the internet based program 'The Nose of The News'.

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.

Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -12)

Elections in India are mega festivals as national,colourful,bright and sweet & sour as are Holi,Diwali and Eid.Right from first general elections they are organised and conducted with the effort of all officially involved and unofficially participating people at such a wide scale that observers from outside India come to see this political fest.

You can see a wave of enthusiasm and energy among all who are part of this largest democracy in the world. Children,young and old see it as opportunity to use their might through the people who have right to vote and elect their respective leaders. And this festival is celeberated and conducted in a different mood in India.

I remember when I was a kid we all were very enthusistic about the banners and posters circulated during elections. Few of them we used as cover pages of our books and some to show our affection for our candidate from the area. Poster and banners have changed the mood of election at times. And if I am not wrong ,one incident I remember when the posters of last speech of Indira Gandhi in 1984 General Elections changed the fortune of candidates.

But I am talking about the elections of 1999. It has been seven years to the demolition of Babri Mosque and India's nationalist hinduist party has been able to create a wave of nationalism and hindu mass movement across India and has managed to gain partial succes in terms of number of seats it had improved. Congress was suffering a big setback in previous elections and India has just entered in coalition politics era where no party was untouchable for the other. Coaltion politics has already been practised at center level and we were heading towards another phase of it in elections 1999.

Our team at Zee News was working very hard to prepare itself for election coverage feeling the heat of Hinduistic nationalistic feeling and slightly less option for congress the channel designed a optimistic program called 'Campaign Trail'.

But I was feeling a different way. I am not talking about election results.It may or may not be in favor of any particular political party,but the base on which this Hindu mass movement was created was having a vaccume. And these kind of vaccumes play a disasterous role in creating a strong base of a secular democracy. But the vaccume was there and no one was trying to realise it. And I too became part of this program of Zee News which was later became USP of general elections on Indian Television.

The idea behind the program was that a team of reporters and producers would spent 24 hours with a respective political candidate and will picturise it as one single episode. It was a huge excercise and two different centers were created for it in which a dozen of producers,reporters and script writers had to work together to design the program.

It was the second phase of my internship and also a chance to see the people to whom I respected. I was in team A and second week of my internship when I noticed that a fresh lot of interns has just arrived from Symbiosis Institute. Three interns were put in team A.

We worked very hard in that team and was detached from the main news team for a period of one month. In a span of one month we prepared total 13 episodes,out ofwhich all thirteen candidates picturises by us won the elections.The three interns from symbiosis really did a fabulous effort and we all were appreciated for our efforts put together........................................................................................

To be continued.......... Out of Job, My ouster from Zee News and Story after 1999.

Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -11)

Our Bureau Chief at Zee News was Satish K. Singh, a man who always liked field reporting and always pushing young bloods to go in field and experience the nitty-gritty of how the report takes shape in the field. Many believed that he was a confused person,alwyas trying to reslolve the balance between reporting and desk.But till date I believe that he is a man of merrit,deserved a lot but was pushed back by his rivals in Zee News. What so ever I always admired about how he carried me to assist him in some of his briiliant reports he filed during the begining phase of coalition politics in India.

But he has a childish habbit of nail bitting when ever he was tense with his reports. A man from Bihar,he had some team binding capacity with him .What so ever I liked him for the moment he brought for me to have a face-to face meeting of today's magnet of Indian television--Rajdeep Sardesai.

I had finished my night shift and was just planning to go back in my one room accomodation at Mahipalpur,when I saw my bureau chief little tense and indulged in the same old habbit of nail bitting. He asked me whether I want to have his company to interveiw Madhav Rao Scindia at his residence. It was some political crisis on remote north eastern state and the chief minister had directly submitted his resignation to Congress supremo,Sonia Gandhi.

I was feeling asleep,by nodded that I wish to give him a company,not sure what will come out.

Rajdeep Sardesai,then political Editor(It was perhaps November 1998) of NDTV-Star News was already a charishmatic and media mobilizer name,and still he is,serving the indian television for nearlly two deacdes with same passion and energy who has become his USP for his fellows and Indian viewers.

This was the promise,which made me to decide to give company to my bureau chief even after a hectic nine our night shift.

So,we reached at Madhav Rao Scindia's residence. A couple of television journalists were already there waiting for mahadaji to come out. All of sudden a car with NDTV-Star News logo entered in the premise. And the men came out of the car was the famous duo of Rajdeep--Arnab. We holded our breathe as the stage was set.Tea was served to all of us in beautifuly designed cup and plates and we were still waiting for Madhav Rao Scindia to come out.

Rajdeep was all set as he asked for a link from studio. Patting on his note book ,his brain was busy designing some grilling questions while Arnab kept walking alongside his office van.

And then my bureau chief whispered in my ears--Scindia ji. I woke out of my sleep and realized that gun mikes and light were on straight on Madhava Rao Scindia.Links has been restored and the great intervewer of Indian media has just thrown a chilling question on Mahadaji......................

Later I spoke to Rajdeep and he asked me to meet him in his office. Right from that point I have met him at sevearl occassions--officially and personally both.It has been thirteen good years and the newshound has sharpen the skill of grilling the interviewees,but has grown more humble and patient listener since then............as I am told by my friends.

He has brought first international collaboration in television news ,has set up a team of passionate reporters and producers and has changed the destiny of television news...................but for me he is still the same person to whom I saw at Madhav Rao Scindia's residence and who always picks my phome without putting me on wait..........................

(Above is writer's personal opinion and not necessarily reflects the opinion of indian television)

To be continued--------------------------------------Campaign Trail---The Election Analysis of 1999.

Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -10)

Walky-Talky were used primarily for guest coordination on those days and also to coordinate between the the late night pick-ups and drops. Its was an unusually night when rain drops were pouring in chilling winter of December of Delhi. My pick up van had reached to office and we were just waiting to start our shift by sorting out stories from outsation bureaus,desk and wire.

My shift in-charge was holding a walky -talky to see who else had left on that rainy day.All of sudden a female voice cracked from the walky-talky,"My pick-up has crashe at ashram,I am unable to reach office in time".....and all of sudden the voice broke out and vanished from the small device. We tried to figure out who was that.We started leaving messages to other in route pick upS and even after an hour we did not recieve any message from that side.

And suddenly some one banged on the doors of news room. The lady who entered half wet was almost smiling on the victory over weather as she had reached office in time.In a yellow t-shirt and blue jeans,she was the one who later managed the only english bulletin of zee news from being shut down. I must admit that it was the day,which would have been a shaky day for all of us,if the English team would not have arrived in time.Later we got to know that it was the first trial run of english bulletin,closely to be watched by Subhash Chandra.

That daring lady is now at very senior position serving passionatley with world's biggest news agency.

I learnt that day ,how to mange the risks and dangers during crucial opeartions of news channels.

We were a small team of interns,producers,reporters and desk people,but that very team made the path for zee news to achieve the glory of today.Perhaps no one from that team is still serving in zee news,but the mark made by the team and effort put together by all of us is still rememberd by each one when most of the team has gone at higher places of media.

Now that English bulletin on zee news has been wrapped up but each member of that team ---the full timers and interns both have the pride deep in their heart and a wish for leading lady who dared to survive all of us and the bulletin on that chilling day.........................

To be continued------------Our Bureau Chief and Raj Deep Sardesai at Madhav Rao Scindia's residence.

Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -9)

It was a time at Zee News,that everone right from editor-in-chief to interns,all were trying to give their 100 %. Regulars to get promoted and interns to secure a foothold in only Hindi-English news channel run 24 *7. Rakesh Khar our editor-in -chief was a humble man with a sharp nose on whom to pick for what.He nourished many new faces of that time who are now big shot of Indian TV Industry. Many of them were just waiting for his head to be nodded for one o.k.

And yes in between there was me,an intern who has come all the way from a small religiously warm and disputed town with a shadow of Babri Demolition and its consequences. I through my newsy days never been able to forget the faces of several Hindu and Muslim families who lost their lives in the Battle of Babri. This was the one issue who pushed me to choose my career in news over a rather more comfortable science.God knows I never liked discussing this issue and some time even was reluctant to tell the people at Zee News that I was from Ayodhya. People wanted to know more curiously about all what happened in past.

So,my routine satarted at 03:00 PM each day with coming to office and taking some footage of repoters or from news wire and then to log it on preview maschine. This was the place where I noticed that some time I had a company of a beautiful girl sitting on next preview maschine. It was an interesting job to roll the maschine backward and forward to see all the footage and then to note down the counters on it.

My job was to return the tape with counters to shift incharge and it was on his mercy to select whom he wants to give the tape to write script. I always died to wriite script and doing voice over.There was one shift incharge who knew my leaning but always pushed me back on preview maschine to do more logging,which I hated.I wanted to write script and do the voice overs.

And Shiv Joshi knew this. I was always a pleased person,if Shiv were the shift incharge on any day.That day I use to write at least four scripts and record two voice overs.

Almost a month later I realized that the beautiful bobed girl sitting on next preview maschine was actually an intern and was in her course in DCAC.

So my hunt for more scripts and more voice overs was finally realized by our editor-in-chief and he put me in night shift on permanent basis so I may get the chance.

Night shift was more fun and less work for all of us and while in night shift the day came which changed my inner being for ever............

To be continued........................( A Voice on Walky -Talky)

THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL LOOKED IN TO NEXT HUNDRED YEARS IN 1900 A.D.

In 1900 civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins Jr wrote an article for The Ladies Home Journal, called 'What May Happen in the next Hundred Years'; and remarkably, some of his predictions were right on the money.

Watkins, who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, consulted with 'the wisest and most careful men in our greatest institutions of science and learning', to come up with the predictions.

He warned the reader that some of the predictions may seem 'strange, almost impossible', but each prediction came from experts in their respective fields.

The experts it seems, were on to something.

Among the 28 predictions made in the article, several came remarkably close to reality 100 years later, while some were way off the mark.

Among them;

■Digital colour photography - "Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance. If there be a battle in China a hundred years hence, snapshots of its most striking events will be published in the newspapers an hour later.... photographs will reproduce all of nature's colours."
■Americans will get taller - "Americans will be taller by from one to two inches." In 2001, Americans were 1.76cm taller than their predecessors of 100 years earlier.
■Mobile phones – Watkins wrote, "Wireless telephone and telegraph circuits will span the world. A husband in the middle of the Atlantic will be able to converse with his wife sitting in her boudoir in Chicago. We will be able to telephone to China quite as readily as we now talk from New York to Brooklyn."
■Pre-cooked meals - "Ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishment similar to our bakeries of today."
■Population growth - There will probably be from 350,000,000 to 500,000,000 people in America [the US]." . This prediction was slightly off the mark, but they were on the right track. In 2001, the US population had only hit 280,000,000. The prediction was also not based on general population growth, but on the experts’ belief that both Nicaragua and Mexico would become part of the United States.
■Tanks – The experts foresaw wars where "huge forts on wheels will dash across open spaces at the speed of express trains of today."
Watkins also appeared to have something of an obsession with fruit. He looked forward to the day when vegetables would be grown under artificial light (true) and fruits such as strawberries and pears would be twice the size they were in 1900. (also true)

■Radio & Television - "Man will see around the world. Persons and things of all kinds will be brought within focus of cameras connected electrically with screens at opposite ends of circuits, thousands of miles at a span."
Watkins also predicted a form of radio. "Grand Opera will be telephoned to private homes, and will sound as harmonious as though enjoyed from a theatre box", he said.

■Very fast trains - "Trains will run two miles a minute normally. Express trains one hundred and fifty miles per hour.". While most trains don't quite get up to this speed (especially in Sydney), today's very fast trains are now able to go considerably faster than 150 mp/h. The experts also predicted faster travel by boat and 'airships'.
■Air Conditioning – "Hot or cold air will be turned on from spigots to regulate the temperature of a house".
Not everything went quite how Watkins predicted, however.

Among those predictions that didn’t quite come to fruition was the belief that the letters X, C and Q would be eliminated from the alphabet, (unnecessary, Watkins said). Instead, Watkins believed we would all be spelling simply by sound.

Watkins also predicted people would walk '10 miles a day', leaving our major cities virtually free of traffic, which he believed would be "below or above ground when brought within city limits."

The article also predicted big changes for the animal kingdom. He claimed the only animals we would see were the ones kept in zoos, while rats, mice, cockroaches and mosquitoes would be extinct.

This prediction, we kind of wish would come true.

Courtesy--Yahho.com

Will The World End on Dec. 21st,2012

2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?

-------------------------------------------------------





Scenes from the motion picture "2012." Courtesy Columbia Pictures. Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know. It will, however, be another winter solstice.



Much like Y2K, 2012 has been analyzed and the science of the end of the Earth thoroughly studied. Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, the science behind the end of the world quickly unravels when pinned down to the 2012 timeline. Below, NASA Scientists answer several questions that we're frequently asked regarding 2012.



Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.

Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.



Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?

A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.



Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?

A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.



Q: Could phenomena occur where planets align in a way that impacts Earth?

A: There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.




"There apparently is a great deal of interest in celestial bodies, and their locations and trajectories at the end of the calendar year 2012. Now, I for one love a good book or movie as much as the next guy. But the stuff flying around through cyberspace, TV and the movies is not based on science. There is even a fake NASA news release out there..."

- Don Yeomans, NASA senior research scientist




Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.



Q: What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours?

A: A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-shift to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway.



Earth, as seen in the Blue Marble: Next Generation collection of images, showing the color of the planet's surface in high resolution. This image shows South America from September 2004. Q: Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?

A: The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website, so you can see for yourself that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012.



Q: How do NASA scientists feel about claims of pending doomsday?

A: For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.



Q: Is there a danger from giant solar storms predicted for 2012?

A: Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.



Addition information concerning 2012 is available on the Web, at:

■NASA Astrobiology Institute: "Nibiru and Doomsday 2012"
■Bad Astronomy: "The Planet X Saga: The Scientific Arguments in a Nutshell"
■Sky and Telescope Magazine: "2012: The Great Scare"
.

Thirteen Years and Counting........(Part -8)

I was again out of internship.The only consoling point I had with me was that I was still in my studies. But I would not stop I thought. I gathered all my courgage,tried to wipe out my tears and hurt from BBC and rang up my only symathesiser in BBC --Madhukar Upadhyaya and Shalini Joshi. Since Madhukar was away from my reach, I relied on Shalini Joshi, a rather new face in BBC. She immediatly replied to my call and asked me to meet Mr Shiv Prasad Joshi, one of the most reliable faces in Zee India TV(now Zee News).

With no option left I trusted on her words and rushed soon after I got a time with Mr Joshi. I was keen to see the budding face of Indian news industry. To remind my readers --there were only three channels in Indian TV news circuit at that time--Zee India TV,Aaj Tak and NDTV-Star News.

I do not remember how I got inside the Zee News,but Shiv Joshi played a major role to made me learnt about scripting part. A bearded man,a rather young and energetic man with sharp skill of packaging and narration, he was a prominent and most reliable face of Zee India TV.

It was October 1998 when I bagan with Zee India TV's two room office at South Ext. I was still staying in Mahipalpur, and slowly picking up with local Jat lingo. My duty was mostly in night shift as most of interns were put to learn when there was no load of news. My routine was to come to South Campus first and then to take a 323 no Bus direct to Nodia Gole Chakkar and the a rickshaw to film city, by that time Zee India TV shifted in Film City and got its present logo of Zee News.

Not to say that Zee News is mecca for beginers and learners and you get pleanty of chance to learn new skill on professional and personal front.

I was put on news desk mostly with Shiv Josi's leadership. The Hindi and English news team was sitting in the same news room and there was no demarkation of work and people......................

To be continued.....
People,Girls and work and Zee News.

WHAT BIHAR SAYS.......

What Bihar Says........................
by Ratnesh Dwivedi on Friday, November 26, 2010 at 8:12pm

The Bihar Verdict may be in favour of Nitish Kumar,but actually it state many politcal,social and psychological facts together. Bihar is a state which I have seen during a family function in 1985 and 1987.It was then ruled by Congress Government and there was no glimpse of Lalu and Nitish in Bihar or National politics. However I traveeled to Gopal Ganz and East Champaran but even at that time it was hard to believe that Bihar was part of India. There were so many things which no one would wish to recall. Roads,Electicity, Transport and more over the crime.



I can not forget about a Bahubali politician of Gopal Ganz--Kali Pandey who however fought as an independent candidate but his name was enough to terrorise the voters of district. We travelled in a UP govt bus up to Gorakh pur and then took a Gopal Ganz bound bus of Bihar Govt. We left the bus in Siwan and there after I can tell you that its better to watch Shool of Manoj Bajpai to describe the situation.The district hardly had any facility which can give you any pride to say ..ok I may feel little comfrt in Bihar.



But the one thing which attracts you about North Bihar is the soft and twisting language 'Bhoj Puri'. It attracts you all of sudden and makes you feel very close to the person. It still has that charishma.But apart from this I had not found any thing else which I may mention or wish to recall.



This is the story of 1980s Bihar, and Imagine what imrints are left in Lalu's Bihar who completly destroyed almost everything and give that stamp on the forehead of every bihari to be insulted and thrown away from main stream.





But Bihar is on move as is India. Thanks to Nitish Kumar and hs good gvernace.All credit must go to this man who has changed the face of Bihar and every single Bihari.



Brajesh Upadhyaya, A proud Bihari and a senior BBC Journalist acknowledge the developmental work done by Nitish Kumar and so is me.



Bihar may not be another Gujrat in next five years but surly it send a clear message that change is possible and even a Bihari can say that " I can". The phrase is absolutely possible for Bihar and I must admit that Bihar sends a message for neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh that you too can.



Atleast U.P also showing lots of responsibility by acting maturly and wisely to Ayodhya Verdict which establishes that people of U.P. and India now understand what exactly can make them a contrbuter in new developing and shining India.



India is on move and so are states like Bihar and U.P.



May god bless both the states which are often categorised as black mark on the face of India's Growth.



Amen.



( Writer is just a symathesiser of Bihar and his comments are personal.)

THE JUDGEMENT DAY AND THE AYODHYA AS IT STANDS

THE JUDGEMENT DAY AND THE AYODHYA AS IT STANDS

by Ratnesh Dwivedi on Friday, October 1, 2010 at 5:44pm

I was in class 12 when on Dec 6 1992 the disputed structure was demolished by Karsewaks which led to communal riots across country. But now we all proudly can claim that India and Indians have moved ahead, rather has grown up mature from these unstructured centiments . As Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya(Historian and Journalist) suggests that we can not demolish the understanding of co existence of Hindus and Muslims in four hours who are living together for thousands of years.



I have seen Ayodhya in last thirty years growing rather in a mature town where people do worship Lord Rama but they also do bother about thier economic standing in society,worries about the future of thier kids and respect the centiments of other communities. Ayodhya is home to Lord Rama, and other gods of Jainism,Buddhism,Sikhism, and Islaam. What so ever misunderstanding has been created between communities has been washed up. And Ayodhya reacts with full maturity to not only issues of Dharma and Rama but to other national and International issues.



I remember when I decided to take a leave from my engagements and then to stay in my home town -Ayodhya for couple of years, I was asked by a university professor to take some lectures in Dr RML Awadh University. I decided to speak on Space Science and I proudly can say that students of Ayodhya were very keen to understand about this area where many of the IITian bother to care of. Even I found a little student of twelve yeras in school where from I passed out in 1992--Maharaj Intermediate College, asking me finer points of gravity and planetary systems.



So, Ayodhya has grown up and so is thier beiefs in Lord Rama and the Islaam.



This land mark verdict and reactions after this atleast suggests it.



Now we all know that the honourable High Court suggests that total land area of almost 70 acres shall be equally divided in three parts while the main worship place to which Hindus refer as 'Garbh Griha' will stand with Hindus.



I guess the learned judges of Lucknow bence of Allahabad High Court has given a chance to both the community to show the world that they stand together, thier belief stand together,the people of Ayodhya and Ayodhya itself stand as one and so is our nation --India.



This is an opportunity to show the world that the place which created such idelogical,political,religious and social differences across country may again can show the world that Ayodhya also can give the lession of National integrity and humanhood by constructing a huge mosque and a magnificent temple at one place where from the worshiper of Imam-e-Hind lord Rama and pagember Mohammad may show the world that we all are one.

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..................................................

Thirteen Years and Counting..........(Part 6)

Rahul Dev, at that time was heading a program which by that time had created waves in Indian media,and every single journalist was willing to take a chance in that half an hour charishma of Indian Television news industry.

Aaj Tak,conceptualised and designed by Late Surendra Pratap Singh, a half an hour current affairs and news show on DD Metro had been a destination for many of today's achievers in media. Surendra Pratap Singh was a man who had created history as Editor of' Nav Bharat Times' and 'Anand Bazar Patrika's' Ravivar' at very early years of his life as journalist. A man without any biasness was an articulate journalist and more over a good human being. He died of Brain Heomopharage in Apollo Hospital in 1997.

I never got a chance to meet him.

Rahul Dev was his successor in TV Today. I phoned him on one sunday, seeking an appointment,however without realizing his busy schedule I started telling him about myself and reasons to meet him.Without taking any interest in my story,he asked me to meet at 4:00 PM on Wednesday.

As I have narrated earlier, I prepared all my documents and rushed well full one hour in advance to Aaj Tak office(It was at that time in Cannaught Place).Monika was the receptionist at inner circle, Cannaught Place office of TV Today. I waited for quite a while and then his secretary Shashi, directed me in a huge office where the bearded man was sitting and was on the phone with one of his relatives(perhaps his Mama) .I took the front chair and raised my hands just to rub off my sweated face.

The shrewd eyes of Rahul Dev at one glance captured my rist watch.'Ghadi Badi Mehangi Hai', He said.

'Sir, Gift me mili hai', all was what I had replied without revealing the secret that it was mere a hundred rupee watch which I had purchased from Cannaught Place.

We conversated for twenty minutes and then he directed me to Mr Wahid Naqvi his deputy in Aaj Tak. In mid way I noticed Deepak Chaurasia shouting on his copy writers . Wahid Naqvi did not take a single minute to reject me I was quite unexperienced and was still into my course as he would have predicted.

I have no words to describe my psychological status. The earth and sky both were spinning before me. I took a round of inner circle in that state of mind and bought a cold drink to realax my mind. A normal practice for me uptill the series of my rejections in media.

Since then I would have made two dozen phone calls to Rahul Dev,sometime he came on phone and moreover, sometime agreed to give me an appointment.But never I disclosed why I could not join him or what Mr Wahid Naqvi had said to me.

I have no regrets or complains for either Rahul Dev or Wahid Naqvi. Three four years later when Sanjaya Pugalia took over from Rahul Dev,I met him also but he was supposed to move to Mumbai to start a new venture.

South Campus had been my shelter and a Head Quarter as I returned after each interview to nice surroundings of it to meet each of my friend and to have lunch at Murthy's canteen.That is how we all of us, Sarvada,Vikram, Brajesh,Manish,Vashistha,CK were spending the days in South Campus.

Those were hard days for all of us and we will never be able to forget South Campus that how it shelterd all of us.

My journey which started in Lucknow was taking a tough turn,but there was me determined like a rock that I will make it, whatsoever it takes.

And destiny was waiting for me in BBC,as I was promised by Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya for intership.

This was the time when India was visiting its satelite revolution.There were couple of channels.Zee, NDTV-Star,Jain and TVI.BBC by that time had winded up its half an hour show on Home TV.

Journey was tough and so was the travellar.

This was summer season of 1998 and the month was May.

Story was unfolding and so the wings of time for Indian news industry..........................

(To be Contineued)


Next---My meeting in Nalini Singh's office and my Two months in BBC's magical realm.

Thirteen Years and Counting..........(Part 5)

Very soon, we all of us, developed South Campus in to our second home.It became our shelter for the day and sometimes even for the night( an unofficial residence for some of us).We here only discovered what way we have to choose to decide the destiny.

As for me was concerned,I converted it in to a mini office for me ,specially yellow phone booth inside arts faculty building and the PCO just close to its gate.

The first phone call which I made was to ,as I said, Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya. As soon as I rang him up,on BBC address, a soft voice transfered the call to him. Many of us across the listenership of BBC Hindi Service,might agree about the magical pitch,intensity,Volume and Loudness(all the character we study on voice modulation) of his voice.' Hello' as he utterd,I by holding my breath asked for his permission to give me an appointmet to meet him in his office.

And as promised,some eight odd years back ,he agreed and called me at 3:00 PM very next day.This might turn in to a decisive moment,I thought. I collected all my paper clipings,which I got published in Lucknow,my certificates( this was a common practice for me when ever I got a chance to meet any significant person to show my 'might' through certifcates--I don't know if ever I succeded in my attempt) and reached at 3:15, late by full fifteen minutes.

He was busy writing his script(news story) and with his magical smile,very politly reminded me that I was late.With all my courage and all softness, I asked him to give a chance for internship in BBC.I was not sure,till date, what he said,but when I came out of the office the beautifuly crafted receptionist smiled at me. And I realized that I am going to spent couple of months in the magical realm of BBC and its marvellous people.

This was a start of my cynicism,of making phone calls,collecting phone numbers and asking to media giant to give me an opportunity.Which now I feel was developed in to my weak point as I felt that I was begging for something.And there is a saying ' beggers have no choice'.

I am sure that as for as media people are concerned only two male exceptions are there where this 'begger' phenomenon was not applied.And that is Mr Madhukar Upadhyaya and Mr Rajdeep Sardesai.

Yes, ladies in media are always my inspiration,who so ever came in my way.


Next call which I made was to Mr Rahul Dev( A man with whom I opted to meet for thirteen times, and at every time he agreed) and to Nalini Singh's office.

Not to say the south indian man and his beautiful canteen inside south campus has been feeding me up and even intentionly asking to me whether or not I have got my lunch.Murthy's canteen has been a place where from I bought my lunch everyday.and sometime dinner too.I do not know what was the reason.Its good food or Murthy's affection...............................................................................................................................I do not know if I still have some odd one thousand debt on him.

To be contineoud..........................
Next my meeting with more and more media people and how we spent our days in south campus and night outs.