I INTERNED AT THE TIMES OF INDIA!

 YES! At Mumbai's editorial division.

And it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life :)

Hello everyone and welcome back to month 35 of #faltufridays!

I feel like all the happening things in my life typically 'happen' over the summers and thought it would be cool to share some of it with you guys!

 (ps. I'm not trying to brag; please don't mistake it for the same!) 
Without further ado,
Let's get to it :)

The Times Of India does not need an introduction, it is an established fact that ToI is the ‘World’s largest selling English Newspaper’.

Right from the beginning, I received the opportunity to contribute and work alongside seasoned professionals.
Just on my 2nd day of the Internship, I was assigned to attend a Press Conference on ‘Manipur riots’, at the prestigious Press Club of Mumbai, as TOI’s sole representative. In attendance were esteemed Print and Television journalists from various media houses. This exhilarating experience led to my first news story in the next day’s Main Book of the Print Edition. The best part? I got to sit through meetings and observe the behind-the-scenes of my article being published! Right from designing a unique layout for each day's print, learning about various 'keywords' of a newspaper to watching the tension build up in the conference room (+ the light-hearted humour that filled the atmosphere), to be in the middle of it was awesome.

My focus area of news coverage was the ‘Education’ Section where eight news stories I authored/co-authored were published. These focused on how students with various life challenges overcame them to succeed academically. From exploring innovative learning methods adopted by country toppers to shedding light on the challenges faced by students, each article allowed me to delve deep into the world of Educational journalism. The process of researching, interviewing, and crafting compelling narratives taught me the power of storytelling and its potential to drive meaningful discussions and reforms and I hope it helps me in my future writing endeavours!

My internship also included a visit to the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch Headquarters (which houses the Cyber Crime cell) for interactions with Senior Officials to get a feel of crime news reporting.

This Internship gave me a ring-side view of the deadline-oriented breaking-news cycle, by working with the Editorial team through weekends & late nights to ensure that breaking stories were covered without a lag. The energy levels in the Newsroom would build up from 7 pm onwards (as the Day’s stories got finalized in the Final planning meeting) & there would be a crescendo around midnight once the Final Copy was approved by the Editors. These late-night sessions over many cups of coffee resulted in my befriending almost all of TOI-Mumbai’s team of News Correspondents & Photo-Journalists.

At times, it was a surreal experience - to be working at 10 pm on the Pagination of the Education Page with ‘The Edit Desk’ and getting up at 6am the next day morning to see that page in the Print Edition, delivered to my home. 

As a High School Senior, this opportunity has been an eye-opener and I couldn't be more grateful for the unparalleled experience. I would extend my heartfelt appreciation to Mr Nauzer Bharucha Sir for his unwavering support & mentorship throughout my internship. His guidance & expertise in the field of journalism has been invaluable in shaping my understanding of the media industry & I am incredibly fortunate to have had him as my mentor.

But if you want to know my favourite part through it all?
Definitely the masaledar maggi I shared with my colleagues at the cafeteria :)

 And if you're wondering where to find all my articles, I've complied them all in this document!

Thank you for reading today's post! I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to share and comment for more!

Signing off,

Kuhu :)