Sunday, September 11, 2011

FROM MUMMA'S GIRL TO MEDIA GIRL



From a bachelor of engineering to an apprentice at NDTVmi,I had audaciously attempted to see myself beyond the usual me.Hailing from a small-town middle-class background,where careers are supposedly born in IT industries,brought up and nurtured in business administrations or are pleasantly married and settled with soft-cushioned "sarkari naukari",my bizarre decision sparked a series of mixed reactions.While some panned my decision by calling it ridiculous ,others saw sheer heroism in my pursuit of passion.

Cornering all my doubts and fears;i began my first week at NDTVmi.The ambience of the place was charismatic.While i was wondering about the symbolism underlying the red carpet elegantly draping the floor;for red is the colour of passion,Dr.Nigam entered and kicked off the formal introduction session.I must admit that the session blew me much like a hurricane that wipes out everything that blocks its way.The people around me were adorned with enormous caliber and indefatigable confidence.A sudden realization dawned upon me that I had committed a mistake;that I was at the wrong place.As the week progressed with interns pouring in to lend us an insight into the course ,I kept figuring out my place in that elite crowd .I was working hard to break the ice between my introvert self and my extrovert colleagues.Integral to the day were Dr.Nigam's sessions that had an overwhelming affluence of knowledge and intellect.There were times when I felt stupid but then his abstract concept of "its cool to be stupid" spelled magic for me.

My journey entered into the second week.Things were gradually falling into place.Roof-top breakfast served a delicious,fun-filled beginning to the hectic day ahead.Mr.Sumit Singhal took over the newspaper sessions .His looks indeed defy the very jolly character that he owns,although he turned out to be a pioneer of some very innovative punishments.During the second week I walked through the second floor and got a glimpse of those cabins which were actually the epicenters of creativity to me.I was enthralled by inexplicable feelings and boundless enthusiasm for I wanted to see myself working in one of those cabins one day! Later in the week JR visited and intoxicated the air with his magnificent baritone .Theater session had been the talk of the town since the beginning of the week .I thought about skipping the session for I had always been a stupid shy girl who had never stepped a podium to dance or even speak for a few seconds but I fought my inhibitions and turned up for theater .Although I could not match the levels set by my colleagues ;I had taken the first step towards ushering a change in myself.With many more weeks of exploration to come I hope that I'd rediscover and reshape the self inside me!