Troubles of a hitch-hiker scribe

The road is a teacher for all of us. But for a journo out in the hinterland without a ready mode of conveyance, it is even bigger, perhaps a principal.

pujab

Puja Bhattacharjee | January 2, 2013



Being a journalist is not easy. Getting the opinion of those in power is tricky. One has to wait for days, weeks or months for an appointment. You will get an audience soon if they happen to be free which makes me wonder if they all are working so hard why aren’t the results showing. Next is the challenge of speaking to them. If you are lucky, you will come across a gracious bureaucrat willing to speak otherwise you may be dismissed swiftly.

I have to depend on a guy who takes me to villages. Though most of the days he is on time and takes me wherever I want to go, there are days when he can’t make it or is late. Those days can be very trying.

I had to wait three hours today. And when we started, it started raining. So we had to return. Depending on another person also means having to adjust to his moods.

The other day on NH 60, a truck driver refused to give our bike a pass for quite a stretch. It infuriated the guy so much he called up his friends and all of them blocked the truck's way at a crossing. Upon reaching, he parked the bike on the side of the road and made his way towards the truck. All this while I was on the edge as a bike is nothing compared to a mighty truck.

The last thing I wanted is a fight to break out with me stranded in the middle of nowhere. The guy gave the trucker a piece of his mind and that was the end of it. It could have easily gotten out of hand. I have to say I was lucky.

Comments

 

Other News

‘World’s biggest festival of democracy’ begins

The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among all seven phases) in 21 States/ UTs and 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunach

A sustainability warrior’s heartfelt stories of life’s fleeting moments

Fit In, Stand Out, Walk: Stories from a Pushed Away Hill By Shailini Sheth Amin Notion Press, Rs 399

What EU’s AI Act means for the world

The recent European Union (EU) policy on artificial intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer and likely to become the de-facto standard not only for the conduct of businesses but also for the way consumers think about AI tools. Governments across the globe have been grappling with the rapid rise of AI tool

Indian Railways celebrates 171 years of its pioneering journey

The Indian Railways is celebrating 171 glorious years of its existence. Going back in time, the first train in India (and Asia) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853. It was flagged off from Boribunder (where CSMT stands today). As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway which ran the

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: How to connect businesses with people

7 Chakras of Management: Wisdom from Indic Scriptures By Ashutosh Garg Rupa Publications, 282 pages, Rs 595

ECI walks extra mile to reach out to elderly, PwD voters

In a path-breaking initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election, has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Voters above 85 years of age and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with 4

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter