I have spent two weeks working at Asian Voice, the English newspaper division of the ABPL group, and although my time has been brief, it has been rich and informative.
Arriving on the Monday morning, I was quite unsure as to what to expect during my time. Would I simply be the coffee-maker? Or would I be shadowing one of the many talented journalists or sales reps? What I had not expected was to be given the chance to write. To be given the ultimate opportunity from day one to express myself through beauty of the written word.
The newspaper’s talisman and leader CB Patel showed me complete trust and faith. In the first meeting I attended he treated me as one of his staff. He filled me with options and ideas, and then set me loose. By Tuesday morning I was ghost-writing comments on the uncertainty of the departure of Raghuram Rajan from the RBI. When I arrived Wednesday morning I was astonished and delighted to see my opinion on the divisive nature of the EU referendum sprawled across the front page.
Then of course, there was Brexit. While the proceeding ten days were hectic and stressful, CB and Associate Editor Rupanjana Dutta guided me through with a calming and nurturing influence. Once again, I found myself free to write. The team offered no bias, no attempts to dictate content. They allowed me to write what I saw and express how I felt. Finding myself on the front page for the second week running was a moment of inexpressible pride.
I owe a tremendous thanks to the entire team at Asian Voice. They showed a level of faith that I have never experienced in any other working environment. Yet they also guided. Rupanjana’s steady hand helped me through moments of writers block and frustration with the sometimes subpar content I was producing. The graphics team taught me the importance of newspaper organisation and layout. But most importantly, CB gave me a chance, in a way few other men would. He offered me the opportunity to shine on my own. He laid the first bricks of the foundations in my future career.
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Asian Voice encourages youngsters to come and do internships in our newspaper. This is our way of helping the future of this country. If you are interested please email your CV to Rupanjana Dutta on [email protected]
