April 2, 2012
It has been over one year working with Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), a news agency in Delhi's Green Park Extension area. Though now it feels a highly fulfilling year at the Foreign Desk, it's been very very tough.
IANS is known for its quality and, frankly saying, eccentricity for producing the best in writing. But everything expected or done here helps an individual to shape up to be one of the finest journalists around.
From knowing everything under the sun through any reliable medium of information and knowing it with authority are two 'basic' expectations here.
If you don't know, no problem. Just be ready to learn it at the fastest pace you can imagine to save your arse (oops....please pardon my French). For, you can be 'hanged' publicly even for your slight stupidity or casualness.
From writing short sentences, not going beyond three sentence in a para, re-checking multiple times before sending off the story and duly knowing meaning of every word being used in your story are some of the basic guidelines here.
Other expectations include knowing about every alien or uncommon location being mentioned in the story or introducing every technical term or location properly for the readers to make it easy to understand, keeping the story as short as possible or at times giving proper background to make it complete for the first-time readers.
These are some of the hallmark guidelines without which you cannot carry on for another hour at IANS.
The most appealing part of IANS, however, is the presence of highly knowledgeable seniors and even colleagues. Any mistake or topic can drag you to a public reprimand by M.R. Narayanswamy, the executive director, or the guardian-like advices and pointing of mistakes by the angel filters.
At our Foreign Desk, from boss, Dr. Rahul Dass, to colleagues -- Prantick and Sanjeeb--all are simply remarkable writers and individuals.
There are three filters who take care of quality of copies being cleared by us at the desk. These three are super seniors and thoroughly knowledgeable people with vast experience of editing and reporting as well. No error escapes their sharp attention.
They readily offer guidance on nuances and for any sort of improvement, provided you approach them after they are done for the day.
At IANS, irrespective of position or experience, anyone can be made to revisit basics. In brief, if you are in IANS, be ready to prepare to learn anything and everything new. It will only help you to deliver the best in future.
Be it in-depth knowledge, habit of finding the officially accurate spellings or usage of different words, being ready to work on just any kind of story and getting into discussion under the sharp observation of bosses are some of the things that make being in IANS a tough challenge for anyone wishing to be Real Journalist.
At the same time, the hard to know secrets of improvement are also readily available for anyone here. Commit any silly mistake and you have a list of "What to Do" along with the reprimand. The serious learner finds it a heaven, only if he or she is ready to learn it the hard way.
For, only people with quality exist here.
Colleagues are decent and cooperative, the bosses and all seniors are quality-seeking but at the same time appreciative of anyone and everyone learning or showing results through quality. Exploitation doesn't exist here for those who have been in other organisations and faced it.
One of the most appealing part in IANS is cultivating the habit of sharing tempting or not so tempting food items. The tea being most popular item shared and offered by anyone at any given time. Any happy or not so happy occasion or dull day is given a joyful colour with tea, biscuits, garlic breads, samosa, pakora parties. No body is forced but everyone seems ready to throw such parties. But nobody misses saying "Thanks....." to the party's host.
Free dinner and coffee just add to anyone being on the night shift.
I think it is nice despite being tough. The only thing which worries or disappoints here is the salary structure not being too fascinating.
Posts
