Journey with Maharashtra Herald

All equipped with a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, I was all set to enter the BIIIIIIG world of journalism. My dad was visiting Pune for some official work and I therefore handed over my resume to him, to be submitted to a few newspaper offices. He then had met the executive editor of the then Maharashtra Herald Mr Vijay Lele. As if, he was waiting for an opportunity for a correspondent to be appointed for Aurangabad division.

And there I was! I landed up with an appointment letter. The task was big, to be reporting for a full-fledged newspaper daily. But I took up the challenge and with god's grace and the support of my family and mentors, sailed through smoothly.

I was absolutely lost, where to start from. But thanks to the daily newspapers, which guided me with the daily engagements column. I could therefore plan out my day in accordance with the happenings in the city. I started my work with a single column news (the first weeek), a double column news in the second week and the bug had finally bitten me. Third week onwards, it was a whole bunch of news releases. Those were the days of the fountain pen being in full action. So, all news was handwritten. ai had strict instructions that the frequency of the news had to be three times a week. But, there was no stopping, I ended up sending a whole bunch of news items in a week (which surprisingly happened on a day to day basis). I was thoroughly enjoying it. And I was my own master, when I could decide as to what time, I covered the press conference and wht time, I decided to send the whole bunch through courier. There were no emails and mobile smses to update you on an hour to hour basis.

I still remember - the stories I covered during my stint with Maharashtra Herald.

Be it, a mango exhibition or a political leader's rally - I had eventually covered it all. I still remember, the first byline I received on my story on Services Preparatory Institute, Aurangabad. It was quite a thrilling experience to receive a byline. Anybody who's a journalist would definitely agree upon the same.

During my stint with Maharashtra Herald, while covering one of the politician's meet - I happened to meet Syed Rizwannullah (Rizwan, in short). He was the chief reporter for Lokmat Times. I am really thankful to him, for all the guidance and support extended by him throughout my initial journey. It was almost like - he taught me how to walk during my toddler years with journalism. He was the one, who taught me - as to how to pick up a lead from the press conference or any story.

The journey had become more and more interesting by now. I am also grateful to Mr Vijay Lele, who had given me the liberty to report, whatevere I deemed important. It is indeed creditable for any newspaper daily to trust the instincts of a fresh journalist. The Maharashtra Herald published every bit of news that I sumbitted. With my news items spanning every aspect of reporting, the Maharashtra Herald had started publishing the diary for every division/district. The trend of Aurangabad Diary or Aurangabad Notes started in the Maharashtra Herald, which dedicated almost a quarter page for the news sent by me.

Then came the big news of plague scare in Aurangabad district. I poured in my heart and sould into the reporting of first four plague cases in the government hospital. Dauntlessly, I treaded the paths, which even the seasoned journos fear to tread. And I also got rewarded for my efforts - I got my very first front page coverage.

This was followed by many more bylines.
I was in close touch with the Health Department on a day to day basis and thanks to the Deputy Director of Health, who was always present for a comment.

Then the entire nation was shaken by the devastating earthquake in Latur and Osmanabad districts, which brought forth hordes of issues. Help poured from all parts of the world and the country. Thanks to our integrity, the citizens of India stood by the victims, helping them start life afresh. It also gave all journalists, an

opportunity to showcase the pace of the rehabilitation. I covered the earthquake in its various hues.

One aspect, which I really enjoyed covering was the detailed

study of the rehabilitation process, underway at Latur and Osmanabad districts.

One more interesting scoop, which I covered was the discovery of the coins of Barid Shahi Dynasty. Myself and Rizwan had reoprted this story on the same day. The most importznt aspect was that BBC and other newspapers/media had taken a followup of the same, days later. The very fact of being the first one to report - brings a joy - unparalleled - the fire of which keeps the journalist going.

The other feature, which won accolades and were duly applauded by my seniors were a story on the night soil carriers. It was indeed ironical that even as we are in the 21st century, night soil carriers still existed in Aurangabad cantonment. I wonder, whether, there is any improvement has improved or remains status quo.

I also did a story on the development plan of Aurangabad as well as the various aspects of cave deterioration findings of Ajanta Caves.

So, this was my innings at Maharashtra Herald. Quite a leaning experience for me, which helped me look at all facets of journalism in such a short duration. Thanks to my seniors at Maharashtra Herald who helped me grow into an individual I am today. It was time to step into a new arena of day to day reporting on a regular desk as a reporter. And then I joined Lokmat Times as a Staff Reporter.

Journey with Lokmat Times

I started my innings under the guidance of the Resident Editor Mr Bhattacharya and Executive Editor Mr Alok Verma. Although the innings was very small, but managed to do a couple of interesting stories during my stint with them.

I had been assigned the Cultural and Defence Beats by the editor and I was covering evrything that took place under the purview. I also did a couple of stories like a detailed story of the Weekly Haat, which had a long history to itself, from the Nizam days. I also did a feature on the Christian community before the Christmas, on the various Christian communities which had settled in Aurangabad more than a century back. The details of studying all details of the community was fun as well as knowing the efforts that went into preparing for the festivities.

Besides I covered the regular stories for the Cantonment Board as well as the Deputy Director for Health Services.

I barely stayed for two and half months with Lokmat Times and had to leave for Indore, as my father was moving to Indore for good. And there I was at Indore, exploring the opportunities in the field of English journalism. Thank God for the amazing opportunity, wherin I started off as the reporter-cum-sub-editor.

Journey with Free Press

My journey with Free Press began in the year 1996 September. I started to function as the Sub-Editor-cum-Reporter. I still remember my first day, when I was assigned the district desk, under the leadership of K K Jha, a senior sub-editor. He was the one, who taught me the nuances of writing a district news copy.
The journey commenced with one or two DC news being done at the end of the day. But week after week, things improved immensely. Devendra Tarkas, the district desk coordinator, who shortlisted the news stories for the day and decided, what treatment to be meted to each. And eventually, after a year, I was handling the District News Page for Free Press single handedly, as K K Jha had moved on and had been given additional responsibility of Nation and Front Page.
Thanks to the inputs by the then Resident Editor Mr SR Singh, I mastered the art of news writing and handling the news stories (Sometimes with no head or tail and a lost identity). And District pages became my forte. Then came Mr Kalpesh Yagnik as the Resident Editor. It was a learning experience under his leadership, who put the entire reporting as well as editorial team on their toes. And out came everybody's flair for writing special stories.
And I got an opportunity to write on various topics like a day with Sumitra Mahajan, Book exhibition etc.

It was during this phase that the sub-editor handling the Kidsfare, the children's supplement of Free Press moved on, creating a slot. Having a knack to gel with children, Mr Singh assigned me the responsibility of Aunty Tee Dee (The editor of Kidsfare) from then on, in addition to the District News Page. Handling Kidsfare was a challenge in itself, as it involved visiting schools, interacting with children, parents and principals, with a view to publish the School Profile.

This was my first experience of this kind, but quite an interesting one. Although coordinating with the pagemakers Pawar ji and TP Emmanuel was tight rope walk. Are you listening folks!!! Just joking.

But being a part of Kidsfare provided an opportunity to interact with some really enthusiastic children from senior classes - names of some I still remember Nitin Nakra from SICA School, Namit Khungar from Daly College, Anirban Mukhopadhyay and Anamika Nandedkar from AECS Kendriya Vidyalaya. These bunch of kids (Who were then in classes 6-9) were an enthusiastic lot, who did not miss a single Saturday, when they were present at our office with the schiool report, an interview or an article on some topic. Or win a prize for a contest.

Aunt y Tee Dee, as the name suggests had been coined by the first editor of Kidsfare Tripta Dhingra. The name became a major hit among children as they started identifying the Kidsfare as a medium of interaction with Aunty Tee Dee. On Saturdays, Free Press circulation increased by a thousand - Kind courtesy - the Kidsfare. It has become a rage among the kids of Indore and there were hordes of children flocking the Free Press office to collect the prizes for the contests or even submit their entries. The SMS concept was redundant then and mailbox was the only option.
The most favourite among the children was the editorial as well as the Continue the Story Competition, in which the children had to add an episode of the ongoing story. It was fun, but when none of the children wrote - it was better. And there it goes.... My writing skills came to the fore. I even tried my hands at writing - anything that I lay my hands upon. Writing an editorial every week or the message from Aunty Tee Dee was a challenge in itself. As that was the most crucial aspect of Kidsfare.

But Ujwala had become a pro at it!!! Come hail, rain or storm!!! The editorials were ready on any given topic. Some days I just fell short of a subject.

Then I brainstormed and came upon an idea. I though of dealing with values. Be it Honesty, Perseverence, Compassion, Modesty - I wrote upon each and suggesting the children, as to how could they imbibe these values in their day to day functioning.

This was quite appreciated by the children as well as their parents.

The Free Press also organised an Kidsfare Annual Painting Competition around January 26. I had the opportunity of organising it twice. It was a mega event for Kidsfare, in which about 5000 children participated. Children from all over Indore and surrounding areas thronged to the Free Press premises to participate in the competition, which was runaway success among kids.

One of the major assignements covered during my Free Press tenures was an interaction with Sqn Leader Rakesh Sharma. It was indeed a lifetime opportunity.

Another lifetime experiment with Kidsfare was the Millennium Issue, as all other newspapers had done it. I too tried my hand at it and came out with a 32 page Millennium Special. It was an issue for keeps as it covered everything from medicine, science, space, to sports and education etc.

Life at Free Press was quite a happening one, with all the basic learning that took place in all these four years. The resident editor, who had taken charge in the last year of my functioning Mr PNV Nair of Deccan Chronicle fame also gave each one a free hand to experiment and write, whatever we lay our hands on. It was an amazing experience, as this provided us an opportunity to bloom to our fullest. Be it Kidsfare or the District Page, I gave everything a shot.

I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to my seniors and colleagues for their immense contribution towards molding me into a person, I am today. I have indeed been honoured to have worked with them - Mr Deepak Shinde, Shuchita Mathur, KK Jha, Bini Mathew, Shilpa Shaligram (now with ICICI Prudential), SV Sriram (Now Chief Sub-Editor with The Hindu), Rahul Singh (Now with Times Now TV Channel) and others who made this journey worthwhile.

But all good things have to come to an end and this era too led me to greener pastures at Hindustan Times, PACE, Bhopal. Rest is history.

Great Going with HT-PACE

My journey with Hindustan Times-PACE started in a very interesting manner. The Head Education for HT-PACE, Mrs Annapoorna Sehgal (In the photograph, rendering a welcome address during the Shiv Khera Talk Show) was on her visit to various schools at Indore on 5 May 2000. It was a historical day and also a historical moment, when we decided to meet at the Choithram School lobby. Quite an unassuming place to have a job interview.
But Mrs Sehgal, myself and the would-be manager for PACE chatted in the lobby in quite an informal manner and within minutes, she declared - You're on. My heart skipped a beat. And here!! I was introduced by her to the Choithram principal as the editor of HT School Times (which was yet to begin at Bhopal and Indore). And this marked the onset of my journey with Hindustan Times -PACE.
Then started my pursuits of relocating to Bhopal from Indore. House-hunt was a major one. But, thanks to all my friends and colleagues, who helped me settle at Bhopal with ease. The most interesting aspect was my first day at HT office, Malviya Nagar, Bhopal. There were just three of us - PACE manager Ms Nirupama Singh, myself and my editorial assistant Kirti Sundram - & to just one computer to give momentum to the entire mission, which was to begin.

The journey of HT School Times (HTST) commenced from 10 July, which will always remain close to my heart. The first issue of HTST rolled out on 10 July. Everybody had worked hard for it. Me and Kirti had run from pillar to post to get interviews, articles and children's articles from various schools.

It was a dream come true. Thanks to Mujeeb Faruqui, who managed to get the picture for the cover story from Carmel Convent School, Bhopal - Goodbye Holidays. Then came the second historical issue with the cover story 'The Red Planet'. The journey went on, so on and so forth.

The first few principals interviews had become history as few renowned principals were interviewed and their path-breaking ventures were highlighted which was quite appreciated among the education community. The leading educationists of Bhopal and Indore were included in an extensive interview. They were Mr N Jha, the then principal Choithram School, Mrs Anuradha Joshi, Principal Bal Bhavan School, Bhopal and Mr B N Trisal, the then principal of a leading school of Bhopal Jawaharlal Nehru School. All these schools are renowned in the entire region for excellent education and overall development opportunities being provided to the children.

My journey with HT School Times was a stage, wherein, I got an excellent opportunity to experiment with whatever I had learnt in my journalistic career and learn new things. This was an evolving journey at HT-PACE as it provided learning grounds to each one of us, who is excelling in the field called LIFE.

HT-PACE, Newspaper in Education Programme of Hindustan Times was quite new to the city of Bhopal as the principals, teachers and students were waking up to the fact, that there was whole new perspective which could be added by providing education opportunities beyond the classroom walls.

We at HT-PACE Bhopal although started quite slow and steady, but in just a year, were providing hundreds of opportuntiies to the children, teachers as well as the principals to look beyond the horizons.
A student as we all know is an outcome of the inputs provided by his immediate family, his friends, his teachers, his school and his neighbourhood.

The PACE team also grew at Bhopal and Indore and we had a full quorum of ten members across both cities. At Bhopal it was Nirupama Singh, myself, Anupama Venkatesh, Mrinal Gadre, Fehmina and Rosilyn. "Log aate gaye aur karvaan banta gaya."
Then came our first event - A painting competition. We had our first conglomeration of about 300 children. The event went off successfully. Then came the first Movie Mania wherein we showed the children movies Mrs Doubtfire and Dunston Checks in.

HT designer Manish Choure designed this advertisement for the Movie Mania, during which about five thousand children from Indore and Bhopal watched the screening of these movies on two consecutive Sundays. The 'Movie Mania' eventually became an annual feature with recurrences and innovations vis-a-vis viewerships and themes were concerned,

We, had organised a painting competition, wherein we had the privilege of inviting a noted cartoonist Pran to adjudge the competition. A unique teachers workshop was organised, wherein we provided an opportunity for the teachers to come out of their mundane routines and do some brain storming for innovative teaching methodologies. Dr Vinay Mishra, a renowned psychologist who had become an inseparable part of HT-PACE de-stressed the teachers through this workshop, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the teachers.

MORAL OF THE YEAR: The learning for the year was organising educative programmes for the children which also had an entertainment value. HT-PACE provided a beautiful platform for the students of Bhopal to showcase their talents. Be it in the field of art or quizzing, we at HT-PACE continuously strove towards providing the best of programmes for the children, teachers and principals.

A poet is born...

Life, a roller coaster ride...

Life has been a roller coaster ride – full of chills and thrills. After having actively spent fifteen years in the field of journalism and having spanned all facets – reporting, editing, page layout and designing, ad designing, copy writing, brand building activities, events, workshops and activities. Been there, done it all! That's how it is – the BIG world of MEDIA!! Thanks to all my editors, seniors and mentors, who have sculpted the real person, I am today. After having entered the world of journalism, there's no going back. 'Yeh ek aag ka darya hai, aur doob ke us paar jaana hai!'
Thankfully, it has been a smooth sailing! Awaiting a high tide to help me improvise upon my swimming skills.

Introspection...

Today's a memorable day. Memorable, because a friend of mine gifted me a fountain pen. May sound too small, but for a journalist - it is LIFE. And so, there began a journey. The mere sight of the fountain pen brought a cheer on my face. My joy knew no bounds, as i kept looking at it for minutes. It took me back down the memory lane, school books, copies, ink pens, college days, journalism days, letters and loads or memories. It really had been years since I actually used a fountain pen. With computers and emails stepping in, the joy of writing has totally diminished.
The Gen X, I believe doesn't know the charms of writing with a fountain pen as it seems to have become a redundant concept. I really am thankful to my friend, Mandeep who by his fountain pen, provided me an insight into my bygone days and gave me an incentive to write. There was a time, when I used to write - 24 X 7. Maybe the passion for writing brought me into this profession of print journalism. I wrote on almost anything, I observed, anything I felt and everything I wanted to share. Thankfully, my seniors and mentors helped me publish all that I wrote and the rest is history.
Then came this idea of writing a blog. For the past one week, my mind has been bombarded with revolutionising ideas and I wanted to travel the journey again. I had a strong desire to relive those days again. I don't know, if it is ever going to be read by anyone, but then I had to write. So here I go.

A Giant Leap...

Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And I stepped into the world of journalism in the year 1993, when I first realised - that this was it! In those days, when the only professions which existed were the medical and engineering professions. It was a difficult task to convince parents that journalism wasn't a bad profession after all.
Although my tryst with writing had begun at a a very young age. Be it any occasion, like a Teacher's Day, Independence Day, my poetry had enthralled all and sundry at my school. My poetry was always on the agenda for any celebration in the school. And it was a memorable day in 1986, when my first poem on "Maa Durga's messengers' was published in the Dogra Journal - Tiger Magazine. Thanks to my father Col V G Kondalkar, who commanded the Dogra Regiment, I also got an opportunity to know the Himachali community closely.
I really cherish the days of having been brought up as an integral part of the Dogra troops and unforgettable melodious songs
'Bhala sipahiya Dogariya, Soni Soni shimle di sadka jinde....'
And as a matter of fact, the canvas of my childhood was a vibrant mix of cultures from across our motherland. It had a tinge of Jammu and Kashmir with my schooling at Shrinagar and Udhampur. Thanks to the teachers of Garrison School, Shrinagar, Carmel School, Udhampur, Holy Innocents School, Wellington, Sophia Convent, Kota and Canossa Convent, Faizabad, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Faizabad, KV Shahjahanpur and KV Mhow who were instrumental in moulding my personality.
The inspiration of my first publication had lit the spark. And then there was no looking back. My poetry made its appearances in the Combat Journal, The Meghalaya Guardian, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering Newsletter et al.

Tiger Magazine

My Dad Col VG Kondalkar's special compliment floored me and it also came from my school, teachers, friends and my father's colleagues. By then, I had assumed the role of an official poet for the school with all the topical poems coming in every now and then. Maybe, this was my pursuit with writing and the spark was lit.
My poems made appearance in various journals as well as newspapers. Here are couple of them:
Combat Journal Meghalaya Guardian, Shillong

Free Press MCTE Newsletter