On being a Journo from the North-East in Delhi...

I often come across friends who irritate me with a peculiar demand. Though they make it sound like a request, it’s actually a demand. I don’t know of any doctor who is being asked to lend the Caduceus the symbol used for medicinal practice so that his friend can use it on his car. But I’m sure, many journalist colleagues of mine often face this pesky demand for press stickers, especially so if you are from a reputed media house. Many a time, I have wondered why people are so crazy about writing PRESS on their car even though they are not scribes. The most common refrain is: it saves you from police harassment.

Trust me, it never does. You would never be harassed on road if you follow rules, and if you flout them, none can save you. Let me give you an example. An associate editor of our magazine was caught by traffic police as she had been talking on phone while driving. When she screamed at the officer trying to explain how big and influential she is, the consequence was even worse. She was fined double the actual fee. I have never escaped a fine (always for crossing speed limit) despite the fact that my car flaunts a press sticker.

That does not mean journalists have no power. But the power doesn’t lie in press sticker or press card. It comes from the easy access to information and in most cases to the source of information. That’s where journalists can play a big role in the progress of a community, area, state or nation. And, at the cost of sounding immodest, I can say they can play a much bigger role than many other professionals. So, let’s come to the basic question: Will the Delhi-based Assamese or, in a broader sense, North-eastern journalists make any significant contribution in highlighting and changing the terrible plight of the region? The advent of television journalism has made journalism one of the most glamorous and sought-after professions in the country and every year an increasing number of youngsters from Assam are entering this arena.

Will they chase the glamour quotient only or make Assam part of front page or prime time?

Says Santanu Saikia, one of the most successful Assamese journalists ever, “There is no doubt that media professionals can make things happen as they can easily put pressure where it matters the most. In our times, there were only a few in the national media, but now, with many holding top positions, North-east is slowly and gradually getting prominence.”

Of course, the seven sisters are being given more prime time and column spaces than ever, though still for the wrong reasons like bomb blasts, insurgency and illegal infiltration. But, at least, we are being made visible at the national level. For instance, the news channel Times Now covers North-East more than any other channel in this country. You don’t need to be a media analyst to understand the reason. Arnab Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of the channel, hails from Assam and we are all proud to see him at such an elevated position, especially so because he is the youngest English news channel head in the country. He is in a much better position to make things happen because he heads the decision making process, says Saikia, who started his career in 1984 as a business writer for Business India and now owns two websites called www.indianpetro.com and www.indianfertilizer.com. The alumnus of Delhi School of Economics has worked for several prestigious newspapers like The Economic Times and The Financial Express.

However, another veteran Seema Guha, who started her career in 1982 in The Telegraph, is not so optimistic about the power of journalists. She believes journalists, in reality, have no power. The owners of TV channels, newspapers and magazines have no interest in the North-East as it doesn’t make any business sense. At the end of the day, it’s a product that has to earn them revenue which comes from advertisements and which are mostly metro-centric. So, most media houses focus only on metros. We can only write or show what we are being asked to, says Guha.

My personal experiences make me agree with Guha though I think we still can put up a fight which may yield some results if not the desired goal. National award winner for film criticism and special correspondent of The Deccan Herald, Utpal Borpujari, seeks to find that balance. “Once you get established in this profession, you can do several things beyond your current job. For instance, recently I, along with two other journalists, wrote a book on the secret killings of Assam. We wanted the world to know about those gruesome killings sponsored by the state and did not rely on our employers to do us favours by giving space to write on this issue”, he says.

Borpujari, however, is concerned about another factor which may actually decide whether the influx of North-eastern journalists to national media will make any impact on the future of the region. The important point is how many of them chose this profession out of passion and how many just drifted to this field. Besides, like all other professions, journalism also offers you two options: personal growth and public good. It’s to be seen how many opts for the second path, he says.

Saikia agrees, “I know several youngsters for whom journalism was a second choice. Entering this field may be easy, but without the requisite talent and aptitude, one can’t progress much and will soon feel frustrated.” His cautionary statement is much more relevant for those aspiring scribes for whom there exists only one form of journalism
-TV journalism. “Journalism doesn’t mean becoming TV anchors. Most youngsters today fail to understand this.” adds Guha.

About a decade ago there were only a handful of journalists from Assam in the capital or other Indian metros. Massively outnumbered by their colleagues from other parts of the country, they really had to put humongous efforts to scale the professional ladder. But they were driven by their passion for this profession and sooner or later became names to reckon with.

Before the advent of satellite news channels and FM Radio stations, several Assamese made their mark in government-controlled media. Ubaidul Latif Barua, served as the Director General (DG) of All India Radio, Mrigendra Narayan Roychoudhury reached DDG rank. Late Pulin Bihari Borthakur, served as DG, DAVP (Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity). The Assamese unit of All India Radio was served by the famed team of Lily Das Malik, Nekib Ahmed, Hiron Dutta, Bibha Goswami, Guna Barua. Their voices still resonate in our minds.

The Assam-based newspapers also have a large contingent here. Kalyan Barooah, Rima Sarmah, Sekhar De, Mrinal Das, Ranjit Sarma, Himangshu Sarmah, Kallol Bhowmick, Amol Goswami, Manas Banerjee, Manish Shukla, Zia Ahmed, S.K. Nayak and others represent Assamese media in the Capital. Of late, a few TV channels from Assam like NETV, DY 365, News Live and Focus TV etc. have made their presence felt in Delhi. Their OB vans can be seen zipping around the metro and, thanks to DTH, these channels can be viewed across the nation.

Today, there are more than 200 (my guess) journalists from Assam in Delhi. Ten years from now, most of them will reach senior levels and, if we assume that at least 25 per cent of them will make it to the top, 50 top names of the national media will be from the seven sisters. I agree, this is all hypothetical, but as the saying goes, if you don’t have a dream, how can you have a dream that comes true?

From the Editorial Team

For interested readers, we at Posoowa, tried to compile a list of Delhi-based media professionals from Assam. It’s a random list and we sincerely apologise to those esteemed colleagues whose names are missing. They are Santanu Saikia (Web Media), Seema Guha, Arnab Goswami (Times Now), Sandeep Phukan (NDTV), Samip Rajguru (Aaj Tak), Nitin A. Gokhale (NDTV), Meghna Deka (Headlines Today), Sanjay Hazarika (former Correspondent, New York Times, now Head of NE Chair at Jamia Millia Islamia), Bhagyajeet Bhuyan (DD), Himadree (HT City), Kunal Doley (Mail Today), Amit Baruah (Hindustan Times), Geeta Mohan Raj (DD), Rashmi Barua (DD),  Zafri Mudassar Nafil (PTI), Oinitom Ojha (PTI), Bijoy Shankar Saikia, Goutam Bhattacharya (Planman Media), Indraneel Das (HT Sports), Shantanu Nandan Sharma (Economic Times), Alpana Sharma (Reuters), Dhiraj Sharma (North East Sun), Utpal Borpujari (Deccan Herald), Pinky Pradhan (UNODC), Sachin Gogoi (US Embassy), Manas Protim Gohain (Times of India), Barnali Das (Voice of India Network), Jadab Kakoti (ANI), Babul Gogoi (Internet Media), Neelakshi Barooah (TOI), Sangeeta  Barooah Pisarooty (Hindu), Supriya Bezbaruah (freelance), Nishiraj Baruah, Simantik Dowerah (HT Mint), Rakteem Borkataky (Bloomberg), Moitreyee Handique (HT Mint), Gaurav Choudhury (HT), Ronjoy Gogoi (HT), Ankurita Pathak, Ripunjoy Sarma (Economic Times), Kakoli Thakur, Rituparna Bhuyan (Business Standard), Aroonim Bhuyan (Dubai Correspondent-IANS), Sanjib Barua (Times Now), Rezaul Lashkar (Islamabad Correspondent-PTI), Priyangshu Sarma (Tata Media) etc. Besides, there are many who work behind the scene.

Kaushik Deka (India Today)