Abi Delhi Door Hai!

During the first year of Journalism, when we didn't even know what is in the curriculum, what subjects we have to study, I had already started enquiring about Internship and I was damn sure that I will do my summer training at Delhi. Occasionally I used to ask my batch mates, even before they would give me an answer, my answer would be ''moon Delhi re Koribi". I don't know why I was so inclined to do something in Delhi in Mass Communications.

I grilled Raja (1999) asking questions about his internship experience at Zee News, so to Bandita (2001) and even to that hunk – Anurag Arora (2000 –BJ) popularly known as Tony Arora who did his summer training at an Advt. agency in Delhi and according to him he was immediately offered an job on his internship performance.

Delhi was always known as the hub for Journalists/Journalism. During my brief stay in Delhi before joining Journalism, I had many times seen how the TV Journalists used to run behind our Politicians in Akbar Road & Aurangzeb road to get their sound bites. Maybe I was quiet fascinated by that, or carried away by good time I had spent listening the chirping birds at dusk at India Gate, drinking tea at three in the night with bihari friends, eating Gongoora Chicken at Andhra Bhavan ( Firozshah Road), Mewad prem Ice cream at Lodhi Colony, seeing movies on ten rupees ticket at Satyam (Patel Nagar) & Priya (Chankyapuri), drinking water for rupee one at Kendriya Terminal or eating dosha at rupees five at INS building behind All India Radio.

I wanted to go to Delhi.

Five months passed in the first year and my friends were not much bothered till then about internship, but I had already started enquiring about the internship dates. So many things happened during those precious three months in my life, I forgot everything. Most of my friends did their internship at Delhi - Jayant, Sanat, Mihir, Rashmi, Lakshmi - who never had any plans. I had to settle at All India Radio, Berhampur and The Hindu, Vishakapatnam. I felt so bad. Now I was mentally prepared that if not Internship at least I will start my work in Delhi. I passed out in 2002. Four years have since passed, most of my friends are working and well placed in Delhi, others who are working elsewhere had made a point to visit Delhi at least once. I am here in the southern most State of the country, still hoping that I will go to Delhi someday, maybe I am not keen working there, but I want to eat mewad prem, eat gongoora chicken, listen to the chirping birds at India Gate, want to walk on Akbar and Aurangzeb road, see all my friends at Munirka and Katwaria Sarai and board the metro train ( the last two are the latest addition).

But again! abi delhi door hai !


Vijay