From a very shy girl in my school days to a young woman journalist now, my transformation as an individual has been profound because it demanded a lot of efforts by myself as well as my parents and teachers to bring me out of the cocoon.
At this juncture, I am reminded of an embarrassing moment in my school days which marked a turning point in my life. My classmates had mocked at me and my teachers were disappointed as I was asked to speak for two minutes on a given topic and all that I could do was to stand silent with a blank face and shivering hands, without uttering a single word.
From that day onwards, I took every single day as a challenge to prove myself. From grade 11 to graduation, I had participated in most of the events and those five years of my life had made me stronger, bolder and a confident girl. Ironically it may sound, I stood as an outstanding student of my college.
I had then pursued my Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from Andhra University and stood as a gold medallist (2016). Apart from the district and zonal awards, I had also bagged a National award for an All-India essay writing competition which was organised by the United Nations Information Centre.
While pursuing my Masters, I started writing for the letters to the editor column in the national newspapers. With a dream to build my career, I started working as a freelancer for The Hindu MetroPlus, Vizag and then started my full-time career with The New Indian Express.
A few issues which brought about an impact in the society are;
- Sanctioning of Rs 50 lakhs by the district administration for renovating a 113-year-old heritage building which was damaged after cyclone Hud-Hud struck Vizag and it was decided to demolish the building. The building has been serving as a girl’s school from the past three decades.
- Many parks in the city which were used as dumping grounds were revamped for public use, after continuous efforts were made with the district authorities.
- Parking fees at commercial establishments in the city were abolished after the issue was highlighted in the paper.
During my journey as a journalist, I was awarded as the best young woman journalist of Andhra Pradesh in 2017 for my exemplary work in voicing out people’s voice. I was also awarded as the emerging journalist in print media in the state.
Reshma Jain
Delegate, YIC IIT Delhi 2019
