With the world at the epicenter of several pressing issues such as sustainability, social inequality, climate change and war/terrorism, writing can inspire people to question, discuss, debate and thus help bring about positive change.
Krithiga Narayanan, our next pathbreaker, works as a Freelance Journalist for Deutsche Welle (DW), an organization that does a lot of solution oriented reportage where news reports talk about possible solutions to a variety of social issues.
Krithiga talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about her first break as a Freelance Journalist at BBC (UK), in their Tamil language news bureau based at the BBC Broadcasting House in London, where she got to produce content for live news bulletins and also be a news reader for both Live TV and Radio.
For students, never let societal norms and stereotypes dictate what you should and should not do.
Krithika, Your background?
I grew up in the small town of Chidambaram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Growing up, I was an avid reader and writer. I started reading Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Tintin comics as a 6th grader and there was no going back. By 8th grade I was reading J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novel which I used to take with me to school and read.
As a kid, I loved documenting everything around me. I loved taking pictures and writing down things. I had a blog and I also used to write poems. I would always be curious and describe daily happenings with minuscule details to family and friends. I did not realize this until much later that, all of these qualities are those of a journalist.
Schools usually do not have career guidance cells, to help children realize their talents and guide them towards pursuing a certain career. It was a given that everyone should either become a doctor, engineer or run a business irrespective of their interests. There is societal pressure on children to conform to this norm. The situation is a bit better now, but I still see people quite surprised when I tell them that I am a journalist.
What did you do for graduation/post graduation?
I completed my bachelors degree in Information Technology at SRM University. In hindsight, this engineering degree helped me with my journalism because it was at this point in time that traditional print journalism was making inroads into the digital world. A degree in IT helped me become very comfortable with new technology and also helped me become a multiplatform journalist, who does print, digital and broadcast journalism.
But I knew deep down that I was really not cut out to become an engineer. After a lot of soul searching, I made a career switch and the first step towards that was completing a Masters degree in International Journalism from City, University of London where I specialized in broadcast journalism.
I have also completed short education programs, including a certificate program in international politics and gender sensitive trauma reporting from the University of Oxford. I have completed an Executive certificate course in Communication and New Media from the National University of Singapore. I have a Leadership and Management certificate from IIM Calcutta. I have a post graduate diploma in Public Policy from Takshashila Institution and I have also completed a policy research program offered jointly by the United Nations University and Maastricht Graduate School of Governance in Netherlands. I have also remotely volunteered for the London based NGO Women in Foreign Policy, through which I got the opportunity to interview the President of Georgia and many other inspiring women in leadership.
Can you talk about some of the influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career?
I would say that my family laid the foundations for me and inspired me to become a journalist. My parents were very supportive in my career journey and they always motivated me to become the best version of me irrespective of what society had to say. My grandmother who questioned everything around her and my grandfather who was a voracious reader, writer and a great orator also inspired me to become the Journalist that I am today.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
Career paths are not linear and it’s okay to pursue different interests and even mistakenly choose careers not really suitable for you. But it is important to realize that you can always choose to become whatever you really want to be whenever you want. There is no rigid timeline here. Your job is intrinsically linked with your physical and mental wellbeing and helps you lead a life with purpose. Hence I strongly believe that everyone should only pursue a career or a job that they are incredibly passionate about. It should be something that brings them immense joy and fulfillment. When I realized this, I decided to become a journalist, after I had completed a bachelors degree in IT and was on my way to be an engineer. It was incredibly challenging for me to make this career switch, but I am glad that I did it and became a journalist. Looking back, I can see that every decision I made, both the good and the bad, has helped me become who I am today.
Breaking out of comfort zones by challenging myself constantly and refusing to conform to any professional or societal standard has always been who I am as a person and this has helped me grow in so many ways in my career journey. I have explored journalism in multiple platforms such as TV, Radio, Digital and also Print mediums, and I have worked with both regional and international news organizations.
I strongly believe in lifelong learning and in the past few years, I have completed many fellowships including the United Nations RAF Journalism fellowship through which I got to interact with UN’s Executive Director Amina J Mohammad and other senior UN officials. I have completed the IMF Youth Fellowship where I was one of the four winners of their contest where my winning entry was about gender inclusive policy solutions for a gender equal recovery post the pandemic in India which I presented to IMF’s then Deputy Director Geoffrey Okamoto. I am an Earth Journalism Network Climate Reporting Fellow for which I travelled to Ganga Sagar Island in West Bengal where I reported on the impact of climate change on coastal communities. I also completed the Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) fellowship for which I co-wrote a policy brief for a Member of Indian Parliament, and I am also a Youth Ki Awaaz Climate Reporting fellow where I reported on the impacts of climate change in Tamil Nadu.
These diverse experiences have helped me become a better journalist and a better person. I strongly believe that it is okay to be different and have a career path that is not linear and does not quite meet societal expectations and standards. It is not always an easy journey as it can be personally very challenging. But it is also very rewarding in intangible ways.
How did you get your first break?
While I was doing my Masters degree in International Journalism in London, I had the opportunity to be a freelance journalist at BBC, in their Tamil language news bureau which was part of the BBC World Service. In this role which was based at the BBC Broadcasting House in London, I got to produce content for live news bulletins and also be a news reader for both Live TV and Radio. This work experience which I did for nearly a year laid the stepping stones for my career journey. I am incredibly grateful to my mentor, who was then the Head of BBC’s Tamil bureau for pushing me to be a better journalist. It was quite a surreal moment for me when I was presenting TV and radio news at the BBC, which was broadcasted live simultaneously to India and Sri Lanka from London.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
There are quite a lot of stereotypes and prejudices attached with being a journalist, especially if you are a female journalist. Journalism is also a very male dominated profession in India and gender discrimination is rampant. But if you are persistent, I believe that you can break these glass ceilings. It is difficult but not impossible.
As a journalist you also need to travel on your own a lot for doing reports and it is quite challenging to do this in India as there are safety concerns. These kinds of challenges sometimes take the joy out of the job you love doing. We still have a long way to go before workplace conditions and workforce participation of women improve in India. I am trying to overcome this challenge by advocating for gender equality in professional and personal spaces.
I am an introverted person, hence it still comes as a surprise to people who know me that I have now become a journalist because journalism is perceived as a very extroverted profession. It is true to some extent that journalism is a very extroverted career path. But that does not mean that introverts cannot become journalists. It is challenging for me sometimes, but if you really love doing what you do, you can overcome these challenges very easily. I strongly believe that more introverts should take up space in leadership and other such roles traditionally perceived as extroverted ones.
Where do you work now?
I currently work as a freelance journalist for Deutsche Welle (DW). I love the freedom that being a freelancer gives me. Your physical and mental wellbeing is more important always and sometimes it is okay to take a break, pause and not be part of the 9 to 5 grind. I report on a wide range of topics, though I am most passionate about reporting on the environment, gender issues and women empowerment. DW does a lot of solution oriented reportage where news reports talk about possible solutions to a variety of social issues and I enjoy doing this. I believe the most important skills that are needed as a journalist is the ability to research and understand intersectionality in any issue. These skills help me a lot when I am working on my reports and helps me stay objective, without any bias.
How does your work benefit the society?
Journalists are not activists. Our job is to show a mirror to society, which reflects a true picture that has everything, the good, bad and the ugly sides of society. This picture that we produce inspires people to question, discuss, debate and thus helps being about positive change. As a journalist, I am happy and proud that some of my reports have enabled positive change in society.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
Each and every one of my works are memorable to me in some way. The people I meet while I am working on my reports have all been incredibly inspiring and I have learnt a lot from them. If I were to pick one, I would say that my report for Deutsche Welle about India’s first transgender parents, Ziya and Zahad is one of my most memorable works. I got to meet them, their daughter and also their family for this report in Kerala. Interacting with them was a very memorable experience for me. This report caused a lot of discussions and debate among different sections of society as it spoke of a community of people who were on the margins of society in India and were asking for acceptance. I am glad that I got the opportunity to do this report. This report also helped me grow as a journalist as it demanded gender sensitive reporting.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
Based on my experience, my advice to students would be to never let societal norms and stereotypes dictate what you should and should not do. The worst thing that can happen to you is staying in a job or choosing a career path that does not align with who you really want to become. So, do not be afraid to break some barriers and do what you truly want to do. In the process, you might also inspire others to become the best version of themselves.
Future Plans?
I am still learning and growing in my career and also as a person. I am still exploring all that I can be and redefining myself constantly. You are only ever competing with yourself consistently to become the very best version that you can be. I am hoping to inspire and be inspired. Who knows what the future will bring!
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