How does that kind of experience early on change you as a person?
It changes you a lot. I was a very sheltered girl who could not even cross the road properly before I came to Mumbai. And then I went out, met people whom I would never encounter in my daily life. It makes you less fearful. [break]
But one would’ve expected you to be fearless, going on assignments like that.
Oh, I was very scared, scared enough to call a friend and ask for company. My friend gave me a pep talk and accompanied me to the location, but left after the first day. I’m a wee bit reckless, but not fearless. The rampant gun culture there would scare anyone.
What do you mean?
Ordinary farmers carry guns on normal roads. The bus had a notice: “Please do not carry loaded guns.” Because unloaded guns was so normal, so much so that to control population there, the government came up with a peculiar scheme: If any man got a vasectomy, he would get a gun license.
You’ve said somewhere that you’re a big fan of tea.
I didn’t even drink tea before I was a journalist. Then I realized that if someone asks you for tea, you don’t refuse. Because if you do, they won’t talk. You start drinking tea together, and conversation just flows.
Are you still fascinated with dacoits?
Not anymore. They don’t ride horses anymore. They don’t sport the same kinds of guns anymore. No one slings cartridge belts.
You also went on to work in some lifestyle magazines. What do you think of that?
I don’t think lifestyle is always unintelligent. There are interesting ways of writing about fashions. Why did women wear only skirts at one point, and why did women fight for the right to wear pants? It’s true that most of the writing isn’t like that, but there’s the potential.
Why do you think women are easily slotted into lifestyle?
Whatever anyone may say, journalism is still not a level field for women. The hours journalists keep, especially on beats like crime and politics, are just not possible for most women in the subcontinent. Some have babies to think of, and some have family restrictions. You see so few women reporters in small towns.
Is it because women themselves aren’t willing to take up other beats?
Gender works in subtle ways. Say a woman reporter takes on a crime beat and goes into a police station. Most probably, everyone in that room, the criminals, the policemen, the officers, is likely to be male. And a woman never feels completely comfortable in an all-male environment.
What do you do then?
How long do you keep up your passion? Some women persevere, and some give up. Many women start with their subject of passion, and then end up working or writing about gender, becoming activists. Gender has this way of creeping in and changing how we think.
Finally, when you began journalism, did you know you were getting into such dangerous turf?
I always wanted to be a writer, not a journalist. Since there are few viable ways of making your living by writing, I got into media, which lets me write. I thought I was choosing a safe career, but that turned out to be far from the truth.
By Sewa Bhattarai
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