Oh, what a day

It was like in one of those movies you see many traders working on Wall Street. You enjoy the adrenalin that comes from the screen and you never ask yourself what do these people feel. Today I was part of such movie, but instead of selling and buying I was dealing with deadlines for a profile piece.

1000: Class starts. We discuss interview and profile piece techniques.From all the points I remember the human chemistry tip.

1100: More details how structure is important in any piece. Let's not forget that beauty can be defined by a math formula as well. Information and decorative pictures.

1300: Lunch break. The professors announce that after lunch we'll have an assignment that will be graded. I will need a camera, forgot it. Stress level increases. Fortunately my partner has a camera.

No need for an energy drink

1400: Assignment brief. Interview someone for 20 minutes and write a profile piece. 400 words.Not bad. I can handle that.

1500: Doing the interview with Anjali. Ten minutes left for the interview, still don't have the quote, the hook I need. Asking details, changing the focus of the interview. Keeping in mind all the time the five W questions: who, what , when, where, why.

1510: Start writing the piece. From a twenty minute interview focus only on the last six. Don't have a lead, not sure if I have right pictures. One hour to finish the whole thing, 15 minutes for reading it aloud, five minutes for printing.

Leave me alone with my thoughts

1550: More stress. Turns out I have to change the lead and the whole focus on the profile. Need more quotes, don't have the time for that. I have to work with what I have. The constant warning how much time is left annoys me. Listen to some old R'N'B music (writing about India). Time flies.

1615: We were suppose to do a checklist if we have all the requirements for a good story. Forgot all about that. Hope that my subconsciousness is dealing with that while scamming the whole profile. My only thought is to finish on time. The deadline is 1630.

1625: Cant't crop my picture. Missing the deadline.So stressed out that don't pay attention to the professor who explains how to add the picture. On the point to give up.

1630: Additional 10 minutes for those who had problems with the pictures.

Finally

1635: The profile: submitted.

1635: Someone is calling my name. In the next 30 minutes helping other to finish. That actually was the best part. Anjali influenced my behavior. I'm helping others without expecting anything in return. That feels good!

Mr. Potter’s Indian helper

When the 12-year-old M.S. from Mumbai was expelled from school because his mother was a commercial sex worker he didn’t expect to meet Anjali.

She was going to a field trip with her classmates from another course. It was in the area where the prostitutes lived outcast from the society. Almost any house or tent on the street had kids who didn’t know the names of their fathers.

Anjali was 16 and had just finished reading the first Harry Potter book. Like the famous character she likes to do magic without expecting anything in return.

“I’d love to have a magic wand and flying broom stick. I will use it to clean the air in Mumbai and make it less crowded”, says Anjali now 23 and a student at the University of Westminster.

The magic wand

Not sure about getting the flying broom she was unaware that she had already possessed the magic wand. Few people were willing to go to the shady streets of the Kamathipusa neighbourhood. You had to be a magician to make the difference in those people’s lives. That didn’t stop her.

“When after school while my friends went to movies I went to the Red District to teach M.S. math lessons. He later passed his exam.”

Looking at her expression while she’s talking about this experience you can tell that she didn’t need any reward. It was about self-satisfaction from helping others.

The chocolate story 

I did try to challenge her to find any other motivation. But then Anjali tells me a story when she was only three.

“My mom gave me chocolate and you know it’s the most precious thing for any kid. I saw a beggar on the street and gave it to him.”

There should be a reason for people to be like that. For the student it is her moral obligation to help others. Anjali was raised in a Catholic family, but goes to church on Sundays only to please her mother.

She is helping the society and doesn’t care if the government is doing its job. Like a heroic character from a book Anjali wants to be sure that she had done anything possible to change lives for the better.

Definition of happiness 

I tried one last time to challenge her asking her how she would define ‘happiness’. Without even thinking for a minute she replies, “I want to adopt children and help those in need.”

That was today's exercise for our class. It was a very hectic day.We had to do a profile on a classmate. It was pretty stressful to finish on time, but we managed. The post is on my news group Bravo News 10. Here's the profile that Anjali did on Mladen.

The Future of the BBC World Service

The BBC World Service has been praised in a report  by the Media Standards Trust as essential for sustaining international reporting. At the same time speaking to the Guardian the author of the report Martin Moore expressed his concerns about the reform in the funding of the World Service.

I remember the first time I’ve heard the World Service. It was the Bulgarian language service. They were setting the journalistic standards for the local media during the transition period from communism to democratic society. 

Now after it influenced a large number of young journalists in the country the Bulgarian service is part of the past of the BBC. The World Service role of an intercultural communicator that establish link between nations who otherwise cut connections might be in danger.

BBC will have to take on responsibility from the Foreign Office for funding the international broadcaster, which will see a budget reduction of 16% over four years.

On that topic I had the chance to interview the prominent  writer, broadcaster and media consultant Steve Hewlett  for an assignment – a radio package for the M.A. course in International Journalism at the University of Westminster.

During the interview I realized the World Service is going through one of the most dramatic changes in its history. You can hear the package here and the whole interview here.

More References:

BBC World Service. (2010, October 29). Audio clips from various language programs. 

BBC World Service. (2010). BBC World Service Annual Review 2009/10

Tusa, J. (2010, October 20). The Future of the BBC. (BBC World Service, Interviewer)