Bus ride with CM, photo by FM -Rajesh Abraham
It is not often that a reporter gets to interview Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. When an opportunity arose during the Nava Kerala Sadas, I was excited. The venue? The special bus carrying the entire Kerala cabinet. TNIE was given a slot between Triprayar and Ollur, where the CM was to speak at an event. As I waited like a total stranger near the bus, the ministers got in through the rear door. Soothing my nerves, Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan recognized me and gave me a hearty smile. As I boarded, the ministers’ eyes were fixed on me, some perhaps wondering, “Who’s this guy?” I introduced myself to Education Minister V Sivankutty, at the rear. Health Minister Veena George was seated a row ahead. “I’ll get 30 minutes,” I told her. “40 minutes”, Veena, a former journalist, corrected me, in a sense telling me I had enough time for a good interview.
I said “hello” to Excise Minister M B Rajesh as I moved towards the CM. I smiled nervously and muttered something. The CM was at ease as he put on his seat belt and told me to hold on to the handrail to keep my balance as I began the interview standing beside him. By the second question, I realized I needed to remember the questions and not refer to my notebook. For the moment I looked into my notebook, the CM would get distracted. As he finished answering my last question, the bus had reached its next destination, the Agricultural University ground in Vellanikkara. But I had an unfinished task – take a photo with the CM! All through the interview, I could see through the corner of my eye someone sitting to the right of the CM. I switched on the camera and handed my phone over to that person, requesting him to take a photo. I turned to him and saw Finance Minister K N Balagopal. Photographer to me! Embarrassed, I apologized. But the CM intervened: “He’ll take the photo. He’s a good photographer.” And he did.
Don't utter a word on Poland - Anil S
Acclaimed Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi, known for his strong anti-communist sentiment, had his first major tryst with the oft-stereotyped Malayali psyche when he visited the International Film Festival of Kerala in 1998. At the open forum, he had a showdown with communist ideologue P Govinda Pillai. On his return to IFFK, this time as the winner of the lifetime achievement award, both Zanussi and the Malayali community were eager to revisit the communist conundrum. And he faced a slew of questions on the topic. Zanussi, however, got the ‘real’ taste of the ‘famed’ psyche the day he received the award at Nishagandhi. He hardly spent a few minutes on stage, but on his return to his seat, he found his handbag missing. Soon began a hush-hush search operation, in vain. And he had to return to Poland leaving his bag behind. Some academy sources now console themselves saying it could be the handiwork of some die-hard fan yearning for memorabilia! This reporter couldn’t help but recall the evergreen Malayalam dialogue ‘Don’t you dare utter a word about Poland!’
No point writing about misery-M A Rajeev Kumar
Working on a story on the troubles of train passengers, I called up a regular commuter between Kannur and Kozhikode. The woman, a government employee, sounded tired and frustrated. “There is no point in writing about the miseries of passengers,” she retorted. “Unless those in powerful positions travel on jam-packed trains, they cannot understand the ordeal women have to suffer.” She even felt like quitting her job to escape enduring such “inhuman situations” daily. The next line was a bit embarrassing. “I know, even for you, our misery would provide the day’s story.” I stuttered, “Sometimes, people in high offices would take notice of such stories and take action.” Well, a coach was added to Parasuram Express after wide media coverage. But the issue persists and the woman was right about “powers that be getting a taste of reality”.
Elephants everywhere-Nejma Sulaiman
After a high court order, the forest department decided to launch its mission to capture rogue tusker Arikomban the next morning, at 4.30 am. Since being there was imperative, we set off from Mundakayam to Chinnakanal in a car around 8.30 pm. While the journey appeared safe till Munnar, darkness had pervaded the Gap Road stretch of the Kochi–Dhanushkodi national highway. Two days earlier, at the same spot, I had seen an elephant herd stationed in the adjacent tea plantation, some blocking the NH in daylight. At one o’clock in the night, on that deserted road, I ‘saw’ wild elephants everywhere. I could smell elephant dung. With my heart in my mouth, even the shadows of trees seemed like elephants, ready to pounce on me! It was a huge relief to reach our hotel room. Even while taking a nap before the mission, a distant trumpet continued to resonate in my ears.
Chaos, deadline, and misplaced bike-Vishnuprasad K P
When tragedy strikes, chaos ensues. So was the case with the Tanur boat accident. Desperate to unearth details, I parked my trusted motorcycle on private land near the accident site, Thooval Theeram Beach. Police curbs forced me to traverse the path to my stories on foot. I reached the beach, the house where eleven persons from a single family fell victim, and then the mosque served as their resting place. Caught in the chaos, I realized my predicament had taken a backseat. The challenge ahead was not just reporting but finding my only means of escape. For an agonizing hour, I scoured the landscape. Anxiety gnawed at me until a resident extended a hand in navigating the streets to locate my bike. Relief washed over me as the metallic steed carried me back to the Malappuram Press Club. Under a looming deadline, I filed my reports on Tanur’s anguish.
Arraigned as a suspect-Shan A S
‘Arraigned as an accused’ is a regular term in legal parlance when someone is booked for an offense. But ‘arraigned as a suspect’? Never heard a police officer say so. But when distortions become the norm, linguistic prudence can easily go for a toss. For instance when a senior police officer had to retract a statement he gave this reporter regarding a job fraud case where aspersions were cast on a staffer at the health minister’s office. The officer said they had booked the person who had raised the allegation as it was proved phony. For reasons best known only to them, the police did not arrest him. The next day, when asked about this change in stand, the senior officer had this to say: “He was arraigned as a suspect, not as an accused!” Was it a faux pax or a deliberate attempt to mislead? Who knows!
When they tried to convert me! -Anu Kuruvilla
Covering the immediate aftermath of the explosion at a Kalamassery convention center required that I do a mood copy talking to the people there. The convention, on a Sunday, was organized by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who never opened up regarding their sect. I started chatting up a few women. Since they were from my hometown, Ettumanoor, they slowly warmed up to me and spoke of their fears and apprehensions. Even as I preyed on them for my story, I realized they too had zeroed in on me. What for? As I was about to leave, one woman stopped me and began talking about the sect’s positives. Even as I nodded, another extended an invitation to a prayer meeting! Funnily, they had forgotten all about the deadly explosion and got busy attempting to add another member. After some 15 minutes of ‘conversion class’, I managed to escape… saddled with some pamphlets and the web address of their congregation.