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Oct 10, 2000 :: First field-trip

Field trip to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh covering 7 leads for fresh stories and verification/ updates on 3 published stories. Began using my digital camera, to collect images of children for the slide show in the opening page. Trip covered Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Bhopal and Indore.



Footnote: April,2006:

That trip was between Sep 15 and Oct 8, 2000. I researched the stories before I left and availed of the invaluable help of my friend’s father-in-law in Udaipur, Col [Rtd] Ranawat. Many stories, I discovered as I went. For example, Rajendra Singh of Tarun Bharat Sangh was not yet a media darling. I traced him by calling his home in Jaipur, where his little daughter gave me directions to Tana Ghazi. Tracking Gulabo and Komal Kothari were equally adventurous based on the slight information I had clipped from main media. This was a tenderfoot journalist’s introduction to the reality of the profession. Hugely enjoyable, I must admit. And at this remove, proudly satisfying for many of the stories from that trip have become big hits.

It seemed a trip to a fantasy world, starting from a dreamy stay in Kankariya Hotel in Udaipur. It was a converted haveli overlooking the Pichola Lake. It had low, stone roof and the classic Rajasthani balcony, the jharokha. Visits to Raunaqpur, the Jodhpur fort, camel trek to and overnight stop at Sams desert were all part of that trip. Wish I had kept a journal.

The camera referred to, was the Kodak DC215 Zoom. Pretty state of the art for that time: 1 megapixel and 2x zoom. It cost me Rs 30,000 at a small shop in Kodambakkam! As if to make up for the huge expense, I kept clicking everything in sight- especailly endearing Indian children. I strung their pictures together into a slideshow and ran it on the site for a couple of years.


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