She was like any young girl looking for a job, not so seriously though, the day she appeared for the interview. She said she was here for her summer internship and I was supervising her. It came as a surprise to me since I never remembered her. In fact, I dont remember interns who are not exceptionally good at the job. So I shook my head as though I recollected but honestly, I didnt.
The day she finally joined, she came to me and wished me. Petite, happy-go-lucky, charming, very child-like, she was all of 22, right there in a newspaper office to make a career as a journalist. I noticed her for a long time that day. I was in fact silently admiring her for many things – she seemed so lively, bubbly, chirpy and full of life (naturally it was her first day in office and she would not be so well aware about the rigours of the profession till some time passed) and there are many more adjectives that I can attach to her personality. There were many others who had joined office much later than I joined way back in 1997, but I never felt this freshness in any newcomer's attitude. And in a short time she made a place in the office, as easily as a new book makes a place of its own in the bookshelf.
Not that she was a workaholic but she was serious about what she was doing. Since she knew she had to stay put in this office for some years at least, she made a diligent search for a house, a mess, a hostel and tried all of these to settle finally in a single room accommodation, shelling out a good sum of money. She was clear in her mind about what she wanted from this job and life. Her priorities were clearly defined. She bought a two-wheeler immediately, she possessed the bestest of cameras much ahead of getting the job because she knew she needed to be a good photographer along with being a journalist. She seemed to be aware of the happenings around the world to some extent, at least those things which the present day youngsters are so comfortable with, she was techno-savvy and knew how to fix her cell phone problems. As is normal for her age, she had a dedicated bunch of friends who were ready to help her house hunting and shifting from one to the other.
One day, I noticed a beautiful watch on her wrist and was keen to know the brand. Shocked at her revelation that it was a something not many of my ilk would invest money on, my mouth remained open for quite some time. But she was so happy with her new buy that there was no trace of regret on her face even when all of us made fun of her.
My colleagues were at times not so happy with the way she functioned – she is not the types to sit at one place to file a story. She keeps moving here and there with her cellphone and most confuse it to be her restlessness and lack of seriousness. But it was neither of it. She was okay in the work she did but not exceptional. You cannot expect a six month old journalist to give you a national headline . It was her way of working and she was ready to bring in changes in her style of working, provided she was told where she lacks and needs to improve. She is a learner and it will take some time to calm down, a quality quite unlikely to be seen in the present day youths.
I am also in awe of her because of the confidence she possesses and the way she handles her day to day problems. It is not easy to work in an alien city managing things on own. But she is a go-getter and is happy the way she is. ``I keep telling my friends that I work in the `coolest' of all newspaper offices,'' I have often heard her saying.
I had another reason to feel nice about her. She was nine years older to my daughter and I always felt a part of my daughter in her. Because, I have seen my daughter grow up with equal amount of restlessness and eagerness to explore the world around her. Like her, I can see my daughter being looked at with awe while trying to be her own self and adjusting in her office, some years from now.
I can only say this much that the young generation is responsible and we can be happy that the country has a lot of them.
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