NATION BUILDING????

Since im inspired.. here goes.. a few stray thoughts (( in between the stupid work I'm doing in office)).
Last week, a school in the neighbourhood invited me as a guest (( I'm still reeling under that shock)). The reason was the students wanted to interact with a journalist and understand what it takes to be one ... hahahahaha. They asked me to come over and there i was .. with 3 years experience in my kitty most of which i spent hating it, and a brand name attached as experience ( a silly tabloid and a poorly rated news channel) i had to share my gyaan.

Oh the questions the kids asked .. So cute, naive, gullible and innocent.. and Intelligent too... They held journalism and journalists in such high esteem. Sample this question i was asked. Do you agree Journalists play a key role in nation building??? It made me wanna cringe. Such a noble thought. What do you tell a 14 year old. What do you tell them to convince them that yes journalism is related to nation buildng (( even though i have a hard time convincing myself)). Then came the other questions. IF you're stuck in waist deep water how will you still report? If your family or your life is in danger what will you do. Will it be work first and family later or vice versa. What is the most difficult part of reportng in a riot situation.

Nice questions from the 13-14 year olds. So most of the time i was on stage i was thinking ..ok .. how do i tell them nice things about journalism. How do i hide the cynicism i feel. How do i make it relevant for them. One and a half hour i spoke to them. Fighting my own demons while painting a beautiful picture for them. I bet Journalism and Journalists had notched a few places higher after my talk ... I'm proud of me..