From one step to another….

After my graduation, I was all ready to study journalism in Delhi. Being the only daughter, my father was hesitant about me moving to Delhi on my own and wanted me to complete my master degree. Well, after the clash of opinions regarding choice of the education path, I ended up getting married to the man I was dating for a year or so in 1998. I started my professional journey after 2/3 years of my marriage. My first job was that of an office assistant in a healthcare company. I worked there for about 2 years. Then I got an offer to join a start-up web development company which was a wing of an established finance organization. That was the first turning point of my professional life as I was blessed with an amazing human being as my boss – who was also my friend, philosopher and guide. All along my journey in the organization, I learned so many important things that build me up as a better professional person and human being. Discipline, co-operation, team work, handling pressure, solving issues, being organized – well, it taught me all. During my job in this organization I also later pursued a diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism. After the course completed, I took due permission from my boss and moved on to make a start in the world of journalism. It was definitely not a cake-walk. I initially started freelancing with Magazines and Newspapers as a feature reporter. I then did an internship with a newspaper house and worked as a feature reporter there. I also worked for advertising agencies as a copy writer for a couple of years. Then I came to The Telegraph as a freelancer in the year 2007. For two years I freelanced with them on various projects, developing and writing content for the same. In 2009, I got into the payrolls and joined The Telegraph, Metro as a sub-editor. I also got a promotion a couple of years back and became the Senior Sub Editor. After working here for almost 9 years, in 2016 December, I took a decision to move on with my professional life and accepted an offer for a job in a different industry with a different job profile.

My journey in ABP, The Telegraph was an amazing one all over. The workplace, the seniors, the collegues, my bosses – everything was a wonderful package. In some special workplaces, the people are more than just colleagues, they are people whom you've enjoyed seeing every day, and whom you will miss when you go. There are many wonderful people here, both past and present, who have made my journey here truly enjoyable and memorable. Working as a team, handling pressure during various assignments, solving issues, sharing, partying, laughing, debating, having personal and professional discussion – we have all done it together.

I feel that we have been through all of the highs and lows together and it is not often that you want to come back to work to spend time with a group of friends. They were all special moments.

Professionally, it is rare to actually discover something new, and it was my privilege to be associated with various teams and projects that enhanced me grow, learn and explore my potentials. From day one, I was provided with various opportunities offered by the organization for professional and personal development.

Each and every one supported me to remain organized and do the real work. I have made great friends and met wonderful colleagues around. Special bonding and friendship developed over the years makes my heart heavy while saying goodbye.

But there is more to the 9 year old journey than just the workplace and the job. The roads and lanes of Chandni Chowk, the aroma of food coming from the nearby food stalls, the adda(chat) sessions that I used to have with my collegues, the friends I made – on the floor, in the tea stall in front of the office, in the ladies washroom, the debates & discussions we had, the smoke I started taking up more frequently, the tea – milk, or black - served in the earthen pots from Mahadev da’s tea stall (tea was one thing I never have at home or outside, the only place I had tea regularly was at this tea stall), the juice man standing on the corner of the Chandni Metro Station, the little girl Pooja who lives in the pavements of Chandni near to our office always waved and smiled at me, an uncle from a automobile shop who used to always talk to me and ask me to quit smoking – there is so more to a place than just brick and motors. The corner of my desk in office, the mementoes I kept on it, the postcards sent to me by my friend from Slovenia, the money plant tree I had taken from the desk of another person who left 6 years back, everything has a story to tell of its own. And today, I will be carrying the stories with me, the relationships with me, just the place and time will change.

Life moves on, we move on, the memories will be etched deep in my heart forever.