“When you read about deaths in my country, they are only figures. For me, they are my friends, uncles, aunts...” I read this somehere recently. It's not new..we have all read it several times when stories of tragedies have been written.
Yet, each time I read this line, it churns my stomach for whatever reason. It just disturbs me somewhere.
Being a journalist, stories of death are not new to me. I was working with The Indian Express in Pune during the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts. Th Express carried a series of articles called '187 Mumbai Life Stories' that narrated the tales of the kin that the victims had left behind. They were tales of horror, grit, gumption, tragedy, tears, determination, hope and every other human emotion one could name.
I did one of the stories in the series -- not something that I would want to cherish for my life. Nonetheless, I had to do it and at the end of the day it was just a story for me.
The young widow whom I met, had lost her whole world. Even as I spoke to her, I felt as if I was rubbing salt on her wounds.
I don't know why I felt like writing about this. As a journalist, I will still have to deal with news copies that speak of deaths in figures. Unfortunately, I won't be able to change that.
2 comments:
quite a gripping account mitali...but the sad part is that we remain in the 'business' of making news. Hope you succeed in swimming against the current. All the best :)
well..I m not sure whether i'l be able to swim against it..m not sure anyone can..guess that's why they call it 'business' :)
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