Living it up in Bombay
It all began one evening when I was at Mohini’s house. We were celebrating her birthday after our exams and one of our friends from college casually mentioned Xavier Institute of Communications to me. She said the application process was fairly simple and that I should give it a try since I was interested is Mass Communications. That’s when I decided I would and thus began a journey that I am writing about. The journey that I can term as the most important phase of my life. Also it was one of the most enjoyable phases. I found and gained a whole lot more than I had bargained for.
I logged in to the XIC website and found out what I had to do to appear for the admission test which was to be held at New Alipore in Kolkata. I made the demand drafts that were required and went and registered myself. The man at Arena Multimedia who was handling the process turned out to be unprofessional but sweet Bengali gentleman. He gave me a lot of wrong information but was always willing to help. Anyways even after completing the registration I had no idea I would be going to XIC. XIC happened to me by accident and that is one accident I don’t regret at all. Infact I am glad I came to XIC and did not go anywhere else.
On the 27th of May I turned up for the online entrance test and did reasonably well. However I was told later at the interview by Mrs. Swamy at the interview that I could not read or could not write. I was quite surprised. However there was an incident during the test also. Mohini, my friend from college who also was appearing for the test had to sit for the examination twice as her computer hanged while she was typing out her answers. She had to do the whole thing all over again. However even after all this both of us made it to the next round which was the personal interview. We took a flight to Mumbai for the interviews. During the flight I happened to be talking about plane crashes only to be promptly reminded by Mohini that it was not a very good time to talk about plane crashes. I obeyed and shut up and at the end of two hours I set foot in Mumbai for the first time in my life. Mumbai and I met.
I got a taste of Mumbai traffic on the first day itself. It took me almost two hours from the airport to get to my cousin’s place in Nerul. I took the train the next morning to get to Victoria Terminus (Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and experienced the lifeline of Mumbai-the local trains. I walked past the imposing structure of the Bombay Mumbai Corporation building and reached St Xavier’s College which was a heritage structure. The building at that time was under maintenance and I could not see it properly. Mohini was already there and we went and registered ourselves for the interview. I was the first person to be interviewed that day.
As I walked into Mrs. Swamy’s office she asked me what I thought of the Mumbai weather. I said it was better than Calcutta. As we settled down for the interview Mrs. Asha Shandilya walked in. I was asked by Mrs. Swamy whether I had gone through the prospectus or not and I lied by telling her I had done it. She asked me what elective I wanted and I had no clue what she was talking about. She must have found out I was lying. Also she informed me that my form was incomplete and asked me to fill in what was required. I walked out of the interview thinking that I had no chances if being admitted into the institute.
After the interview Mohini and I went to Phoenix Mills. I was quite happy to visit the place and I had lunch at Kobe’s. The next day I was informed that both Mohini’s and my name was on the waiting list and I was thrilled. Mohini assigned someone to pay the fees for her if she was confirmed and I also paid my fees the day I was confirmed. Thus I joined an institute which I had no plans of joining. I was still not sure whether I was going to join XIC or not as I was waiting for the IIMC results. The only person I remember meeting during the interview was Gayatri. Kashmira, another classmate of mine at XIC later told me that she had spoken to me during the interview but I don’t recall that.
After completing the formalities at XIC and completing my tests at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai I took a train to Delhi to appear for the entrance test at the Law Faculty of Delhi University. I cleared this test but chose not to enroll as I already had confirmed admission at XIC. I took a flight from Calcutta to Mumbai on the 25th of June to come and join XIC on the 2nd of July. I decided to put up at Seva Niketan which was to be my place of residence for the next ten months. A place again I can never forget.
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I landed on the 25th of June and fell in love with the city. Mumbai struck a chord in my heart right from the time I landed in the city. As I have explained I got a taste of the traffic and the local trains very early but there was something about the city that appealed to me. It was the vibrant atmosphere. Here something was always happening. The city had a life.
I came to college on the 2nd of for the orientation. We were welcomed to the institute by Father Pereira and he told us that the ten months in XIC was going to change our lives forever. For me it did. XIC did change my life forever. I am changed person today. I grew up here. We joined XIC as aspiring journalists and passed out as professionals ready to take on the world.
But change also happens as a result of interaction. I interacted with people and realised that I needed to do a lot of things. I had to learn a lot. And I think I have done that. I am a very outgoing person and I tried interacting with as many people as possible. I got along with people pretty well till I realised that the world was not as simple as I thought. It was a place where one had to struggle all the time.
XIC helped me understand what the industry is all about. It helped me understand what journalism is. It prepared us for the industry. Most of our lessons had a very practical orientation. XIC also had very good infrastructure where students could learn and acquire technological skills that are required for one to be a successful journalist. Along with this and an excellent faculty drawn form the industry itself it was a really good place for professional media education. I did learn a lot at XIC and I can say I got a lot more than I had bargained for.
XIC as a place of study embodies the Jesuit culture and a strict emphasis is laid on attitude and discipline. We had to attend classes not only because we had to meet the required 75% attendance to pass the course. Also a lot of in-class assignments were included in the module which meant that there was no way one could stay away from class and pass the course. Besides Mrs. Swamy ensured we attended class and there was no escape from her.
XIC was all about interaction. I got to interact with so many people from different cultures. I had never lived outside Bengal and my stay at Mumbai gave me an exposure that I badly needed. One of the things that I enjoyed the most in Mumbai was the theatre scene here. NCPA is one of the places that I frequented to watch performances by Naseeruddin Shah and Alyque Padamse. I can still picture Naseeruddin Shah performing in plays like Dear Liar and Antigone. Both the performances were absolutely brilliant and being an avid theatre person enjoyed these performances a lot. I also watched plays like A Mid Summer Night’s Dream produced and directed by Tim Supple. This was an extravaganza and the experience at the Tata Theatre was exhilarating. I wonder what kind of rehearsals went into achieving that kind of perfection and I am only too happy to have experienced it. I also watched Unspoken Dialogues written and directed by Alyque Padamse and this also was a very well done play. Alyque and his genius were visible all through the performance. Apart from this I saw a play called The President is Coming . I enjoyed this play too.
The course at XIC was very hectic and we did not have much time to spare. But we made sure we discovered Mumbai and the spirit of the city in whatever time we had. We did move around a lot and a lot of evenings when we got an off a little early we would sit on Marine Drive and enjoy the sea breeze. Marine Drive is a place that has been shown extensively in movies but once you get there you feel Mumbai. It is a place where you can sit and cultivate dreams. It is a place which makes you think. I spent many evenings on Marine Drive just thinking of my life ahead. There is something about Marine Drive….something that you realise only when you go there.
We attended the Sanctuary awards ceremony held at the Tata Theatre. It was here I heard Tom Alter recite some shayari in his impeccable Urdu. The award ceremony itself was an experience for me. I was thrilled to be sitting in a huge auditorium with so many known faces. I had the opportunity to interact with Tom Alter again and I can say he is a very nice person to talk to. While doing the production work for a radio show we had to produce as a part of our course I invited Tom to be our guest on the show and he readily agreed. Tom was also supposed to interact with the class but that did not happen. So I was only too happy to interact with him.
At XIC we were taught by some really good people. One of them was Mr. T J Ravishankar. Mr. Ravishankar works with Tata Consultancy Services. Mr. Ravishankar held discussions in class which were of immense value. They not only enhanced our knowledge but also taught us to look at things from different perspectives. Another class where this kind of discussions took place was Mr. Yogesh Kamdar’s classes. He was another person who again taught us to look at things objectively. I really enjoyed these discussions as they stimulated our minds and made us aware of things. Knowledge is useless unless one cannot put them to use and share it. These were classes where a lot of knowledge was gained from the discussions that took place.
The two other modules where we were made to critically analyse good work in the media was the Communication, Media and Society module and the Broadcast Journalism module. In these two modules we were shown a lot of films, given backgrounders to read and draw conclusions from them. One critical skill that a journalist has to acquire is to analyse facts and draw perspectives in an unbiased manner. These modules I think were instrumental in cultivating these skills in us. Also a journalist has to have basic qualities like punctuality as a second’s delay can mean the loss of a good story. Mrs. Swamy ensured that we came on time for her classes and though we cursed her for keeping us on our toes all the time she did a brilliant job.
As the year progressed the work schedule got more and more hectic. Soon deadlines became the only thing we thought of. I remember staying up nights to meet them with the help of coffee. We were working almost 16 hours a day at one point of time. This is how XIC prepared us for the industry. The institute ensured we could withstand pressures. As the year progressed we had events like the Alumni Nite where we really had a blast. We also undertook a few trips and I must mention Hideout and Shaktiyogashram.
Hideout was a trip organized for the students who took photography as an elective module. We left by bus from the college gate and reached hideout around 11 AM. It was two day trip where we were to click pictures of the natural surroundings there. The place was serene. After the heat pollution of Mumbai this place was nothing short of a heaven. We also swam at one of the waterfalls. It was a great experience and we had a lot of fun. We clicked some great pictures which were put up at the exhibition. Our hosts ensured that we were well looked after and the food was brilliant. I absolutely loved it. After two days we left hideout and came back to Mumbai with a renewed vigour for work.
A month later we went to Shaktiyogashram and this time it was the full class along with students from the Television and Video Production course. At Shaktiyogashram we spent four days and these four days were very enriching. Shaktiyogashram is almost 20 kilometres away from Lonavla. It is in a valley. During Shaktiyogashram the class was already divided into cliques so here was a bit of tension but otherwise the trip was a lot of fun. We again clicked pictures and had a great time. While at Shaktiyogashram we went for a trek and later on we had great fun playing with water in a mountain stream. I also remember the “Garba” we had and I can never forget Kashmira dancing away to glory. I must mention though that she is a very good dancer and we witnessed her dancing skills that day.
Another event that I remember is Alumni Nite. On this day everyone dressed up and came to college. We had dinner and danced a lot.
After Alumni Nite the pressure on us increased a lot. Our research Paper was due in February and all of us were really busy with that. Once that was done we got down to doing our practical projects. I along with my group made a news show called News at 8. I was very happy with the work. We had a Great story on he Watson’s Hotel which was appreciated by everyone. And it was during this project that I learnt what goes in behind producing a news show and what challenges one can face. I felt that the greatest challenge for us getting permission to shoot in public places.
Soon after the course at XIC was over and we began to appear for interviews and tests. The college arranged for companies to come and recruit at the campus and the entire class found jobs. XIC students were a sought after lot. On 25th April we had our convocation and as Father Myron told us, we were now young media professionals. I joined IDG India and left Bombay soon after. I miss Bombay a lot. It is a great city. A place where one can dare to dream. XIC taught me many things that I will never forget. And my time in Bombay will always remain special to me.
It all began one evening when I was at Mohini’s house. We were celebrating her birthday after our exams and one of our friends from college casually mentioned Xavier Institute of Communications to me. She said the application process was fairly simple and that I should give it a try since I was interested is Mass Communications. That’s when I decided I would and thus began a journey that I am writing about. The journey that I can term as the most important phase of my life. Also it was one of the most enjoyable phases. I found and gained a whole lot more than I had bargained for.
I logged in to the XIC website and found out what I had to do to appear for the admission test which was to be held at New Alipore in Kolkata. I made the demand drafts that were required and went and registered myself. The man at Arena Multimedia who was handling the process turned out to be unprofessional but sweet Bengali gentleman. He gave me a lot of wrong information but was always willing to help. Anyways even after completing the registration I had no idea I would be going to XIC. XIC happened to me by accident and that is one accident I don’t regret at all. Infact I am glad I came to XIC and did not go anywhere else.
On the 27th of May I turned up for the online entrance test and did reasonably well. However I was told later at the interview by Mrs. Swamy at the interview that I could not read or could not write. I was quite surprised. However there was an incident during the test also. Mohini, my friend from college who also was appearing for the test had to sit for the examination twice as her computer hanged while she was typing out her answers. She had to do the whole thing all over again. However even after all this both of us made it to the next round which was the personal interview. We took a flight to Mumbai for the interviews. During the flight I happened to be talking about plane crashes only to be promptly reminded by Mohini that it was not a very good time to talk about plane crashes. I obeyed and shut up and at the end of two hours I set foot in Mumbai for the first time in my life. Mumbai and I met.
I got a taste of Mumbai traffic on the first day itself. It took me almost two hours from the airport to get to my cousin’s place in Nerul. I took the train the next morning to get to Victoria Terminus (Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and experienced the lifeline of Mumbai-the local trains. I walked past the imposing structure of the Bombay Mumbai Corporation building and reached St Xavier’s College which was a heritage structure. The building at that time was under maintenance and I could not see it properly. Mohini was already there and we went and registered ourselves for the interview. I was the first person to be interviewed that day.
As I walked into Mrs. Swamy’s office she asked me what I thought of the Mumbai weather. I said it was better than Calcutta. As we settled down for the interview Mrs. Asha Shandilya walked in. I was asked by Mrs. Swamy whether I had gone through the prospectus or not and I lied by telling her I had done it. She asked me what elective I wanted and I had no clue what she was talking about. She must have found out I was lying. Also she informed me that my form was incomplete and asked me to fill in what was required. I walked out of the interview thinking that I had no chances if being admitted into the institute.
After the interview Mohini and I went to Phoenix Mills. I was quite happy to visit the place and I had lunch at Kobe’s. The next day I was informed that both Mohini’s and my name was on the waiting list and I was thrilled. Mohini assigned someone to pay the fees for her if she was confirmed and I also paid my fees the day I was confirmed. Thus I joined an institute which I had no plans of joining. I was still not sure whether I was going to join XIC or not as I was waiting for the IIMC results. The only person I remember meeting during the interview was Gayatri. Kashmira, another classmate of mine at XIC later told me that she had spoken to me during the interview but I don’t recall that.
After completing the formalities at XIC and completing my tests at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai I took a train to Delhi to appear for the entrance test at the Law Faculty of Delhi University. I cleared this test but chose not to enroll as I already had confirmed admission at XIC. I took a flight from Calcutta to Mumbai on the 25th of June to come and join XIC on the 2nd of July. I decided to put up at Seva Niketan which was to be my place of residence for the next ten months. A place again I can never forget.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I landed on the 25th of June and fell in love with the city. Mumbai struck a chord in my heart right from the time I landed in the city. As I have explained I got a taste of the traffic and the local trains very early but there was something about the city that appealed to me. It was the vibrant atmosphere. Here something was always happening. The city had a life.
I came to college on the 2nd of for the orientation. We were welcomed to the institute by Father Pereira and he told us that the ten months in XIC was going to change our lives forever. For me it did. XIC did change my life forever. I am changed person today. I grew up here. We joined XIC as aspiring journalists and passed out as professionals ready to take on the world.
But change also happens as a result of interaction. I interacted with people and realised that I needed to do a lot of things. I had to learn a lot. And I think I have done that. I am a very outgoing person and I tried interacting with as many people as possible. I got along with people pretty well till I realised that the world was not as simple as I thought. It was a place where one had to struggle all the time.
XIC helped me understand what the industry is all about. It helped me understand what journalism is. It prepared us for the industry. Most of our lessons had a very practical orientation. XIC also had very good infrastructure where students could learn and acquire technological skills that are required for one to be a successful journalist. Along with this and an excellent faculty drawn form the industry itself it was a really good place for professional media education. I did learn a lot at XIC and I can say I got a lot more than I had bargained for.
XIC as a place of study embodies the Jesuit culture and a strict emphasis is laid on attitude and discipline. We had to attend classes not only because we had to meet the required 75% attendance to pass the course. Also a lot of in-class assignments were included in the module which meant that there was no way one could stay away from class and pass the course. Besides Mrs. Swamy ensured we attended class and there was no escape from her.
XIC was all about interaction. I got to interact with so many people from different cultures. I had never lived outside Bengal and my stay at Mumbai gave me an exposure that I badly needed. One of the things that I enjoyed the most in Mumbai was the theatre scene here. NCPA is one of the places that I frequented to watch performances by Naseeruddin Shah and Alyque Padamse. I can still picture Naseeruddin Shah performing in plays like Dear Liar and Antigone. Both the performances were absolutely brilliant and being an avid theatre person enjoyed these performances a lot. I also watched plays like A Mid Summer Night’s Dream produced and directed by Tim Supple. This was an extravaganza and the experience at the Tata Theatre was exhilarating. I wonder what kind of rehearsals went into achieving that kind of perfection and I am only too happy to have experienced it. I also watched Unspoken Dialogues written and directed by Alyque Padamse and this also was a very well done play. Alyque and his genius were visible all through the performance. Apart from this I saw a play called The President is Coming . I enjoyed this play too.
The course at XIC was very hectic and we did not have much time to spare. But we made sure we discovered Mumbai and the spirit of the city in whatever time we had. We did move around a lot and a lot of evenings when we got an off a little early we would sit on Marine Drive and enjoy the sea breeze. Marine Drive is a place that has been shown extensively in movies but once you get there you feel Mumbai. It is a place where you can sit and cultivate dreams. It is a place which makes you think. I spent many evenings on Marine Drive just thinking of my life ahead. There is something about Marine Drive….something that you realise only when you go there.
We attended the Sanctuary awards ceremony held at the Tata Theatre. It was here I heard Tom Alter recite some shayari in his impeccable Urdu. The award ceremony itself was an experience for me. I was thrilled to be sitting in a huge auditorium with so many known faces. I had the opportunity to interact with Tom Alter again and I can say he is a very nice person to talk to. While doing the production work for a radio show we had to produce as a part of our course I invited Tom to be our guest on the show and he readily agreed. Tom was also supposed to interact with the class but that did not happen. So I was only too happy to interact with him.
At XIC we were taught by some really good people. One of them was Mr. T J Ravishankar. Mr. Ravishankar works with Tata Consultancy Services. Mr. Ravishankar held discussions in class which were of immense value. They not only enhanced our knowledge but also taught us to look at things from different perspectives. Another class where this kind of discussions took place was Mr. Yogesh Kamdar’s classes. He was another person who again taught us to look at things objectively. I really enjoyed these discussions as they stimulated our minds and made us aware of things. Knowledge is useless unless one cannot put them to use and share it. These were classes where a lot of knowledge was gained from the discussions that took place.
The two other modules where we were made to critically analyse good work in the media was the Communication, Media and Society module and the Broadcast Journalism module. In these two modules we were shown a lot of films, given backgrounders to read and draw conclusions from them. One critical skill that a journalist has to acquire is to analyse facts and draw perspectives in an unbiased manner. These modules I think were instrumental in cultivating these skills in us. Also a journalist has to have basic qualities like punctuality as a second’s delay can mean the loss of a good story. Mrs. Swamy ensured that we came on time for her classes and though we cursed her for keeping us on our toes all the time she did a brilliant job.
As the year progressed the work schedule got more and more hectic. Soon deadlines became the only thing we thought of. I remember staying up nights to meet them with the help of coffee. We were working almost 16 hours a day at one point of time. This is how XIC prepared us for the industry. The institute ensured we could withstand pressures. As the year progressed we had events like the Alumni Nite where we really had a blast. We also undertook a few trips and I must mention Hideout and Shaktiyogashram.
Hideout was a trip organized for the students who took photography as an elective module. We left by bus from the college gate and reached hideout around 11 AM. It was two day trip where we were to click pictures of the natural surroundings there. The place was serene. After the heat pollution of Mumbai this place was nothing short of a heaven. We also swam at one of the waterfalls. It was a great experience and we had a lot of fun. We clicked some great pictures which were put up at the exhibition. Our hosts ensured that we were well looked after and the food was brilliant. I absolutely loved it. After two days we left hideout and came back to Mumbai with a renewed vigour for work.
A month later we went to Shaktiyogashram and this time it was the full class along with students from the Television and Video Production course. At Shaktiyogashram we spent four days and these four days were very enriching. Shaktiyogashram is almost 20 kilometres away from Lonavla. It is in a valley. During Shaktiyogashram the class was already divided into cliques so here was a bit of tension but otherwise the trip was a lot of fun. We again clicked pictures and had a great time. While at Shaktiyogashram we went for a trek and later on we had great fun playing with water in a mountain stream. I also remember the “Garba” we had and I can never forget Kashmira dancing away to glory. I must mention though that she is a very good dancer and we witnessed her dancing skills that day.
Another event that I remember is Alumni Nite. On this day everyone dressed up and came to college. We had dinner and danced a lot.
After Alumni Nite the pressure on us increased a lot. Our research Paper was due in February and all of us were really busy with that. Once that was done we got down to doing our practical projects. I along with my group made a news show called News at 8. I was very happy with the work. We had a Great story on he Watson’s Hotel which was appreciated by everyone. And it was during this project that I learnt what goes in behind producing a news show and what challenges one can face. I felt that the greatest challenge for us getting permission to shoot in public places.
Soon after the course at XIC was over and we began to appear for interviews and tests. The college arranged for companies to come and recruit at the campus and the entire class found jobs. XIC students were a sought after lot. On 25th April we had our convocation and as Father Myron told us, we were now young media professionals. I joined IDG India and left Bombay soon after. I miss Bombay a lot. It is a great city. A place where one can dare to dream. XIC taught me many things that I will never forget. And my time in Bombay will always remain special to me.
2 comments:
i can truly relate to d article..
was just surfing about xic and got to your blog..
im also a student of jr at xic,in the current batch..
good work :)
man u r compltly awed by mumbai.gosh tht i jus heard tht u r in love with plc but now i can seriously say tht mumbai lives inside u.i think u shud surely move to mumbai.
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