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For someone, comparatively new in journalism and also fresh from a print background just the idea of a grave-yard shift gave me the jitters. the first question that apparently hits you is how to keep track of any news when calling up your sources at this insane hour could very well be risky enough to lose them.
One thing you make sure is to dig up all the music cd's and books that you may have wanted to read for a long time but never really could find the time....what better time than,when you are on the night shift. Just the time, to catch up on all of these.
Someone suggests calling up the control room and keeping a track on things...but two nights down the line and you realize there are more things happening on other channels than anything the bored sleepy cop on the graveyard shift would ever mumble to you between animated yawns.
And then you happen to talk to a reporter from another channel...and this nice soul promises to alert you to anything he comes to know...Quite a relief I must say...just to know that you are not on it alone....and then finally on the fourth night you get an sms...a fire somewhere.....you are completely woken up from the mild slumber that creeps in from doing nothing...
You wake up everyone else...the logistics, the cameraman, the driver...and everyone else you find sleeping around...just to put up an air of urgency...and emergency...and most of all a plain attempt at showing off that...hey dude...I finally get a chance at some action. You rush to the car....and between frantic calls to the reporter who gave you the news, you remind your driver to drive faster...sooner and also remind him that he's now driving for a news channel and not for some saab who's anyways bored of getting back home after a party.
You reach the spot and the first thing that hits you is the plethora of cars from other channels that are also parked there and a few, following you through the same narrow lane...and lucky you, the incident is a mild/minor one to really report anything...A final attempt(considering you were the last one to reach the spot) to get the administration heads to give you a bite on the issue.... and then you start chating with the other reporters...A discovery in the making for you..... this new community........the community of Night Reporters
A pleasant bunch in themselves......after the initial ice-breaking...the focus is then shifts to where to go from there.....one suggests the "usual place" the other suggests a place he's newly discovered...another suggests some really cool place to eat. And finally the destination chosen on consensus.....The fleet of cars now move to the decided destination. This time around....the Sea Face at Worli.
It's quite a party with some having brought their "dabbas" from home and with the chaiwallah on the cycle, making a decent buck. It's quite a nice experience......jokes.....experiences and the like do the rounds. On-camera guffaws etc...the clichés.....common industry talks.........all start doing the rounds...and then comes a whistle.....it's the the cop on his mid-night beat.
Out to make a quick buck from this "mixed group of college students making a ruckus on the sea-face", the havildar hits the ground with his 'lathi' and comes rushing, yelling for everyone to clear the place...and then all of a sudden his heart misses a beat....as he notices from the corner of his eyes, the cars parked next to the jolly group...he gives them a second look...this time over....a close one......and he notices the "PRESS" stickers with the company logos on all of them
"Ha sagle media walle aahe" (These are all people from the media) his partner mumbles to him...and then in a manner that could put a school kid caught stealing a cookie...to shame, the cop does a complete turnaround and smiles at the group....comes over, inspects the food being devoured upon......and in the most innocent voice asks, "kai kartoye..??? Jevan challalele aahe kaai?" (What are you doing..?? Eating?). And this sudden softness, only because he sees that we are a group of journalists.
A couple of chais down and someone suddenly reminds us of the silent sounds of hunger creeping in our tummies...and the next venue....DADAR Railway station......and a couple of newer discoveries....bun maska.....midnight pav bhaji or bhurji pav....and the best of them all....succulent Chocolate chai...(ever heard of that anyone...????)
Fed and content....and with a promise to call and be alerted incase any news breaks in the next few hours before dawn, the late night party breaks.....and you return back to office.......content and relieved by the thought that there are more eyes out there with you....hunting for news....a group you simply call the "Night Reporters"
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