Dear Radha,
I see you waiting for me in your rickety Maruti 800, ready to start another day at CNBC India. It’s 6.30 am and the Delhi heat is just picking up – bright and early as always. There are no mobile phones, just a preset time we follow. You smile like always and start chattering away about the day that is yet to come. The conversation is a blur as we battle Delhi traffic on roads with lesser flyovers and pollution. Videocon Tower has been my home for less than month. A boy from Sikkim lost in a fast paced television world. You are the rope I hang on to as I start my climb.
I see you log in – I hear you shout, your fingers fly as you start building the markets show that goes live sharp at 8 am. There is shouting, confusion followed by a sudden calm with a voice from the studio, “Good morning and welcome...” A few seconds later it’s back to madness. I want to help, but a rookie is like a big stone on an obstacle course. You look at me between seconds of sanity with eyes that assure that my time will come. I get back to figuring out wire updates.
I see you, Radha, inspire the next generation of television professionals – not just reporters. You always have a way with rookies and a line stands today in your honour; each accomplished and deeply indebted to you for turning them into obstacles (challenging ones) from the stone that stood in the way. They shed a tear and celebrate you, your way of life, your devotion to the one thing you knew well – run a team. All trained to hold a line!
I see you dance with a glass perfectly balanced on your head. A few distractions running behind you to play catch but you dance on. It’s infectious and suddenly the whole floor is on fire. Your awkward moves are tough to keep up to and even the young and flexible fade. The dinner conversations were always about us and never you. We have too many complaints and you kept even the pain that took you away hidden in a corner of your lovely heart.
I see you under our sacred tree with a paper cup, celebrating a show well done, an award received, and sometimes a pain to share. Conversations under the tree remain there so I let it lie, but every bit under the tree inspired us to fight better the next day. We need the tree, but you more to speak, to argue, to fight for our right and mostly to complain. But today, from under the tree, I say thank you and we all do.
I see you Radha, running around the CNN IBN newsroom creating confusion and chaos, but in that chaos we created magic. I see you between the numerous awards. I see you answering late calls from reporters who think the story is over and want to return to Delhi from a difficult assignment (me included). You shout, egg them on to find a golden story more.
A boy and now a man from Sikkim remembers you Radha for all the good you did. You are and will always be family, my Malayali brother. I love you!
Karma has known Radha for 20 years and has worked closely with him for 18 years. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of eastmojo.com which is a news website solely focusing on the North East.