Continuing on with my series revisiting the early 2000s, today I share my interview with senior independent journalist and writer Shashi Sunny. Having been in this profession for over three decades, she has a lot of insights to offer on the subject, which personally resonated with me as an independent journalist myself. You can read the other posts in this series here, and the article for which I interviewed everyone here.
Over to Shashi:
Q: Since when have you been in this profession? What are some of the magazines you have worked with?
I have been in the profession for more than three decades now. Some of the publications I have worked for are Weekly Sun, Delhi Midday Society, Savvy, Stardust, Society Interiors and People Magazine.
Q: Glossy magazines were at their peak in the early 2000s. What were some of the most memorable things you had to do for cover stories?
Cover stories in the early 2000s were over 10-15,000 words or more and involved many sittings stretched over a few days. The hardest part was getting the celebrity to say yes to the interview when they were in the news. Either I or a member of my team had to chase them and pin them down for the interview and photo session. This involved chasing them across states and at absurd timings. For instance, to get Jyotiraditya Scindia when he was fighting an election soon after the death of his father, my photographer and I had to chase him into the interiors of his constituency in Guna, Madhya Pradesh. His cavalcade moved at lightning speed, and I was left behind in a remote area in the peak of winter with the night fast approaching. It was scary since there was no sign of any habitation around and worse, no washrooms. Also, this is before the cell phone era. Luckily for me, my photographer managed a vehicle and retraced his steps till he found me.
Another interesting cover was on Rahul Gandhi. The entire bureau sourced information from wherever they could and one of our team members spent a night at a Dalit person’s hut in Amethi where Rahul was supposed to have spent the night! I think she ate the same food and drank the same water that Rahul Gandhi supposedly did but left at the first stroke of day to find a hotel room with a washroom!
Another cover story (Sushma Swaraj for Savvy) had to be done post 11 p.m. over a week because she was available only after her day’s work was done. It took a lot of persuasion and follow up to get her to agree but she was a gracious host insisting on serving dinner first and also taking care to see that one was safely dropped home after the interview.
A Savvy cover I remember, involved us setting out to Rajasthan to find a village Dalit lady Pradhan Bhawari Devi who had been gang raped by four men. With no address or connect, it was a long-winded chase till one finally found her after enquiring at many many police stations in the state!
There have been many changes in cover stories from then to now. These include much shorter copy, more emphasis on visuals and more sophisticated layouts. The stories now are confined to the issue at hand – researched back stories are rarely included.
Q: How has the nature of print journalism – especially features – changed? Was that hustle for stories better than what’s available now?
Hustling for stories then usually meant endless trips to the celebrity’s office or home or cornering them at page three parties and approaching them through their staff or a family member. I think it was better because it was done by being physically present, so by the end the journalist and the interviewee became well-acquainted with each other which made it easier to get the next story!
Q: What were some of the biggest fashion trends from that period that you feel haven’t stood the test of time?
Trends which I feel have not endured are Anarkalis, low-hung jeans for both sexes and garments designed with synthetic fabrics and embellishments. Also, clunky platform shoes and over-embellished denim jeans, jackets and skirts.
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This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
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*This is not a sponsored post.
**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action.
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