Interview: Rithisha Padmanabh

(Rithisha Padmanabh, was the second runner up of Voice of India, a musical reality show that used to come in a private entertainment channel few months ago, has her roots in Putter. Once facilitated by former President of India A.P.J.Abul Kalam in 2005 and has earned so many prestigious awards. She has sung in more than 25 Kannada films and has given voice to some Kannada serials. She is currently pursuing her engineering studies from Bangalore; she shares her experiences of the show.)

(Published in City Herald, a Saturday supplement of Deccan Herald, Bangalore)

What changes ‘Voice of India’ has brought to your life?
Well, after Voice of India, there are more people who know me and of course it has increased the opportunities I was getting in the field of film music/light music. Also I met so many celebrities and musically super talented people during my times with the voice of India team and hence I got to learn more musically. However Hindustani classical music is what I truly will pursue with full efforts along with all this.

How was your experience performing in front of the judges that included Sukhwinder Singh, Ismail Darbar and Monty Sharma who are well known figures of Bollywood.
It was really a great experience. I guess I became a smarter person too after this experience; I got a small idea of how things work.
Have you ever expected this kind of fame and position in your life?
Well not only dreamt of this, I even expected to be in the position I am now. Because I always wanted to compete on a national basis I did that during my national Balshree award stint too and here too and this involved the support of the audience and I feel proud to say that through this I gained many well-wishers who supported me a lot.

Have you taken any professional training in singing?
I started learning light music from Smt. Malati Sharma at the age of four and even I started getting training in Carnatic music at the same age under Smt Nagalakshmi till eight. When I was seven I started learning Hindustani classical music from Smt. Geetha G Hedge and still pursue under her since ten years.

How much support you got from your family and friends?
Well they supported me throughout the journey and immense support from family and few friends especially Vinitra. I am so grateful to them.

What is ‘music’ for you?
It’s my passion and once I am done with my studies may be just a computer engineering degree or maybe I might want to study further four years down the lane. Music will be what it wants to truly pursue. I simply can’t live without music.

What are your future plans?
Firstly I want to complete my engineering with good marks. And I might want to study further but definitely music being the most important part of my life I will definitely consider it as a fulltime career option or part time. But I am open to any musical offers I will work on music simultaneously with my studies as I have always been doing and will manage both well. Well I have got some offers and I am working on a few projects but since nothing is completely done or confirmed I don’t think I should disclose.

What advice you would like to give for the aspirants of such musical reality shows?
They are really good opportunities to project you talent and learn a lot musically one advice is don’t have a really serious dream of wanting to go on a reality show and make it big or something like that because one the reality shows might come down on frequency now and the advantage of the reality show would be that you are a known face and talent is known but the struggle is no easies even for the winner and if you want to make a mark you have to work really hard by yourself.

Now you are doing engineering, how do you keep balance between your studies and singing?
Well I don’t know how I balance exactly. But I have been doing it all these years so it’s nothing new to me. But I have to be a little patient as I have more on my plate than others but it’s not too difficult. I don’t have any fixed time table or anything as such. I just follow my heart and sing when I want to and study when I feel like that. By God's grace I have balanced both together very well till now and I hope to do so in the future.

General Elections-09

Deviating From the Main Issue


General elections -09 seems to be the most unpredicted elections since the freedom of India and with the advantage current in means of media communication these elections are getting more and more complex and frankly speaking this elections are deviating from their main focal point where they were supposed to focus.

Contemporary India is suffering from mammoth and challenging problems of poverty, unemployment, infrastructure, job cuts and price rise but not a single political party is focusing on these issues and hardly giving any importance to the basic problems of the common people.

These days the political parties are trying there best to fit to the supposed new government. Some are forming ‘third front’ some are trying to form fourth one. Not a single politician seems to be concern on the basic problems which were supposed to be their main importance.

In spite of focusing on basic requirements of the common people the prominent political parties are picking holes in the pockets of the opposition leaders. They are focusing on counting the faults in political members or often try to make the shortcomings of opposition party counted. A war of allegations and personal uncivilized comments has started.

Recently Gujrat Chief Minister Narendra Modi started the playing the game of Budiya/Gudiya with Priyanka Gandhi. The young BJP member Varun Gandhi on whom the whole country expected to be a rational politician recently passed harsh comments against Muslims. Laloo Prasad Yadav recently called BJP leader Sushma Swaraj ‘Putna’ (Demon) and the worst face of politics got revealed when famous bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in a rally in UP said that he was beaten badly and given 3rd degree treatment because according to him his mother was Muslim. This is the same man who was under trial for helping the terrorist for the Mumbai Blasts and almost after 16 years he is remembering these things to take the sympathy from the minorities of the state.

These things are really same for the country who claims to be the largest democracy of the world. These days the politicians are getting more and more communally motivated just for the vote bank politicians.

But the question that there politicians should answer is where are the issue for which they were supposed to get vote. For what they are expecting vote from the country. No discussion has been carried out on development, poverty, price rise, recession then what is the issue? This election is totally deviated from the point. One can only expect that the voters vote rationally irrespective of the caste, religion and other factors of the concerned politicians.

My First Internship

The Pioneer-Ranchi


After joining my college to pursue my graduation degree in Journalism and Mass Communication which was entirely my decision, that was of course against the will of my parents, I was determined to do my best in the college. I was ready to toil hard in every aspect in order to prove to my parents that I was cent per cent right and make them feel proud. So I was planning to utilize the semester breaks in the right manner and I don’t think for any mass communication student anything would be better than doing internship during their summer holidays.

After reaching my home town, I was really enthusiastic and thrilled for the internship work. But a bad face of this media industry was yet to be reveled. Almost for 14 days I tried in all media houses of Patna. But didn’t get in any of them. But I was amazed with the reactions of ‘Hindustan Times’ and ‘Times of India’, I thought they could give me the opportunity as they were having adequate resources and even ‘Radio Mirchi’ hanged me for a long time. So in whole, searching for internship on my own was a bitter experience in Patna. But finally I managed to get it in ‘I-next’, a tabloid newspaper costing just Re.1, but it was not a renowned newspaper moreover it was in Hindi and I didn’t know typing in Hindi but my mindset to join that so that I could do at least something. But destiny plays a crucial role in life. The same day my elder sister living in Ranchi told me that she had some contact in an English newspaper ‘The Pioneer’ and thus I left for Ranchi to do my internship there which was even not sure.

My 1st encounter with Anupam Sheshank
After the ‘Mission Search Internship’ in Patna, I had learnt that without any contact you can’t have internship, so I used that in ‘Pioneer Ranchi’. There I was introduced for the 1st time to our chief of bureau, Anupam Sheshank, 1st he went through my resume and felt happy that I was from Patna and to test whether I was able to do the internship he gave me a story to do that was ‘Reliance Buy 2 get 3 free’. And told me to submit the story by 4pm the same day and it was almost 12 noon. I went to the market but didn’t find anything like that so I went for feature writing on the same. After looking on my story I think he was impressed, but I was still in dilemma whether I had got the internship or not as he didn’t give any clear signal or said anything regarding that. There after he told me to make briefs but meanwhile he asked if I knew what briefs were I replied in negative then he explained me what are briefs and how to make it, it was a simple task for me to read every press release that used to come from different places and make a brief news out of that. Finally he edited the briefs in front of me in a supersonic speed then I came to know what editing really means. To clear the dilemma whether I have got the internship or not I asked him when I should come tomorrow. He replied the time and assigned me the works. It was clear for me that I had got that. The next day with fresh energy and enthusiasm I went for the office.


My first day in News Room
From the first day I was predetermined that I had to prove myself and really worked hard to do that. On the first day as under my assigned work I noted down all the hits and miss and when the story list was getting prepared I reveled that and on the first day of my internship I got appreciation from our chief photographer ‘Malay Da’ that I had done good job. Of course I was so happy and same day ‘Vijay Deo Jha’ the chief reporter also praised me for making good briefs. I was of course extremely happy that I had gained the confidence on the first day itself. From the first day I started joining for two stories per day like other reporters and was happy.

My first by-line story
I didn’t know that I could get by-lines like other regular reporters but Vijay sir advised me to go for by-lines and cleared that I is the only earning for the interns. The story for which I got the first by-line was the coverage of the tour of Yaswant Sinha, former finance minister of India. I witnessed all the things and I reported next day I saw my first By-line story on the top of Ranchi special page and was so delighted. And with the same energy went for several other stories and got almost 10 by-lines in 15 days internship. And the most important thing when our sub-editor ‘Mausmi Banerjeee’ read my first by-line story her quote was ‘Wah Manish tum to acha likhta hain’, getting complement from her was really great as she always used to screw all reporters.

The Airtel-Media Cup
This internship was also made great hit of my life because I played for ‘Pioneer Ranchi team’ in the Airtel Media Cup, a series dedicated for the journalists of different media house of Ranchi. I was delighted because it was my dream to play with pride with the team jersey, pads, gloves, helmets and all other stuffs which makes the cricketer look attractive. Other reason was that I got the track suit from Airtel for playing the game free of cost and was satisfied because at least some thing I got during my internship besides the certificate and by-lines.

Friends I made there
The employees of the office be it the reporters, chief, sub editor or receptionist all were very friendly and supportive. Even almost everybody was under 20-40 age group. There I met and made very good friends, well wishers and my advisors that started with our crime reporter Deepak, the sweet innocent Richa , my favorite Shilpi Di (Dhoni Special Correspondent) who really cared a lot during my internship like her own younger brother and still cares and guides me. Love you Di., Vijay Sir, my guide and information centre for news, Mukesh Bhiaiya who was always had a keen interest in Manipal cheeks got well mixed with me, our sarcastic special sub editor ‘Mausmi ma’m and above all our chief of bureau Anupam Sheshank under whom I really learned a lot and who compelled me to work hard and I want to give special thanks to him for giving me the freedom, liberty and guidance.

The mistake I did and the effect
Getting scolded from Anupam sir when someone does wrong was a ritual in the office and everyone was habituated to that but not me. I was for the first time working in any office moreover I was a student intern. I didn’t expect that I could get something like that. Actually what happened I thought of doing a story on ‘security on new year’. I talked to the SP of the police and all concerned people and wrote a story but I was not reaching 300 words which was a standard report size and even the story looks good and heavy with this amount of words so what I did I created a hypothetical name of a lady and quoted that she wanted to celebrate the new year in a club but concerned on the security system of the city and submitted the story in a hope that I would get another by-line. But the scene was not as predicted by me. When he saw the quote he shouted ‘Mr.Manish, have you really talked to any lady? Is the law conditions in Ranchi are so bad? Is anyone getting raped if coming outside home? The girl is from which club?” and even asked the sub editor if the law and order conditions in Ranchi is the same as described by me, her response was ‘Not at all sir’. This acted as a catalyst for Anupam sir and he rejected the story and started whispering with himself. And I think one can expect the condition of mind for a student who for the first time working in a office, an intern, who had just passed his 12 class exams. I was feeling so so bad that the day is a day that I can’t forget in my whole life. I was feeling dishearten, discouraged, very sad, very bad, badly hurt and started weeping while writing the briefs making sure that no one notice. But this incident taught me the greatest lesson that in journalism report exactly what is the condition never create hypothetical names and quotes and do have your proof for your story. This incident made sure that this type of mistake is not going to be repeated in my whole life. At that time I was so unhappy with Anupam Sir and thought that there were other methods through which he could make me understood. But later I realized that the effect of such scolding is long lasting and permanent. For persons like me these incidents have deep impression and it will not allow me physiologically to do the same mistake again.
And the point to be noted is that that was the last day of my internship. And it is the same Mr. Anupam Sheshank himself who asked if I need some letter and I replied in affirmative so he advised me to contact me the director who told me that he didn’t have the letter pad and told me that he will post me the same. When I told Anupam Sir the same, he was wearing the helmet as he was ready for going to home and almost left the office but for me he came and with wearing the same helmet he typed my internship letter and ensured that I got that and finally gave me best wishes for life.

So this was my experience of my internship in Pioneer Ranchi where I worked hard, enjoyed reporting, playing cricket, enjoyed the news room environment. Shared good moments with the employees. Had sweets when the news was aired in the news room that Vijay sir was going to marry. Really a complete funny, informative and learning internship.