Scholar-Journalist of the Week: Camel ride, safari and much more: A trip to Rajasthan

“If you want to know me, you just need to know I’m a person who loves simplicity and finds happiness in the smallest of things. Clouds are my favorite and the airplanes help in motivating me to move forward,” expresses Prachi Khandelwal, who is an avid traveller and loves to write about her travel experiences.

Prachi was a Commerce student until she realised her passion for journalism and mass communication and decided to make a career out of it. After completing her Bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communication, she is currently  pursuing her Post-graduation in Television and Radio Journalism from Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC). The hodophile’s latest article is on ‘Camel ride, safari and much more: A trip to Rajasthan’.

In this week’s scholar-journalist interview, Prachi shares about her fondness for travelling, her keenness to learn about new places and writing about the same. Read edited excerpts:

How did you develop interest in writing? Why did you decide to pursue journalism?

I didn’t know I could write in such a good way until I started some internships for college projects. I worked as a content writer which helped me explore this side of mine. Journalism, I knew, wasn’t an easy field but I love to talk to people. I love to know about them and their stories. Besides, knowing and learning something new everyday was also one of the factors. These are the reasons why I decided to choose Journalism as a full time career. 

Why did you decide to write about this travel experience?

One of our Counselor ma’am told me to write an article about it. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to write it, at first. But then I realised I’m a method writer. I love to write, and I write things more beautifully when I experience them first-hand. Also, this trip was more than just any other college trip. The people around me (especially my friends group) made it the best trip of my life with uncountable memories. So, I thought why not convert them into words and share it with everyone.

Also Read: Camel ride, safari and much more: A trip to Rajasthan

Do you like travelling? Which locations have you traveled to?

Travelling for me is a healthy escape, even if it’s for a day or two. I love to explore and I’m always keen to learn about new places. I’ve been to Jaisalmer before but besides this, I’ve travelled to places like Kumbhalgarh Fort, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Mussoorie. I have also done some amazing treks in Pune, Goa as well as trekked a lot of western part of India. So yeah, I love travelling. 

Are you fond of travel writing?

Ohh yes. As I already mentioned,  I like to write about my first-hand experiences a lot. And whenever I travel, I come back with a better mindset after knowing things about me. Travel writing is one of my favorite genres to write about.

What kind of travel articles do you enjoy  reading and writing about?

I like articles which have very minute details about the places, making it extravagantly beautiful. I like it when people write how watching the sunrise or sunset at this point will be a one-time experience for you. Moreover, I love those articles which by mere reading makes you feel refreshed and you want to visit places. Also, I like to write listicle kind of articles to make it easier for my readers to understand.

What inspires you to write on travel?

One thing I don’t forget is to take little breaks and travelling helps me do that. Little breaks to visit places and admire the beauty around me. And through my articles or blogs, I just want people to take a break from their everyday routine and get an experience of visiting a place or just sitting in the arms of nature. Maybe that’ll help them to be a little easy on themselves or find an unexplored version of oneself. 

You being a journalism student, experiential writing is key. What have your learnings from traveling that are helping you in journalism?

One thing I always learn from travelling is to fully explore each and every part of that place and I guess this, in the context of journalism, helps me know each part/angle of every news story before coming to a decision. The other thing is the never giving up attitude. I’ve done one of Maharashtra’s scariest treks and didn’t stop until I reached the destination. And in journalism, you always have to give your best to pass on the best authentic information. I think my ideology in both of these things resembles a lot.

What are your future plans?

I’m not someone who believes in planning a lot as I always try to go with the flow, come what may. Future plans always include travelling (just trying to crack a joke), but I want to become a good journalist first. Journalism is the 4th pillar of our democracy. So, I want people to get authentic and unbiased information. Besides this, cricket is what’s attracting me more these days; especially after the Women’s Premier League. So, I may or may not make a career out of it. (Laughs) In a nutshell, it’s just keep going and doing whatever I love.