Scholar-Journalist of the Week: Soaring inflation in India becoming a major worry in most households

Ashita Goel is a second-year student pursuing Bachelors of Journalism and Mass Communication from Apeejay Stya University. She chose to pursue journalism in order to seize the chance to promote numerous unheard voices in the nation. The budding writer and journalist aspires to bring a change by engaging in conversation with the underprivileged section of the society and knowing about their concerns. “I would do anything in my power to reach out to them,” she added. In this interview, Ashita highlights what inspired her to write on the topic: ‘Soaring inflation in India becoming a major worry in most households’. She further explains about her writing journey and aspiration to work in the mainstream media.

Are you inclined towards writing? When did you start your writing journey? 

Yes, I am inclined towards writing. I started my writing journey when I was 15-year-old. Even my two poems are published in Children’s World Magazine – one of the oldest magazines for children founded by K. Shankar Pillai, a well known cartoonist. It’s a forum for writings by children, budding as well as established authors.

What kind of articles/books do you enjoy writing and reading? 

I am not an avid reader. I started reading books when I entered college. I do read a lot of articles, though, particularly news articles. I enjoy comparing news article’s data from different websites and reading opinions on hot-button issues written by renowned writers and politicians.

Which was the last book that you read? Any favourite author?

I am currently reading “Everybody Loves a Good Drought” by P. Sainath.

Your article ‘Soaring inflation in India becoming a major worry in most households‘ has received great views on our platform. What inspired you to write on this topic?

It’s a wonderful feeling that my piece of writing received such positive feedback. Actually, I was given the task of filming  vox pops and I decided to focus on price inflation. After talking to a lot of people, I learned that it has significantly impacted the local community. So, I decided to write an article about it after conducting research and discovering reliable information.

You have stated a lot of facts and examples in your article. How much time did you spend on research to write on this topic?

After conducting thorough research, it took me two to three hours to compile this article. My major goal was to gather as much data as I could to support the arguments I made in my essay. I believe that only when an article has the necessary in-depth factual knowledge, it is considered to be excellent enough.

Tell us about the other articles that you have written and why?

I’ve written a lot of articles in the last few days. Some of them are: 

In Madhya Pradesh, a tribal atrocity occurred. I wrote about the topic, exposing the rise in tribal atrocities across the nation. I also wrote about how the monsoon has an impact on the kharif cropping season and effects of the same on farmer’s lives. 

Another one was a report on the ongoing catastrophes because of SpiceJet Airlines. I conducted deep research on this topic. I chose these topics because after reading these events, I realised that I should write about them.

You had also written an event report on: Talking news with Nidhi Razdan, for Apeejay Newsroom. Are you inclined more towards reporting or writing and why?

I am inclined for both reporting and writing. I like conducting my own research and writing. Reporting gives me a chance to interact with various people and writing helps me present my ideologies in the form of words. I am undertaking an internship right now with the Media India Group. I communicate with individuals, learn about their opinion, ask them questions and then compile an article after deciding on a narrative.

What does writing mean to you? What are the key learnings from writing?

I feel that writing is an art to pen down your ideologies in the form of words. It’s one of the best ways to share your perspective with the public.

The more I write, it helps in enhancing my knowledge and vocabulary, and this is one of the main lessons I learned from writing. I have seen improvements in my articles and reports. Therefore, I can attest to this directly. I continue to gain new knowledge every day. I feel that clarity of ideas and strong critical thinking abilities are essential for providing relevant facts.

Being a journalism student, how do you work towards improving your writing as well as storytelling skills?

As a journalism student, I constantly strive to read more articles and reports in order to sharpen both my writing and narrative abilities. I make an effort to comprehend various writing styles to learn how to write in different aspects. Like, there is a different way of writing in news articles and a varied way to write for travel magazines. I also read out loud newspaper articles in front of the mirror to improve my public speaking abilities.

Do you aspire to work in the mainstream media industry? What is your plan after completing your education from Apeejay?

Yes, I aspire to work in the mainstream media industry as the work there attracts me. Undoubtedly, it’s a 24*7 job, where news forecasts are constantly happening. One may also not have holidays but I enjoy doing it. After completing my education from Apeejay, I have a plan to go for my post-graduation; I may pursue it in India or abroad. Rest is destiny! So I’ll accept whatever my fate has in store for me.