Sandeep Narayan: My Tryst With Snakes at Dhenkanal
Son of an Indian Foreign Service officer, Iran-born Sandeep Narayan spent his childhood in New York, Colombo and Port of Spain (in Trinidad and Tobago). He went to Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, for a postgraduate diploma in journalism. Currently, a sports journalist with a Delhi-based newspaper, he talks about his stint at the hilly town in Orissa.
When I got an admission offer from IIMC Dhenkanal, I won’t deny being scared. But dad said if I wanted to do journalism, I should go because the course is the same as at IIMC Delhi.
I went to the Nizamuddin Railway Station to buy a ticket. But the station master had no clue where this place was. He checked his book and … soon I (with my dad) was on the Hirakud Express, the only direct train from Delhi to Dhenkanal.
Once there, initially, to my metro-city-eyes, everything looked like a village, though it was developed, infrastructure-wise and amenities-wise. With about 50,000 to 60,000 residents, it’s a calmer town, relatively well off than other parts of the state. What took me aback was its scenic landscape. An odd snake or strange insect would creep into the hostel. While shuttling between the academic block and our residence, we would sometimes spot one of these reptiles. After a while, we got used to such sights.
The institute and hostels were good. I have no regrets of deciding to study there. We spent most of our time in classes and the hostel. You are away from the politics of Delhi, so you focus so much on your coursework. Apart from academics, there was nothing to do there. The nightlife was non-existent. Roads were deserted after 9 pm.
After all, (the location) made no difference. It was just an eight-month course. Right after, I got an internship in a Delhi paper and a job 10 days into my internship.
Author: Rahat Bano
Date: 30th June, 2010
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