In my own words
On the 6th of July, 2013, when Samsung employee David Eun tweeted a picture of his Asiana Airlines plane minutes after it crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport in California, I was among the thousands around the world who retweeted his post within minutes.
His tweets sparked off a debate over whether traditional journalism could survive, let alone compete, in a world where technology was so rapidly, and yet effortlessly, turning it redundant. Among the many was New York brand strategist Peter Spear, who tweeted: "How does any org 'compete' when "I just crash landed at SFO" tweet from someone I've never met finds me in 15 mins". My reply:
"Join forces." Media will always evolve and adapt to survive. Immediacy in any form can never truly replace journalism.
Throughout my career I have found a trustworthy friend in technology, leaning on the many tools it has provided over the years to tell the stories I have borne witness to. From the simple notebook, pen and Kodak Kroma camera that helped me tell the story of the deadly impact of uranium mining in Jadugoda, India, to live-tweeting, blogging and reporting for television from Tahrir Square as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak relinquished office in February 2011, technology's tools have been an able and reliable ally.
Exploring new ways to connect with my audience, I co-founded South Asia's first podcasting app, seeking to serve the best of global and local audio content to a South Asian audience through their mobile phones.
Recognising the tremendous potential of immersive, interactive storytelling formats through a range of platforms - from 360 videos to virtual and mixed reality content - I set up the first Digital Innovation Lab in a South Asian newsroom, at WION. This led to an ICFJ-Google Fellowship, during which I helped leading Indian newsrooms adopt immersive interactive digital formats, tools and workflows for 360 video, augmented reality and virtual reality storytelling. My mission was to help newsrooms and journalists connect better as storytellers with an audience that's increasingly digital and mobile.
In my search for newer, technology-driven tools to be a more engaging storyteller, I added data journalism and web development to my portfolio.
Feel free to reach me through any of the options in the Connect section.
