The invisible co-authors
A journalist reflects on the often-unseen assistance provided by strangers and officials that enables reporting in difficult conditions. The piece recounts experiences in the Himalayas and the Chambal ravines to illustrate how external help is essential to meeting professional deadlines.
Why it matters
It offers a humanizing perspective on the logistical challenges of field journalism and the reliance on community support.
Journalism rewards preparation. But every reporter eventually learns that preparation alone is not always enough. Some stories survive because, at the exact moment things begin to fall apart, someone with no stake in the story decides that they will not let you fail.
End of last month, I was travelling to Om Parvat, situated over 18,000 feet above sea level, in Uttarakhand for a story. Days of rain had left the mountain roads unstable. Near Malpa, remembered for the devastating 1998 landslide that killed at least 60 Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims, villagers say even a brief spell of rain can send rocks crashing down.
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