A Warrior of Truth: Aparna Bose Shares Insights into Her Passion for Journalism

• Aparna Bose focuses on telling stories that can genuinely benefit marginalized communities and influence policymakers, rather than just seeking sensationalism.
• She highlights the profound insights gained from direct interaction with people on the ground.
• Bose believes in the power of responsible journalism to influence positive change without inflaming situations.
• She believes that younger journalists are not only bringing fresh perspectives and innovative reporting styles.

1. What was your childhood like, and how did it inspire you to become a journalist? 

My childhood definitely shaped what I do now. Growing up, my grandfather was a police officer in West Bengal. I’m from a really small town, Alipur Dwar, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal, right on the India-Bhutan border.

I lived there for about 15 to 17 years, and I used to hear all these stories from my grandfather. They had migrated from Bangladesh to India around 1945-1946, so he’d tell me about what they went through, stories of history, and also what his experiences were like as a police officer, the challenges he faced. I was always so engrossed in these stories. Plus, academically, I was really into history.

Now, coming from a small town, we never really saw much future in journalism studies. It’s just not that popular there. You don’t often see national media journalists coming from small towns; they’d say it’s a risky job. But then, one of my cousin sisters was studying journalism, and she was interning with the Indian Express back in 2007. When she came home and shared her experiences, that’s when I got inspired. I thought, “Okay, this is something I can consider.” It felt like a way to do the kind of work I’d always wanted to do, connecting with those stories I heard from my grandfather at home. So, I think that was the most important thing that drove me towards journalism back then.

2. What does a typical day in your life look like? And what’s the most favourite part for you in it?

My day usually kicks off with me waking up, and then it’s a bit of a rush to get ready for work. I quickly go through whatever the morning news is, maybe glance at the daily newspaper. Then it’s breakfast time, and I grab my tiffin. Oh, and I can’t forget my cat! I give him his food before heading out the door.

Work usually wraps up around 3 or 4 since I’m out in the field every day. Once I’m back home, I dive into stories, planning out what to pursue next, what kind of stories to dig into. And if there are any pending ones, I’ll tackle those too.

That’s pretty much my usual day. Most of the time, I’ve got some kind of deadline hanging over my head. Like, maybe I have something due in two days, or three days later, there’s another one. It just keeps going like that. Work never really stops, I think. It’s always happening. Even when there isn’t a specific story, there’s always that feeling that I need to be searching for stories, looking for something. What’s next? What can I do? What angles are people missing? What can I pick up and bring to light? That’s just how it is. Work truly never stops, especially with the on-field stuff. There’s no real start or end to it. 

3. In your body of work, you have worked a lot in the field. And with that, you have covered a lot of grassroots local elections. How has your experience been? And what are the challenges that you face during this time while covering grassroots elections?

My experience covering grassroots elections has been incredibly vast, with a lot of variations. I always focus on the rural areas and marginalized communities because there are so many stories to tell from those places—stories that often go unnoticed.

One of the constant challenges in reporting, especially on sensitive cases, is access, both to people and places. In the 2022 Lakhimpur Kheri case, where two Dalit sisters were allegedly raped and murdered, the area was under heavy security, and the family had completely cut off communication, refusing calls from all media. I spent days trying to find a way to reach them. Eventually, I learnt about a student group planning a peace march to the village. I contacted someone from their Delhi unit, traced their UP members, and requested their help. During the march, one of them connected me to the victims’ brother over a phone call. It took quiet persistence and careful navigation, but that’s often what stories like these demand.

Another example that I am reminded of is that during the 2024 Assembly elections, we went to Jammu and visited a place called Arnia, right at the international border. When we spoke to the people there, focusing on how local issues impact elections and the voting process, the first thing they told us was that they were seeing media, press people, for the very first time in their village. And if you walk through the lanes of Arnia, every single house has shelling marks. They carry a significant burden simply by being in that geographical location.

Overall, if I talk about challenges, I’d say it’s about maintaining balance. Not “monkey balancing,” but genuinely striving for balance. If I’m discussing a problem, it’s crucial to get the government’s stand or the official perspective. At Press Trust of India, we always have to back up our stories with facts and figures; we can’t just write anything.

Honestly, apart from that, I haven’t faced any major challenges. I’ve had so much fun and truly enjoyed covering these places. I love interacting with people on the ground—it’s something I genuinely love doing. I don’t see a “challenge” aspect in this kind of work. It’s nice to know that.

4. As a person who works in media, how far do you think the media has been able to bring about peacebuilding in terms of dealing with stories of conflict across different genres?

I cannot speak for other media houses. Because they have their way of reporting, but I can speak for myself.

Whenever I’ve reported stories, my main focus has always been to ensure the situation doesn’t inflame or exaggerate further. Especially when covering conflict areas like farmers’ protests or communal violence sites. But my core goal is always that things shouldn’t escalate.

Instead, my perspective is to craft stories in a way that puts the thoughts into the minds of the government, the authorities, the policymakers, whoever is responsible for addressing the situation. The media isn’t directly responsible for bringing peace to these areas; others are. I believe the media’s job is to report in such a manner that we also take up the issue, talking about it very sensitively and cautiously. We have this power, you see, either to inflame a situation or to simply keep it informative. And that’s exactly where I focus when I’m reporting these kinds of stories.  

5. What is the most inspiring or fulfilling part of your career? What brings you the most joy in your career?

I love covering human interest stories, but I also really enjoyed covering the border areas. I understand the sensitive nature when it comes to covering such stories. We always have to keep several things in mind. But at the same time, while we’re on the ground and talking to people, it’s not always just emotional talk; we also share a lot of fun times. I have spent a considerable amount of time with refugee children.

Whenever I’ve gone to the ground and interacted with people, I’ve had certain moments that are still etched in my mind. And I can’t really say any one particular joyful moment. But, yes, there have been many moments where I have travelled with people from marginalized communities and slums. They show us a different perspective, a different way of dealing with problems. Whenever we interact, we are comfortable and have meaningful conversations.

6. How do you stay grounded in your career, given the sensitive places that you work and the things that you do cover?

I have chosen platforms that keep me grounded. I was a TV journalist for six and a half years, and then I moved to Press Trust of India, where most of my reports are always anonymous. And I chose that because I think Press Trust of India is a great platform to do such stories. Reporting sensitive stories also keeps me grounded. Apart from that, I have a really good support system–my parents, cat, and friends who keep me grounded. 

7. How difficult is it to travel and cover stories as a female journalist? Has the landscape changed to be more accommodating to women?

Toilets and sanitary issues are definitely the most important aspect for me when I travel. Over time, I don’t really feel fearful in those situations anymore. Initially, when I started out and all these things were new, I was a little scared. I used to rely a lot on my video journalist and my drivers. I’d be really cautious about where I was going or if I was stepping out alone in some rural area.

But other than that, I think it’s not that the situation itself improved. It’s more like women just adapt to the situation. We condition ourselves to handle it. Because every time I’ve traveled, especially during elections, I’ve always thought, “Yes, there are safety aspects,” but I’ve always relied on my office and my team. I think Press Trust of India is a really great organization when it comes to travel and safety because they really take care of that. If we show any concern, they take it very seriously and always address it.

Secondly, I’d say we’re never forced by the office to go anywhere. If there’s a sensitive area, they’ll ask, but honestly, before my editor even asks, I’m usually jumping in to say I want to go there. So, that situation where they’d ask if I really want to go never really comes up because I’m always ready for those places.

But yes, sanitary issues and toilets have been really challenging. I even ended up in the hospital in 2022, I remember, because of a UTI. That happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and washrooms were locked everywhere, especially women’s washrooms. Even now, when COVID isn’t as prevalent, when we travel outdoors in an urban city like New Delhi, we still see women’s washrooms locked most of the time. It’s quite challenging. Sanitary issues are a problem in rural areas because there’s a lack of access to shops or medical facilities.

When I travel, I have my crew with me – my camera person, my driver. And honestly, they’ve always been very supportive. They’ve always considered my comfort in these aspects, especially since I’m a woman. They’ve been very respectful and considerate of these situations.

8. How has your experience as a ground journalist transformed you as a person on a very personal level? How has it shaped your personal opinion or your perspective on life?

The human interest stories I’ve done, especially those from slum areas and focusing on marginalized communities and social injustice, each and every one has played a significant part in shaping my perspective. It wasn’t an overnight change, or even in a single year; it’s been the last three years of covering these kinds of stories extensively that have truly impacted me.

Before I started this work, I used to see things very differently, perhaps not with the same layered understanding I have now. But after covering these sorts of stories, when I go to a place like a slum area or a landfill site, I don’t just jump into the story because I have good content. I really put a lot of thought into it. I think about how to craft the story and, importantly, how it will benefit the people I’m featuring. I try to deeply understand their perspective and problems. When I’m in a landfill site or slum area, I’ll speak to at least 50 to 60 people, and they’ll come up with all sorts of problems. Then, I have to sit down and figure out which problem is truly impacting them, and which is the “lowest hanging fruit” I can tackle and bring to the policymakers.

I’m really, really grateful for the kinds of stories I’ve been able to cover and the people I’ve interacted with on the ground so far.

9. Is there a book that you would like to share with us that has shaped you or that has left a mark in your personal journey, experience as a journalist? 

I actually get a bit stumped when people ask about just one book. It’s tough to pick and choose! But I can say that the kind of books I read, the genres I really enjoy, have definitely made a big difference in both my work and my life.

There’s this one book that I think is super interesting and honestly, pretty underrated. It’s a self-help book called The Reluctant Family Man by Neelima Chitrapekar. Now, I’m not a super religious person, but the way she’s written it is just brilliant. She takes these mythological stories, like the ones about Lord Shiva and how he functioned, and she shows how those ancient aspects can actually be applied to your real life. Whether it’s about meditation, or how Lord Shiva stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his wife Parvati, showing equality to society—it’s all in there.

Honestly, that book has truly impacted me a lot. I’ve read it, I think, more than seven or eight times so far. So yeah, there are a lot of books, but if I absolutely have to name just one, it would be this one. It’s underrated, for sure, but for me, it’s been incredibly impactful. And personally, as someone who loves mythology, I think it’s definitely one I’d go back and read again.

10. What advice would you give to students who are looking forward to becoming journalists or are like newly aspiring journalists?

My advice, not just to students, but to young journalists, would absolutely be to focus on impact-driven journalism, not spotlight-driven journalism. We’ve seen spotlight-driven journalism on so many aspects, and we’ve seen the results.

So, choose your platforms very wisely. And always, always ask questions. Be curious about everything. As journalists, we are truly supposed to keep asking questions—the right ones, the hard ones. I do have a lot of expectations for the new journalists, or maybe the students. I think they will do well going forward.

11. How do you personally choose what stories you want to pursue?

There’s really no particular plan when it comes to stories because, let’s be honest, stories never work as planned. It’s always more like if I’m talking to one particular leader, or maybe I’m doing an interview-based story, I’ll then think about how to interlink that with another issue, and how that particular interview could benefit from some other aspect.

If you talk about planning stories, I think as an environmental journalist and a journalist covering social issues, I also look at what’s coming next. I don’t just focus on pollution in the winter; I always focus on pollution throughout the year. If there’s any important story, I always try to maintain momentum by revisiting it with a different angle again and again over two or three months. That way, there’s some focus on the issue, and it gets highlighted with the policymakers, the people responsible, and the authorities.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t say there’s any specific way of planning, but I do focus on choosing human interest stories. I focus on stories involving social injustice, slum areas, rural areas, and rural problems.

Because I’ve covered so much from the ground, I think I can really do that well. I can put forth their emotions, the problems they talk about. I’ve felt it’s not just my perspective; it’s their opinion too. 

12. Do you think today’s journalists, like the newer journalists, face different or more unique challenges in comparison to those of older generations?

It’s interesting to see how the new, budding generation of journalists approaches stories. They definitely have a different perspective and way of doing things. I’m still rooted in an old-school style of journalism, and I believe that impact-driven journalism is truly effective. 

But these days, even with their own way of presenting stories, I’ve seen some incredible things. Like that DU student who did raw footage from Wazirpur Slum – just recording it as it was, no background music, no text on the video, and putting the report out there on social media. I absolutely loved it. I shared it, I praised it everywhere on my social media.

I think budding journalists these days, the younger generation, really understand where things have been going wrong. If I don’t go into the specific aspects, I think most of them, if not all, are very sensible. They get how issues should be taken up, and they’re also incredibly keen on learning.

The way we’ve done journalism – relentlessly working day and night, skipping food, skipping sleep – this new generation of journalists is teaching me something important. Apart from work, you should also maintain a work-life balance. Because maintaining that aspect and focusing on that will help you move forward with better stories, keeping you energized, calm, and composed when you write, and basically maintain your sanity.

Initially, when I heard these opinions from new journalists, I used to get a bit rattled, to be honest. But gradually, I’ve also come to understand that they have a different perspective to offer.

Aparna Bose’s journey in journalism shows the power of authentic storytelling and her dedication to the marginalized. From her childhood inspiration rooted in family narratives to her extensive on-ground reporting, she is committed to impact over the spotlight. Her work has profoundly shaped her personal perspective, fostering a deeper understanding of societal issues and a commitment to ensuring her stories benefit the communities they represent. Her journey offers insights into the evolving landscape of journalism, emphasizing the importance of empathy, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of truth for the voiceless.