Back in December 2015, when I was in my second year of college, I stumbled upon a winter internship that was being offered by Youth Ki Awaaz. I knew I had found an opening for a serious, dedicated, exciting association, which would pave the way for more such opportunities in the future. I had applied for the internship immediately after seeing the notice and prayed that I would get selected.
I wanted to be an intern so badly – YKA had so much to offer. It was youth-oriented; had ambitious people forming the core team; the areas YKA worked on were the ones I wanted to get exposure to; and really, who wouldn’t want to work for an organisation that changed the whole look of citizen journalism?
I saw YKA as having provided that much-needed platform to different communities to discuss matters that were not being debated upon. It gave people the freedom to write on multiple topics, create awareness and reach out to million others, and bring about some desirable changes. It drew a roadmap to freedom of speech and expression; something that in the given political scenario, was extremely crucial. But much to my disappointment, I did not get a call-back for the internship. I would not lie by saying I was not extremely unhappy. But I decided to give it another try for any other internship opening they would have later on, and not be discouraged by this instance.
And so I waited for more such notices. After a few months, in June 2016, I got a call from YKA, asking if I would be interested in working as a Campus writer, on a full-time basis (and not just for a few months!). I knew then that my relationship with YKA would be the most enriching and captivating. And I was not wrong – Campus Watch gave me multiple opportunities to share my thoughts, ideas, and apprehensions on several campus-related issues.
Being a part of Campus Watch has helped me sharpen my writing and research skills. It allowed me to speak to people on topics that mattered; to attend events not just for my self, but to also share it with others. It gave me wonderful role models to look up to – my editor, Azra Qaisar, being one. She kept me grounded, well-versed in events that were taking place on campuses, and made sure my articles were fine-tuned before they reached the readers. Those who have worked under editors know how important it is to find one who complements one’s efforts, and I have been extremely lucky for having found one for myself.
What Campus Watch also gave me were the outlets I needed during moments of great emotional imbalance, as the February incident in 2017, when Ramjas College saw unchecked violence owing to the presence of so-called “anti-national elements.” Although I did so anonymously, I had never before experienced such satisfaction – of having channeled my anger in the right direction, of having communicated those feelings and thoughts, and of having played a more significant role than simply being a recipient of mindless violence.
The most important thing that YKA taught me, which I wish to pass on, is the unfailing desire that young people, especially students, must have to share their stories; to not allow someone else outside of the group to speak their truth louder than they do themselves, to not let others define them, to not see any hiccup as the end-line, but to be angry enough to do some damage to sources of oppression, instead. The written and spoken word is extremely powerful, and since the platform is already in place where debates can be started, the only thing that remains is to come to the forefront and initiate them.
As I reach the end of my two-year association with Campus Watch, I look back to the very first article I wrote (which was actually the one on the basis of which I was finally selected, and which required more than three attempts to sound just right!), and my last one. I have come a long way since then, and I cannot help but marvel at the way this experience changed and shaped me.
I know for a fact that my relationship with YKA has not fully ended, and it never will as long as I have stories to tell and people to share it with. But I also know that this would be one chapter I would look back with great fondness, even when I am 90-years-old, and sitting beside an open window with a glass of Nutella shake and a book in my hand.