What does it mean to be an effective altruist? A fascinating podcast interview has the answer

We are (mostly) happy to help people who are less fortunate than we are, provided it doesn't cost us too much in terms of time, effort, and money.

So how do you account for people who go out of their way to provide succour to those in need, no matter what it costs them in terms of time, effort, and money?

That was the subject of a fascinating Bookworm podcast discussion between host Michael Silverblatt and New Yorker staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar, which I was privileged to listen to recently.

I was so impressed I not only ordered MacFarquhar's book, which focuses on what she calls "effective altruism"; I also urged my students to listen to the interview and submit their impressions in a short article afterwards. "There is no word limit," I told them, "but there are two conditions: You must use your imagination and you must make it interesting to read."

Out of the 30 or so submissions, I found Shreya Roy's write-up to be exceptional, so here it is for your reading pleasure:

LIFE IN THEIR SHOES

Life. What is this life we are living? Have you ever taken a minute out of your life to think about life? By that I mean taking the time out of your busy schedule to think about the lives of others out there and not your own.

SHREYA ROY

Just one minute. That’s all it takes.

Unfortunately we all know the answer to that question. We don’t! And why would we want to think about other people’s lives anyway. We are so busy struggling with our own we never think about what others are going through in life. We complain over and over again. Unfortunately, life isn’t a bed of roses.

There is just one word to define us individuals. Selfish.

Yes, that’s right. We are selfish human beings. All we think about is ‘I’ rather than ‘you’. We always see life from our own perspective rather than someone else’s.

Take a moment to think about what it would be to like to live the life of someone who has never seen her own mother or father. How would her life be different from that of yours? Does she even get 1% of the love that you get? What are her feelings? What goes through her mind every second of the day? Put yourself in her shoes for once.

Fortunately (and unfortunately for some of us), there are certain people in this life who care more about others than about themselves. They care about being effective irrespective of what others think of them. They are extremists in their own way of life and would go to any extent to help the needy, give them the love they deserve. These especially good Samaritans are the focus of Larissa MacFarquhar's first book, Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help.

Strangers Drowning talks about many different kinds of people who have committed themselves to helping others in an extreme way. It’s more to do with "effective altruism", which is so rare to find these days.

And it is these altruists who make a difference in this world. They see things from a different perspective. Why? Because that is what gives them a reason to live. To serve society this way. They feel if they can have the means to buy branded clothes, why can’t they use the same amount of money to save a life? Precisely why MacFarquhar has included in her book the story of an American couple who adopt two children in distress. But then they think: If they can change two lives, why not four? Or ten? They adopt 20. But how do they weigh the needs of unknown children in distress against the needs of the children they already have?

It is interesting that MacFarquhar would never put herself in the category of the people she is writing about. She doesn’t believe in being an altruist herself, precisely why, she says, she became a writer. The fact that she put herself out there to find out more about what drives such people itself is praiseworthy. Not only does MacFarquhar put herself in their shoes but she also tries to explain what true effective altruism is all about.

Strangers Drowning showcases a world of strangers drowning in need and the different ways by which these do-gooders help to make their world a better place.

Moreover, is it right to care for strangers even at the expense of those we are closest to? Strangers Drowning challenges us to think about what we value most, and why.

---
Now that you have read Shreya's well-articulated thoughts on the podcast interview, surely you will want to listen in on that absorbing conversation between Michael Silverblatt and Larissa MacFarquhar? Yes? Just head on over to the Bookworm website — click here.

• To learn more about the gifted host of Bookworm, read this interview. You can also learn what things to avoid when conducting an interview.
• And to learn more about Larissa MacFarquhar, check out this interview in The Guardian.

---

ALSO READ:

• Back in May last year, Shreya Roy had written a post for The Commits Chronicle about why she was glad she was joining Commits. Read her piece here.

• Thank you, Commits, say our MMC students

"I'll drill you, I'll grill you, so that the industry won't kill you"

What makes a journalism professor tick? This short video perhaps provides the answer:

This profile was produced by Commitscions Shristi Thapliyal, Shreesha Ghosh, Meghana Khare, Dona Dey, Soumya Matham, Sneha Rudra, and Sudeshna Bardhan (Class of 2017).

• ALSO READ:

WHY I DO WHAT I DO, or What a joy it is to be a journalist and a journalism teacher!

What you must do to become a journalist

If you love what you do, is it "work"?

Golden words of advice for journalism students

On journalism, Commits students, and the historic Commits-Network 18 tie-up

The world is your oyster...

...when you have the 3 i's: Interest, Initiative, Imagination.

And Sumukh Mehta, a 21-year-old Bangalorean, seems to have the 3 i's by the bucketful.

That's Sumukh on the cover of GQ. What's he doing there, you ask? Read all about it here: Your Resumé Doesn’t Stand A Chance Against This Dude’s Ridiculously Creative One.

Sumukh's story featured prominently on the websites of many news outlets. Here's how it played out on the BBC's site: This graduate made his CV look like GQ magazine — and it worked.

ALSO READ:

• How's this for initiative (Aaqib Javed's story)?

• How to write an e-mail that will get you your dream internship (Commitscion Tia Raina's story)

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MEDIA PLANNER (THANK YOU, COMMITS!)

Poorvi Kothari (Class of 2014) wrote this piece for The Commits Chronicle in June 2016:

Before I joined Commits I had no idea that a role like media planning even existed. But thanks to our classes with Mala Ma’am (Malavika Harita, CEO of Saatchi Focus), I not only learnt a lot about advertising but I also got introduced to some great roles, like those of media planners.

And that’s the beauty of Commits. You can come in without even knowing what you want to do or what you are capable of, but one thing is for sure, you’ll leave with a vision, direction, and goal in life.

POORVI AT HER DESK AT THE GROUPM OFFICE IN BENGALURU.

So what exactly is media planning? When I say I work as a media planner, people usually get a little excited and ask, oh, so you are in the TV industry? To which I politely say no. Then they jump to the next possibility: Oh, so then you are a journalist? To which I again say no. As I start explaining how the advertising world works, they become impatient and ask, oh, so you make ads? I say no, I just plan them. By then, even though they haven’t understood what “plan” means in this context they give up and say, oh, okay, that sounds good. 

So, yes, “media planner” is not a profession that everyone gets right away, like “journalist” or “copywriter”. Let me, therefore, try to put it in simple terms: Imagine a mind-blowing advertisement that never reaches its target audience. What good is the ad then? Media planners ensure that a brand’s ad is served up to the right audience. We are like distributors.

After an ad is created, media planners think of the best ways to reach out to the brand’s target audience (be it print, TV, radio, or digital). This involves a lot of statistical analysis as well as number-crunching. Media budgets are huge, typically in crores of rupees. Using this money to effectively reach out to a million consumers in the target audience is a big challenge.

I could go on about everything that happens in media planning, or at work, or at client meetings where we are grilled for explanations about why we are spending this much on a particular medium/channel/programme/website/newspaper, etc., or what the rationale is behind a particular strategy. We are talking big bucks here so, often, we play the role of lawyers, accountants, strategists, and investment bankers.

POORVI WITH HER TEAM MEMBER, COMMITSCION REYA DUTTA (CLASS OF 2015).

To sum up, media planning is the business side of advertising. It is not all about numbers, though. To me, media planning is a good mix of creativity and ingenuity combined with a knack for identifying key insights about what we refer to as media consumption. What I really love is how beautifully numbers can tell us stories, and the best part is when you are trying to sell a story and your job becomes so much easier because you can do so on the back of some powerful data.

Creative agencies feel proud when their TV commercials are seen on air, but for us it’s satisfying when people say, Hey, did you see that ad? It’s all over the place, man! That’s when I know, okay, I did a decent job there.

• Here are three ads whose media plans were prepared by Poorvi and her team:

When Commitscion Prema Sridevi's Times Now story became the talk of Parliament

Prema Sridevi (Class of 2005) interviews the former Home Secretary...

...and the next day the story is brought up in Parliament.

THE EXCLUSIVES/Prema Sridevi (Class of 2005)

I was able to get the first interview of former IB (Intelligence Bureau) Special Director Rajendra Kumar, who spilled the beans on the Ishrat Jahan controversy. And then I was again able to get the first interview of former Home Secretary GK Pillai in which he told me that the LeT reference was deleted by someone above his level.

The national media followed this story and it was also brought up in Parliament.

On March 1, we once again aired another "First Big Interview" (see below) of the man who signed off on those affidavits. Both the Congress and the BJP held press conferences in New Delhi after this interview.

I am hopeful that after all these revelations there will be a fresh probe into this entire case.

You can watch this exclusive interview by Prema here.

ALSO READ:

• What it means to be a TV news producer-1

• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-1

• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-2

• What it means to be a sub at a TV news channel

• What it takes to be a TV news anchor

• Want to know how to have a successful internship at a TV news channel? Read this post.

Two top-notch TV news bulletins...

...produced by the AVC (Audiovisual Communication) Batch of 2017 were screened at Commits on Friday, March 4.

One of the guests commented after the screening: "I did not expect this quality." But then this is the AVC Batch of 2017, for the first time in Commits history, an all-female AVC batch. They worked so hard to make this day happen — we are all very, very proud of them.

Watch the news bulletins here:

Commits TV-1: Produced by Sreya Chatterjee, Sudeshna Dutta, Sriparna Ghosh, Ria Nag, Ritika B.S., Sahana S., and Moumita Basu

*

Commits TV-2: Produced by Shristi Thapliyal, Shreesha Ghosh, Sneha Rudra, Sudeshna Bardhan, Meghana Khare, Soumya Matham, and Dona Dey

***

Also, MMC (Marketing and Management Communication) students Rima Tandon, Ankita Sarkar, and Abhishek Biswas, who had worked on a documentary together with Debashree Sengupta in January, were very keen to produce a TV news story too. So, over a few days last week, they put together this report on a play being staged in Bengaluru as part of the Deccan Herald Theatre Festival. This is an excellent effort. Congratulations to Rima, Ankita, and Abhishek! Watch their news clip here:

• For details, read The Commits Chronicle, No. 151.

Once a journalist, always a journalist

Commits alumnus Ayushman Baruah (Class of 2008) on why, after a brief stint as a corporate communications professional, he has returned to his first love, journalism:

AYUSHMAN BARUAH

Journalism is unlike any other profession. The great Gabriel Garcia Marquez has gone on record as saying a journalist has the best job in the world. I am in complete agreement. It’s a rare profession in which a salary is immaterial. If I were making enough money through other sources, I would be willing to work as a journalist for free. I can’t think of any other profession that one would be willing to do for free. (Sure, there are exceptions to every rule!)

There is a reason why journalism can be, and most often is, a great profession. And I am talking about good journalism here — that’s the assumption I am making throughout this article. Journalism gives us an outlet to voice our opinions and share it with the larger public. As human beings, we all have an inherent desire to express our feelings and be heard and here is a profession that allows us to do so in a professional way with the added elements of style and context. What more can we ask for?

Journalism also keeps you away — mostly — from the corporate rigmarole of preparing and maintaining unnecessary Excel sheets and PowerPoint slides, and attending routine team meetings, which often don’t serve any good purpose. To me, Excel files and PPTs are good-to-have tools in an MBA class. Beyond that, a waste of time and effort. Journalism, on the contrary, is more real and grounded. You write articles based on first-hand interviews with the people you meet and these pieces have interesting stories to tell, stories that often have an impact on the people, the company, or the issue concerned.

AYUSHMAN BARUAH'S NEW HOME

During my recent short stint as a corporate communications professional with a software company in Bengaluru, I spent most of my time coordinating and following up with regard to routine tasks such as pending payments and approvals for a press release. To make things worse, I had hardly any control over what I wrote or said, which is the norm for a communications employee in the corporate world: Everything has to be first approved by the company and everyone has to follow a process. Nothing wrong with that, one might argue and I might agree, but if you are a journalist at heart, it will prick you; somewhere it pains.

Not surprisingly, I got out of that role to become a journalist once again. Yes, once a journalist always a journalist. I am hoping I will now write more than coordinate, and use more MS Word instead of MS Excel.

• On March 1, Ayushman Baruah joined Business World as Associate Editor. Before becoming a corporate communications professional with a software firm in Bengaluru, Ayushman was Senior Correspondent — Equities with Cogencis Information Services (formerly NewsWire18). He has also worked in senior editorial roles with InformationWeek and The Financial Express. 

ON OCTOBER 4, 2013, AYUSHMAN, WHO WAS THEN THE PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENT OF INFORMATIONWEEK, RECEIVED THE POLESTAR AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM, ARGUABLY THE HIGHEST AWARD AS FAR AS BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY JOURNALISM IS CONCERNED. HE RECEIVED THE AWARD FROM TATA SONS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR R. GOPALAKRISHNAN AND POLARIS CHAIRMAN AND CEO ARUN JAIN AT A CEREMONY AT THE ITC SHERATON PARK HOTEL IN CHENNAI.

• READ Ayushman Baruah's insightful piece on what it takes to be an IT journalist here.

On journalism, Commits students, and the historic Commits-Network 18 tie-up

My brief speech at Expressions 2015, the annual Commits seminar:

• ALSO READ: "WHY I DO WHAT I DO, or What a joy it is to be a journalist and a journalism teacher!"

Media Matters-4: Why we became journalists (First part of a three-part series)

This was published today on the Education Page of Dubai's Khaleej Times:

WHY WE BECAME JOURNALISTS-1

By Ramesh Prabhu

Rajdeep Sardesai became a journalist because, as he noted at a media seminar, no two days are the same in journalism.

Sardesai, one of India’s leading television anchors and a role model for many aspiring journalists, was the chief guest (see photograph), at that seminar in Bangalore a few years ago. His talk was so stimulating that many times during his speech and again at the conclusion he received applause befitting a national celebrity. Those of us in the audience that day were privileged to be able to listen to Sardesai and gain many valuable insights into what it means to be a journalist.

Every year now I play a video recording of Sardesai’s talk in my class (Commits had organised the seminar), and I write this after having just wrapped up a screening for my students. Watching Sardesai in action again led me to ruminate on why young people take up journalism today. Is it the glamour factor? Is it the opportunity to be able to take up an unconventional career in which, as Sardesai put it, no two days are the same? Do young people still consider journalism a noble and honourable profession? A profession that gives them the power to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”, in the immortal words of Finley Peter Dunne? Is that why they become journalists?

“I have always liked telling stories... stories about people,” says Priyali Sur, a producer and anchor with CNN-IBN who is in the U.S. at the moment completing a course on gender violence after having won a Fulbright Humphrey scholarship. “What was more important to me,” she says, “was to talk about people who had been marginalised. Making their voices heard was essential and journalism seemed to be the perfect profession for me.”

Priyali, who holds a master’s degree in mass communication, has worked with Times Now, another leading news channel in India, as well as with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the filmmaker and screenwriter best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. At CNN-IBN, staying true to her aims, Priyali has produced a documentary on dubious cervical vaccine trials in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 2011 as well as a prize-winning investigative programme on minor girls who are trafficked from rural regions of the country and then sold in the cities.

Why did Priyali choose television over print? She believes that pictures can convey a message more powerfully. “For me, going to places, capturing real images of real people, and telling their stories in their voices was crucial,” she says.

While television is a big draw for many young journalists, there are some who prefer print. “I have always loved writing,” says Pinjala Kundu, who works with The Times of India in Mumbai. Pinjala says she had wanted to become a journalist since she was in Class VII, but it was while studying at Commits that she got an opportunity to work as an intern with The Times of India in Kolkata. “I loved working as a reporter,” she says, “and the feeling I got when I received my first byline made me realise that this is what I was meant to do.”

For Pinjala, the most interesting thing about the profession is that journalists are the first to know when an incident occurs. “And it is a privilege to be able to inform the world about it,” she says. “Also, being in the newsroom is so exciting: the hustle-bustle, the hectic discussions. I get to learn something new every day and that is what keeps me going.”

Sherry Jacob-Phillips echoes Pinjala’s comments. She says she became a journalist because she wanted to experience the joy of putting her thoughts into words and seeing her byline in the newspaper the next day. Sherry spent many years with The Times of India in Bangalore before joining Reuters, also in Bangalore.  “The adrenaline rush of news and the satisfaction that comes from knowing we’re making a difference: these are the reasons I go to work every day,” she says.

At The Times, Sherry worked on the general news desk; at Reuters she is a business journalist. She says she may not be making a direct impact on the lives of her investment-focused audience now but she believes she is helping them take life-changing decisions about their investments.

“This profession,” says Sherry, “has taught me one thing for sure: Be true to yourself and your dreams.”

THINK ABOUT IT: “I got addicted. News, particularly daily news, is more addictive than crack cocaine, more addictive than heroin, more addictive than cigarettes. ” ― Dan Rather, American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News

• COMING UP IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF “MEDIA MATTERS”: Why we became journalists-2

·        Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year MA degree course.
·        “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to education@khaleejtimes.com.

* IN THE PHOTOGRAPH: (Clockwise from main picture) Television news icon Rajdeep Sardesai; and Commits alumni Priyali Sur (Class of 2005), Pinjala Kundu (Class of 2011), Sherry Jacob-Phillips (Class of 2007)

• ALSO READ: "There is no job like journalism" (Media Matters-1); "Can anyone become a journalist?" (Media Matters-2); and "What you must do to become a journalist" (Media Matters-3)

Commits alumna and CNN-IBN's docu-blog: How is this for a terrific way to tell a news story?

With the help of some talented journalists, Commits alumna Priyali Sur (Class of 2005), who is a producer-anchor with CNN-IBN in New Delhi, has put together a digital docu-blog on the trafficking of minor girls, who are sold as forced labour and brides in India.

"It's a first attempt at a digital blog with videos and still pictures," Priyali wrote in a Facebook post, "courtesy Anika Gupta and Neil Holt... with help on reporting from Assam by Arijit Sen." Check it out here.

How a Commits student became a Citizen Journalist on CNN-IBN

"THIS IS ANKITA SENGUPTA,
CITIZEN JOURNALIST"

Last month, Commitscion ANKITA SENGUPTA (Class of 2013) featured on CNN-IBN's special episode of the "Citizen Journalist" show. Here Ankita, who works with Deccan Herald in Bangalore, explains how it all happened and describes the experience:

When Commitscion Shylaja Varma (Class of 2012), who is a reporter with CNN-IBN in Bangalore, first asked me if I wanted to be a Citizen Journalist for the news channel, I was obviously thrilled but when she told me that she wanted to cover the molestation story that had appeared in print more than a year ago, my first thought was, "Oh dear. Are we really going to milk that cow again?" The story had been published in The Chronicle and also in Bangalore Mirror. Although I had received a lot of appreciation for the article, I felt it had outlived its importance and did not deserve any more attention.

However, Shy explained to me that to mark the anniversary of the Nirbhaya gang-rape, CNN-IBN was planning a series of shows concentrating on crimes against women and my report would be one of the segments. Now I remember practising my PTCs in front of the mirror when I was at Commits : "This is Ankita Sengupta, reporting for CNN-IBN," but after I opted to join the print media I never thought I would get the opportunity to do a PTC again. So when Shy came up with this offer, I pounced on it.

On the day of the shoot, Shy told me that she wanted the PTC to be conversational in tone so it would be better if I did not mug up my lines. We decided to improvise the "script" so that it felt like I was having a conversation with the camera.

ANKITA SENGUPTA DURING THE SHOOT.

Not having to learn any lines made it a little easier for me. As it is, for my first national television PTC, to be standing in a public space, being gawked at, with the sun in my face and a cameraman waiting to get the perfect shot, the pressure to perform was immense. I could not stare at the camera, ignore the heat and the onlookers, and try to remember what I was supposed to say next. Fortunately, we were able to wrap up the shoot within three hours and, thankfully, both Shy and the cameraman were happy with the day's work.

The next day Shy told me that the CJ team wanted me to be a part of an "online hangout" that would be streamed live on the news channel's website. As luck would have it, the microphone in my laptop had stopped working the previous day and since the hangout could not be postponed, I had to get my hands on another laptop. Desperate, I called up my roommate, rushed to her office to get her cupboard keys, and then, thanks to her laptop, finally managed to be part of the chat.

This particular CJ report was telecast through the week and when I was told that my PTC was quite good, I could not help but be a little smug about it. After all, I did practise it at Commits.

I was working the night shift at Deccan Herald, so a day dedicated to the shoot and another taken up by the hangout meant that I had had less than eight hours' sleep in two days. So I was exhausted but I was also elated. It was a great experience being a Citizen Journalist and being on television for CNN-IBN. And if I do continue to be a print journalist, I will always have this CJ report, my tiny contribution to the broadcast media, to cherish.

However, none of this would have happened had it not been for my dear senior, Shylaja Varma. She has been a "super senior" in every sense of the term. Again, thanks a million, Shy.

• Watch Ankita Sengupta's CJ report here: "Molested on the streets of Bangalore".

How to win an "Ad Pitch"

AVC student NATASHA REGO (Class of 2014), who was a co-editor of the college newspaper, looks back on an eventful semester at Commits that culminated in her group winning the Ad Pitch competition

Not too long after joining Commits one realises that there are two coveted prizes to be won in the second year. Fittingly, these two friendly competitions, which are an interesting way to evaluate our skill, are at the beginning and at the end of the third semester. How you fare in them, I believe, puts into perspective your growth as an audiovisual communication student at Commits.

The first is the contest that is part of Victor Mukherjee’s annual film-making workshop for the AVC students, which my team* (I was the producer, or group leader) lost. The second, for both the AVCs and the MMCs, is the Ad Pitch. This competition, my group** and I proudly won.

ALL DRESSED UP FOR THE "COMPANY CREDENTIALS" FILM SHOOT FOR THE AD PITCH: NATASHA REGO, NEETHU GEORGE, PRAJNA G.R., SAUMYA IYER, AKHILA DAMODARAN, AND RISA MONICA KHARMUTEE. WATCH THE "COMPANY CREDENTIALS" FILM HERE.

The day we picked the chit that revealed our topic for the Ad Pitch, we were very disappointed. To us, it was a very “boring” topic: “You get the government you deserve. Vote”. It was immediately apparent that we had long days of research ahead of us.

In our opinion, the others had more interesting topics to work with. We were quite envious of the groups that got “Have sex. Responsibly”, and “Donate your organs. Why waste them!” We cribbed, but not for long.

Three weeks before D-Day, we began... lethargically. We’d meet every day for several days and tire our brains getting familiar with the Indian electoral system, understanding voting trends, and then formulating ideas to motivate the masses to get off their backsides and participate in this enormous democracy that we belong to. Group member and “Head of Research” Akhila Damodaran would spend time helping us understand relevant laws, challenges in the system, and similar campaigns run in the past. All of this was not an easy task.

The trick lay in figuring out our target audience and carefully defining them. For that, we picked people whom we could easily relate to. We picked ourselves: the youth… urban residents between 18 and 35 years of age. However, Sai Sir explained to us that you don’t talk to an 18-year-old who hasn’t yet begun to understand the magnitude of the right he’s just been handed the same way you would talk to a 35-year-old who has been working and who has had trysts with the system for several years. So with the help of group member and “Head of Client Servicing” Neethu George, we narrowed down our target audience to 18- to 25-year-old registered urban dwellers who are just too lazy to go out and vote (we arrived at this finding through our survey).

One week into preparing for the Ad Pitch, we AVC students had to complete another assignment: submit our “corporate films” for evaluation. Group Saraswathi travelled to Kodagu (Coorg) and spent two days there shooting at the offices of group member Prajna G.R.’s family newspaper, Shakthi, Kodagu’s first Kannada daily. After returning to Bangalore, we scripted, edited, and submitted the film, all in a span of four days. Soon after, we got back to the Ad Pitch, for such is life at Commits: exciting and always on the run.

TAKING A BREAK TO CHECK OUT THE SIGHTS IN KODAGU.

STILL IN KODAGU, HOPPING ON TO A PARKED TRUCK AFTER A LONG DAY'S WORK.

WATCH THE CORPORATE FILM ON SHAKTHI HERE:

All jazzed up from that trip to Kodagu, we decided to train our eyes away from our computer screens for extensive brainstorming sessions. Ideas would float above our heads like brilliantly coloured bubbles… but that was all they were, bubbles which burst almost as soon as they formed.

Eventually, we went from coming up with terribly complex ideas which Sai Sir would roll his eyes at, to ideas that seemed almost plausible. We were also so bad at making Sai Sir understand what we were trying to say, that we acted in and shot our ad films to show him a sample. If Sai Sir hadn't rejected idea after idea, with arguments that only an experienced marketer could come up with, we may never have reached our final concept.

The eventual plan for our ad campaign was not exactly the result of all the knowledge that we had accumulated thus far. It was just one of those bubbles that were floating above group member and “CEO” Saumya Iyer’s head. With little confidence she revealed the idea. At first listen, it was charming. It took me a second to realise the brilliance in its simplicity. And then, our hearts leapt with joy. This bubble did not burst! We had exactly a week by the time we ran it by Sai Sir and were ready to shoot.

Meanwhile, as “Creative Director”, I made the logos for our advertising company “IOTA” and for our ad campaign the “Young Voters Movement”, as well as the posters. Group member and fellow “Creative Director” Risa Monica Kharmutee shot our ad film and wrote our radio ad. And “Media Planner” Prajna gave us solid strategy, complete with teaser, message/tagline, reminder, and acknowledgement to get people out there to vote. We even shot ourselves a company-credentialsvideo.

We discussed almost everything and the results were sharp. And then we practised our pitch at least 20 times. But we were still worried. The MMC groups had a leg up on us with their ability to research and strategise. Plus there was no telling what would come out of the creativity of the other AVC groups.

Finally, D-Day arrived: Saturday, December 7, 2013. With almost a hundred pairs of eyes trained on us, including those of the esteemed judges, we made our pitches.

THE JUDGES PAY RAPT ATTENTION TO THE AD PITCHES AND TO THE "COLLATERAL".

"IOTA" WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THE JUDGES HAD TO SAY... IT WAS ALL GOOD.

The first team to be called was “Pointed Curves” with the topic: “Have sex. Responsibly.” Their pitch had many elements that ours didn’t. We watched, and shivered with fear, as they presented their plans for consumer contact and merchandise. We, on the other hand, hadn’t gone past the basics. Had we not done enough work? At the end of the presentation, though, the judges identified the loopholes in the pitch and picked on them. The group was grilled. The judges were brutal. We watched helplessly.

We happened to be the next group to be called. We strode into the spotlight and made our pitch. When Prajna finished with the final slide, we all gathered together facing the judges, ready to have our pitch shredded to bits. Except, they said we had made quite a “wholesome” presentation and they had no questions. We were stunned. 

We walked quietly out of the auditorium and into the computer lab next door, where we had spent many a day working out this pitch, and screamed, and jumped, and hugged each other.

Even though we knew we had nailed it, we watched on nervously as the remaining six groups made their presentations to the judges. The pitches were elaborate and well thought out. But each groups had to face some tough questions. The judges pointed out the good and bad elements in each pitch.

When the results were announced, frankly, it was no surprise that we had won. I’m not being full of myself by saying this. I’m just proud of the five talented girls I got to work with on this project. It’s because we worked on so many projects together through this semester, each one of us contributing our two cents, making up for one another when emergencies called for it, and becoming best friends at the end of it all, that we were as good as we could be when we made our Ad Pitch.

Sticking to the basics made us the first AVC group in Commits’ history to win the Ad Pitch. And we won by a LARGE margin. So remember, Junior AVCs, you now hold bragging rights for a year, until next year when it’s time for you to make your own pitch. AVCs or MMCs, whether you think you stand a chance or not, give it better than your best.

*Team Turquoise was one of the three teams formed exclusively for Victor's workshop

**Group Saraswathi was one of eight teams that worked together on all the group projects in the third semester

• Read Bilal Hasan's report on the Ad Pitch (and the PR Pitch) here: "PITCH PERFECT".

• ADDITIONAL READING: "What creative advertising really means" (a series by Commits alumni)

What happens when a crusty old journalism teacher takes on Gen-Y?

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ THIS STORY ON THE COMMITS WEBSITE.

The reactions came in almost as soon as people received the link via e-mail.

Here's what my 60-year-old brother-in-law, Praful Patel, who lives in England, had to say:

Hi Ramesh,

I can empathise with Gen-Y, so do agree with most of their comments.

The one that I would disagree with is the traffic behaviour. They do have  a choice of setting out earlier so that they can minimise risk to themselves along the way.  Yes — everyone is young once — but we all want to be able to look back and say that! 

***

And here's the response of a twentysomething management professional, Ankita Maurya, who lives in the U.S. (she is the daughter of a good friend):

You sure are tough on them! Millenials/Gen-Y are getting a really bad rap these days... in the US and in India, too, by the looks of it... a lot of the criticisms are true... but I just think our priorities are shifting... we have seen our parents go through the grind... we are now trying to figure out how to not do that and work smarter!

• Ankita also shared this link to a YouTube video:  

***

My 14-year-old nephew, Vinay Pai, with whom I play squash, echoed Ankita's sentiments. "Your accusations are too harsh," he told me. :-)

***

And senior media professional Pratibha Umashankar had this to say:

Absorbing read! Insightful, too!

***

AND THE COMMENTS KEPT COMING:

Hi Ramesh!

Well, you succeed in holding the interest of youngsters, which is fantastic!

About Point #1, the Internet has loads of stuff by people who mistakenly think they are journalists, and then you have impressionable minds (can’t generalise, though, because there are also the discerning), who take almost everything that’s published there as gospel. Sifting through is an important skill, but what is the baseline? Also, the Internet is filled with a mish-mash of opinion that is passed off as news.

B Surendar

Editorial Director & Associate Publisher

CPI Industry, Dubai

***

Great comebacks, except for No 13. Guilty as charged! Love your students.

I just might steal this idea; in fact, I am wondering if I can actually do that and give Commits the credit. Let me know. If yes, you will have to send the text in Word format.

Patrick Michael, Editor, Khaleej Times, Dubai

• AND ON SEPTEMBER 14 THE CHRONICLE COVER STORY WAS REPRODUCED IN KHALEEJ TIMES ON PAGE 12: 

***

I love it!! Both sides have made their point well. But I love the comeback in No. 4!!!! :))

Nadia Michael (Patrick Michael’s older daughter,

who also lives in Dubai)

***

Loved this! I'm a fan of # 1...!

Nastassia Michael (Patrick Michael’s younger daughter,

who lives in Toronto, Canada)

***

Hi Ramesh,

Fun feature! Who asked us to score higher than Lakshmi aunty's daughter, indeed! However, in solidarity with people of a certain age, I never asked my kids to match the scores of other kids so long as they were achieving their potential and I don't know any crusty journalism teacher. Do you??

Shagorika Easwar

Editor

Desi News

Canada's #1 South Asian Magazine

17th Well-Read Year

CanadaBound Immigrant

New Vision For Newcomers

***

Thanks! Interesting read. The Gen-Y answers do come across as a bit rude and cynical. I wonder if it's the Buddha himself because he or she seems to have understood everything of the human condition and world matters, not just of what relates to this generation, but even the previous ones. And not even one instance of "You're right, and I agree, and this is what we can do to co-operate to achieve betterment together." Which is a bit sad.

There is some cynical anger there, which is fine I guess. It does define this generation. Including me, as you can read ;)

Arjun Chauhan, a twentysomething TV

production professional who lives in Mumbai

***

COMMITS ALUMNI ALSO WEIGHED IN (NOT ALL COMMENTS WERE COMPLIMENTARY, THOUGH):

• From Shreya Dutt (Class of 2010)

Reading The Chronicle cover story I couldn't help but smile. It reminded me of how I used to think even a couple of years ago. But as you evolve in your career and your personal life you learn to distinguish between the idealist answer and what really works for you.

What struck me was the career-goal bit. You will be stretched at work, you will be pushed against the wall sometimes, and you will want to be in a position when you listened even half-heartedly to those who have more years to you on possible situations you will encounter along the way.

If you are to deliver a presentation at the end of the day, your boss will not be interested to know about all the ad hoc work you were given through the day. If you have a wide range of projects that don't hold your interest, complete those projects anyway. You never know when you will need to step up to do that same job you absolutely detested in college. And I assure you there will be many times like that.

The workplace of today is evolving at a rapid rate. Though there is value for people who have defined skill-sets, there is greater value for people who are equipped with multiple skills. If you want to be a copywriter, you should know how print, television, social media, and digital media function. This is applicable to all disciplines in media.

As for sucking it up, I groaned every time I heard the phrase. I groan even today. Only difference is, I know that it is a reality that isn't nice, but, a reality nonetheless. The world doesn't stop if you're unwell, or if you have suffered a personal tragedy. Neither does business.

And as for advice, I am all for learning the hard way, but a little flag-off from time to time never hurt. :)

*** 

• From Sushmita Chatterjee (Class of 2008)

Hahahaha...wow! I loved this. Great going, Ramesh Sir. :)

***

• From Tapasya Mitra Mazumder (Class of 2013)

I am wondering, how did you let that pass under your nose?

The copy's rudeness is quite appalling, but I'm sure your "accusations" won't change a bit in spite of all that rudeness.

What's the point then, may I ask?

***

• From Noyon Jyoti Parasara (Class of 2007)

Fun read, but I am not sure if I would have accepted this as the lead of The Chronicle.

This could be in another designated section. No?

About the answers to your accusations... the cycle goes on. Not all accusations are correct, neither are all answers!

***

• From Sherry-Mary Jacob (Class of 2007)

Wow! What a way to lighten my Tuesday brain. I have saved the link in my drafts folder. The next time my dad lashes out at us with his favourite emotional dialogue, I know where to fetch my answers from. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it, Ramesh Sir. :)

Thanks!

***

• Faye D'Souza (Class of 2004) shared a link to a Huffington Post article on my Facebook wall with this comment: "This answers a lot of the questions you've been asking."

After reading the piece, I commented on Facebook:

I was especially struck by the soundness of this comment:

"Gen Y has 'unrealistic expectations and a strong resistance toward accepting negative feedback,' and 'an inflated view of oneself.'

"[Paul Harvey, a University of New Hampshire professor] says that 'a great source of frustration for people with a strong sense of entitlement is unmet expectations. They often feel entitled to a level of respect and rewards that aren't in line with their actual ability and effort levels, and so they might not get the level of respect and rewards they are expecting."

And I also wrote that I agree 100% with the advice provided at the end of the article: 

1) Stay wildly ambitious. The current world is bubbling with opportunity for an ambitious person to find flowery, fulfilling success. The specific direction may be unclear, but it'll work itself out — just dive in somewhere. 

2) Stop thinking that you're special. The fact is, right now, you're not special. You're another completely inexperienced young person who doesn't have all that much to offer yet. You can become special by working really hard for a long time.

3) Ignore everyone else. Other people's grass seeming greener is no new concept, but in today's image crafting world, other people's grass looks like a glorious meadow. The truth is that everyone else is just as indecisive, self-doubting, and frustrated as you are, and if you just do your thing, you'll never have any reason to envy others. 

Afterwards, I wrote to some young people I know, asking them if they thought that this advice is helpful for those who are about to begin a career.

Here is the response I received from Ankita Maurya's younger sister, Shweta, who is a college student in the U.S.:

Ankita and I were just talking about this article a few days ago! I think the first two points are meaningful to me. Just because reality does not meet my expectations doesn't mean I should lessen my ambitions — I still want to aim high!

But the reality of not being as special as we think is important — I know that my friends and I have left school with inflated images of how unique each of us are. It's not just that we think we are unique, but we think that we can skip hard work and immediately obtain our dreams once the world learns about our uniqueness — as if these things will be handed to us because we are as special as we believe.

The second point is a good reminder that we must still earn our place in the world and at work and leads back to the first point: stay ambitious.

And there were comments by Commits students, too.

• From Sneha K. (Class of 2014)

That was some pretty awesome advice! Especially, "to dive in somewhere."
Just what I needed to hear today!

Thank you. As always. :)

• From Diyotima Sinha Roy (Class of 2014)

I agree with the second point. You are not special; you have to work and gain experience to be special! :)