chilling reporting

It was 10 am when i received call from my editor informing me about bus accident in Lamperi. I thought i will do desk job but he asked me to get the information by actually being there at the accident spot and challenging ma career! "Your career depends on this coverage, if you can then you are in or else" he said.!!!! (At first i thought that's not fair then i realised it is one way to prove i can do it under any circumstances)
I immediately jumped from my so called executive chair and took Pema with me. My whole mind was chanting i don't miss any important piece of information. Trying to find network in the middle of the highway was not as easy so that i can inform office on the casualty and upload breaking news online.
As we drove recklessly to reach the spot on time my head began to spin, ultimately i realised i came without having breakfast. I immediately open my bag n saw nothing but flakes of "zaw" inside my bag that came out of torn plastic (i brought one packet of zaw the other day). I picked every bit and pieces and munched. (Everyone in the car started laughing and commented my little mouth is never at peace) hahahah :P
After half an hour later, we found ourselves at the spot.
The first sight i witnessed was police personnel trying to pull something out of steep forest, i assumed it might be a bus. I ran immediately to capture the in action of brave rescue team.
When i was there at the exact location of accident, i was shocked to see they were actually pulling out the dead bodies. I became numb and didn't know where to head, what to do and what to say!! It took me few seconds to be back to normal stage when i partially heard few officers announcing number of deaths. I jotted down immediately and messaged my editor. I kept running up and down when ever group of officers gathered to talk about the accident as i hoped to retrieve little bit of extra information.
They continued pulling the dead bodies, which was below 519 ft down the road. Families waited impatiently to identify the body wishing let not one be theirs. As each body was brought on the roadside, relatives mobbed towards the body and police were trying to shoo them. When i looked around, i saw everyone was shivering with cold yet very helpful. Someone suddenly receives a call informing another female died in the hospital adding nine death by then. What was more hurting was to witness a child below eight years lying dead on the tarpaulin. I weep as their family began to cry that completely weakened my confidence in reporting, then next i was more sad when a pregnant woman body was pulled out. I have never witnessed such a tragedy before in my entire life.
About five hours later, all the bodies were pulled out. The relatives gave huge cry. It was heartening to watch someone crying for they lost their loved ones. A tall young looking man came running and burst into cascade of tears crying out "How am i going to live without my wife and my baby hasn't even seen this world" I almost broke down looking at his face, tears started running down my cheek. (I badly wanted someone to hold my tears back atm) Another in her mid 30 came shouting "Where is my sister" and crushed on the ground when her sister lay down on the tarpaulin still. Seven-year-old boy father nearly went off the road when he couldn't control his bike as he saw his son dead and half of his leg outside the piece of cloth.
(I stood like a fool and i forgot i was there to report) then i hated my job for a second. When everyone was busy helping each other me, my colleague and photographer were worried we don't miss out any important information. My heart became heartless and i went hungry for how many more died at the hospital and the causes of the accident? Not even bothered to know how poor driver and his assistant would be going through instead kept asking was it their fault?

Then few police and army personnel helped in wrapping the body and put them inside the DCM. Public people were running away whispering "Lets run else police will ask us to lift the body." This only say no empathy was seen in the atmosphere but a mere sympathy just as equal to watching a drama but i was also not doing anything does that mean i belong to same category?. Then the bodies were taken to mortuary and family headed to hospital to claim the body.

On the way back i was thinking am i supposed to write the accident occurred because of driver's negligence? RSTA was not vigilant to nab driver carrying extra passengers? mechanic failure? or should i blame police?

Finally my reporting would be about how many died, how it happened and who is responsible. As usual i had to blame driver for carrying extra passengers and inexperience driving for it was only three months he drove that bus. The article was published, everyone read and controversy started who is responsible.

But it still haunts my mind about that tragedy and still clearly remembers the old woman wearing "seshu" kira lying down holding her tego tightly.

To add some humour, in the middle of tragedy it was also funny to watch commuters running after sun direction for they needed to warm themselves. After awhile i could see them about half Km away from the spot......i can still remember someone in black gho with his red monkey hat standing at the edge of road basking under partial sun shivering.

The only thing i learned from that incident is "life is unpredictable" and i keep thinking what would have 36-week old infant knew about death?

reporting crime story

Reporting on crime is not as easy as i thought it would be. "how did incident took place, when. where and waiting for why from police source", is all i thought i've to do while reporting crime but it was more than that. The most important, i've learnt is while reporting on crime, i should be critical and as well as smart enough to ask policeman as much question i can, if i have to give good crime story but without hurting sentimental of families.
The next, i learnt was to be strong and never ever get emotionally involved, where i shaded dead dropped tears while reporting on a young gal suicide near expressway leaving me despair n affecting my story. That was the day when i decided, i would never go to suicide spot or accident spot neither murder spot, it really makes u bent on your knees!!! (But who cares about what i decide) so, probably tomorrow i might be in a accident spot reporting, so u see reporter don't really have choices :)
The most important and foremost is know your source and keep your source with you. Be it chuma or SP, good relation is very vital and this is why i say i've few officers whom i know well. BUT usually it is misinterpreted we have an affairs.....If i have to get information, we need to smile, talk and give a gud hearty joke...(in a second thought, if i m informing people with accurate details then i don't mind in smiling and laughing with police source!!
We are often told, or should i say discriminated as a woman who can decieve policeman and collect information. I don't understand what judgemantal man wants to create here, but i say if you have good speaking skills, decency, patience and most important maintain your professional relation then everything will be fine!!
To write bits on patience, you need it because out of many sources, police takes longer time to be intervieweed than anyone in the ministry. They talk and talk and talk only to find, they refuse to give full information in the end :P but in my case everyone has been very good, although at times i face problem influencing them LOL...
There are those statistics, which they never share because it is sensitive for country, then are ppl not viable for right to information? (ANYWAY NONE OF MY BUSINESS) :)
But this is something to think about and how i wish they would let us access through any data with any police or head officers.
Reporting on crime, i have learnt lot on laws, procedures, prison terms, crime name, technic words and list goes on.
The most hardest part in reporting crime is when confused whether to give details of deceased person, murderer, con man, buglar or any kind of suspects. If i mention it is against my journalism ethics because they deserve every right to hide thier identity until court proves them guilty but if i don't i m usually critised by critics for not mentioning their name??? And now i decided, i will go according to what i thinkis is right, which means i m avoiding critics and staying with the right of a person!!!
You often gets abused because of reporting and is often literally struck with criticism becuz you dont report on the incident, crime is one crazy reporting. "What i feel worse is our mind gets stuck with word dead, which means if someone dies then only it is story for us" else who cares.
But i have always enjoyed reporting on crimes but i m thinking how far can i go on reporting and making fun of death, reporting on suspect, who might have done under compulsion and those teenage burglar, they might have stole to fill their stomach.
Visiting center jail was one great experience i had in my life, knowing and talking with convicts, it did touch my heart....but other than feeling sorry i cannot do anything.
if i want i have so many things to jot down but dont wanna bore people, so i can only say i am having fun doing crime reporting :P and happy i know uncle chief, who is highly regarded in country...
cheers!!