A Month of Growth: Working as an Intern for Mahabahu

Borni Dutta

Mahabahu is an e-magazine offering content on just about everything under the sun; be it current affairs, travel, entertainment, or, for that classy touch—culture.

The site seeks to bring well-penned words and new stories to its readers, making their read rather interesting.

I recently got the golden opportunity to intern one whole month with them, and it surely did turn out to be life-changing.

A Month of Growth: Working as an Intern for Mahabahu — My article on Monkey Menace

This internship thus enabled me to learn various forms of writing and research. In this elaboration, I will share the experiences of conducting field surveys, report writing, and interviews—among other notable aspects of my internship—coupled with the skills and lessons learned from the tasks.

Setting Out on the Journey

In the very first day of the internship at Mahabahu, we were introduced to some of the respected persons such as Anjan Sarma Sir, Editor; Sanjeev Sarma Sir, Managing Editor; and Kakali Das Ma’am, Assistant Editor, who guided and allotted us work during our internship. They told a little bit of an introduction about Mahabahu as an organization, the role it plays in the industry, and their motto and goal to provide their readers with meaningful contents on any topic.

First Assignment: Understanding the Startup Ecosystem

The first assignment given to us was to interview some of the renowned incubators working for startups, such as Assam Startup The Nest and the Software Technology Park of India (STPI), Guwahati. The project was meant to understand the increasing startup ecosystem and know more about the aids and opportunities provided to young entrepreneurs.

The exercise provided me with an opportunity to work with leading professionals involved in innovation and entrepreneurship in the area. Responses gained during the interviews indicated various challenges these startups face, and some points of success, as well as mechanisms of support in place to grow these entities.

Second Assignment: News Writing

This culminated in our next assignment, whereby we had to do news stories on a number of national and international events. These stories and articles were published in Mahabahu magazine. To write the news story means to catch up with the events of the day, delve deep into the issue selected for the article, and to present the inputs with appropriate clarity and interest.

This exercise has been a lot instrumental to me in my research and writing skills, since now I get to learn the sophistication of assimilating complicated pieces of information into short, yet informative, articles which will hold readers’ interest.

Third Assignment: Field Survey

We needed to carry out a field survey for the third assignment: conducting a local interview with people on a given topic of our choice. After the interviews and observations, we had to consolidate a report on the findings and happenings along with the photos clicked of the results of the survey. My problem was the menace of monkeys at the Gauhati University campus.

This practical experience has helped me in my communication by making me realize the power of empathy and how active listening and observation could empower one. I learned how to approach people, ask relevant questions, and gather information that would go into a comprehensive report.

Writing Reports: How to Contribute Information in a Comprehensive Manner

This made up the big part of my internship: compiling a report from the incubator interviews, news stories, and the field survey reports. In return, I learned how to present data-driven information clearly and concisely, further supplemented with visualization and infographics that make that understanding complete.

This experience honed my writing skills, attention to detail, and time management for meeting deadlines. Writing reports required me to structure information logically and identify key findings, thereafter to present these results in an engaging way to ensure clarity of the message.

interns in The Nest — The Interns in THE NEST, Guwahati

The internship was useful since, through it, I have acquired different skills and knowledge for professional growth. This experience heightened my communication skills and the importance of empathy, active listening, and observation. I have also learned how to conduct an interview, check facts, and consult other information sources. These skills empowered me to execute projects and make a difference with the acquired knowledge.

Later, this internship proved to be a ground for personal growth and self-discovery. I got confident over time in my capabilities and learned better about journalism and creating content. Exposed to myriad topics and working on real-world projects, a change in perspective ensued alongside a deepening passion for stories.

Conclusion

This one-month internship at Mahabahu has been a great experience in terms of growth, learning, and self-discovery. I hereby convey that the tasks I was involved in and the skills I acquired have been very useful and practical, providing me with a better view about the nature of my profession. I feel myself as one of the lucky ones who got the opportunity to work towards the objectives of Mahabahu.

I look forward to utilizing my knowledge and capabilities in all my future endeavors. This has not only equipped me with the necessary skills but also reignited my passion for writing and storytelling, and I now have the urge to pursue it even further.

BORNI DUTTA is a student of Communication & Journalism, Gauhati University.

30-07-2024

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking. You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com (For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.