From Reader to Reporter: My Journey at The Hindu

This summer, I interned at The Hindu a publication I grew up seeing on our dining table, folded beside my plate each morning, dense with headlines that often felt distant but important. Working there wasn’t just exciting; it was grounding. It gave me a front-row seat to how stories are shaped, not just by events, but by the people who tell them.

I joined the features desk as a high school intern easily the youngest person in every newsroom meeting and dove headfirst into a world of editorial calendars, art exhibitions, double-book launches, and interviews that always ran longer than expected.

But from the beginning, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a passive internship. I was assigned real articles. Real deadlines. Real people expecting me to show up, do the research, write clearly, and (ideally) not misspell anyone’s name.

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What I did

Over six weeks, I got to write several published features, from coverage of Emerging Palettes, an annual art exhibition spotlighting young contemporary Indian artists, to a piece on a dual book launch that brought together a panel of authors, critics, and readers. I conducted interviews, attended events, and tried to learn how to write with both accuracy and voice to find that middle ground between information and insight.

What surprised me most was how much reporting is about listening. Not just hearing quotes, but really paying attention to tone, to what’s said between the lines, to what people are excited (or hesitant) to talk about. I learned to ask better questions. I learned to write faster. I learned that every article, no matter how small, deserves intention.

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What it meant

For someone interested in law, politics, and writing, The Hindu gave me a chance to see how those fields intersect how journalism demands clarity, empathy, and accountability, all at once. It’s not just about telling stories. It’s about telling them responsibly. And doing that, over and over again, on deadline.

It also reminded me that journalism isn’t just a profession. It’s a public service. The pressure of getting things right is real and humbling.

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Looking ahead

I don’t know yet whether I’ll pursue journalism professionally. But I do know that this experience made me a better writer, a better researcher, and a better listener. And no matter where I go from here, I’ll carry that forward.

I’m deeply grateful to the editors who treated me like a team member, not a student. To the writers who took the time to explain things. And to everyone who trusted me enough to let me write their stories.

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