Story Ideas

DISCLAIMER: The following story pitches are entirely original and are written because the author has every intention of reporting on and covering them all. It would be highly unethical to ape either of the following pitches and pass them on as your own work. That said, if you are genuinely interested in or are already pursuing a similar story, the author would be more than happy to help provided it is acknowledged and attributed. 

These are three story idea I'd like to pursue over the summer:

Story Pitch # 1 Illegal Wildlife Trade – what the lower rungs of the ladder look like

Publication Venue: The Guardian [travel section], Nature Conservancy magazine, Herald [Goa’s largest English daily newspaper], Hornbill [the Bombay Natural History Society's magazine]

April 30 was a day with two separate incidents of poaching being reported in two Indian states that usually manage to avoid the spotlight, Goa – tourist paradise and Maharashtra – home to the ‘tiger capital of India’.

Charismatic mega fauna like tigers, elephants and rhinos have been protagonists in stories of illegal wildlife trade. 

But poaching starts lower down the ladder. Everything from barn owls, snakes, pangolins, otters, and wild boar [pigs] to fresh water turtles and frogs is subject to poaching. 


Reasons for poaching vary depending on place, economic status, cultural background, and level of demand, and reason for the demand among other things.

I would like to do a print feature story accompanied by photographs on this other side of poaching. I would like to investigate how smaller ‘gangs’ function in a state like Goa – known internationally for its pristine beaches, bustling tourist spots, and hundreds of high-end resorts. 

Farmers and poorer labourers have been known to lay out snares and wire traps for small wild animals that are found in the plantation areas. 
Local restaurants are suspected to be selling and serving wild animal meat to customers. I would like to particularly investigate this allegation. Ultimately I hope to understand why there is a demand for these small animals in the first place. Is it only for food? How true are reports that local politicians have bailed out these small-town animal traders? 

My sources would include the president of the union of wildlife activists- Saish Khandeparker, herpetologist Nirmal Kulkarni, local World Wildlife Fund [WWF] director Niti Sawant, and Deputy Conservator of Forests [wildlife and eco-tourism] DN Carvalho. I will also talk to local animal rescue groups, of which there are several active ones in Goa.

I have worked with Indian wildlife for over nine years and have studied crocodiles, snakes and mammals in the wild. I lead wildlife tours for an eco-tourism organization. Participated in and helped arrange conservation leadership programs, anti-poaching activities. I have a background in environmental science and have been studying environmental journalism at The University of Montana at a graduate level for a year. Articles I have written have been published in a central Indian magazine and my photographs- published in the Bombay Natural History Society’s magazine - are also currently available on ARKive.com. I am also familiar with Goa’s geography and culture and am fluent in the three languages predominantly spoken in Goa.

Story Pitch # 2 – A week in the life of a wildlife filmmaker

Publication Venue: Nature Conservancy Magazine, Smithsonian magazine, The Hindu [feature section]

Over this past decade, wildlife filmmaking has picked up significantly in India with respect to the number of films being made, the quality of these films, and their frequent telecasts on national television. Films like ‘The Ridley’s Last Stand’ and ‘The Truth About Tigers’, ‘The Pack – Episode 5’ and ‘The Wild Meat Trail’ have not only been nominated at international film festivals, but have also won those awards and with them, international acclaim.


The 'Best of Festival' [Broken Tail] and 'Best of TV series' [Secrets of Wild India - Elephant Kingdom] winners at the on-going 35th International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, MT are both films made in India about its charismatic and unique animals.


Inspired by this latest achievement for Indian wildlife films, I would like to shadow, in India, two separate cinematographers for one week each to observe the way they work on building a story and the process of conveying it visually to a large audience. 


This would give me first-hand experience and access to learning how award-winning wildlife films are made. I expect this to be a two-part print feature series accompanied by some ‘behind the scenes’ video and photographs. I would do one story each on the two cinematographers - Shekar Dattatri and Sandesh Kadur. 

My sources for the story would include Dattatri and Kadur, local National Park guides - Raees Khan and Salim Ali who have worked with the team of Broken Tail, as well as friendly sages like Aditya Singh- owner of the Ranthambhore Bagh, Chinmay Rane –Kadur's field assistant on the Elephant Kingdom documentary, and the crew of Broken Tail.

I have worked extensively with Indian wildlife for over nine years. I have already spoken to my two main characters and can tag along on shoots. My field experience with wildlife work has taught me to be patient and have no problem wading through waist-deep slush or crawling under thorns to study wildlife. I have been studying environmental journalism at the University of Montana for the past year and my work has been published in central Indian magazines, the Bombay Natural History Society's magazine, as well as on ARKive.com. 

Story Pitch # 3 – Looking Beyond the Chicken Tikka Masala [Food and Travel]

Publication Venue: Bon Appetit, travelPLUS magazine, Montana Kaimin, Terrascape.

Leaving the nest and flying into the unknown, one-third of my check-in luggage constituted Indian spices, lentils and other raw ingredients when I moved to Montana.

One of the world’s most famous cuisines, Indian food is a colourful, flavour-rich collection from jalebis and sabjis to the tandoors and tikkas. Every state has its own delicacies and recipes. Every community has its own symbolic goodies. Every festival has its designated mouth-watering representative foods.

Unlike most of American states, Montana does not have a single Indian store or restaurant.

I would like to paint a picture of what it's like when a hard-core Indian foodie lands up in a relatively rural part of the U.S.A. How do Indians living so far from home survive? What do they eat? What are the options for students who are going to places like these and don’t wish to live off pizza and sandwiches for years?

In a travel and food oriented print story that examines the availability and abundance of exotic/Indian ingredients in Missoula’s stores, their prices and authenticity. From Wal-Mart’s garbanzo beans and “Asian food” to The Good Food Store’s garam masala, what can incoming Indians use, where can they find it, and what alternatives can be found to certain unique ingredients? 

I will also look at the option of having authentic ingredients and spices shipped home from within the United States or directly from India itself and how feasible that is over time as regards volume, frequency of usage, and costs.

The ultimate goal – for Indians planning to move to less diverse, rural parts of the U.S.A. - some tricks of surviving the distance and the absence of those early morning aromas, some easy-to-cook Indian recipes using locally found Indian ingredients.

I will talk to students living in Montana who have taught themselves to cook after moving away from home. Montana’s two university towns – Bozeman and Missoula – are both home to a small population of Indian students. I hope to find individuals from different parts of India to have a more diverse set of ingredients to cover a wide range of recipes for those unsuspecting souls who will be setting themselves up for a gastronomic tragedy if they don’t do their homework.

I have always been a stickler for good food and come from a family of self-proclaimed foodies, including our dog who prefers home-made fish to Pedigree. I have only truly understood the value of my mother’s cooking ever since I have had to eat what I cook and although I have thoroughly “enjoyed” this learning process, I know I would not have been so lost had I known what my options were before coming to Missoula.