The backstory: As a Kashmiri Muslim reporting on gau rakshaks, I was warned to leave town

‘Don’t take extra risk,’ an official texted.

Rayan Naqash

· Dec 31, 2017 · 07:30 am

The backstory: Crossing an invisible barrier to report on caste violence in Tamil Nadu

‘They will tell you the wrong version of the story, you should not write that.’

Vinita Govindarajan

· Dec 31, 2017 · 06:30 am

The backstory: In Assam, on a reporting trip on terror-funding, I discovered roads that lead nowhere

‘But not to worry,’ the driver said. ‘There’s never been an accident.’

Arunabh Saikia

· Dec 30, 2017 · 12:30 pm

The backstory: How I became a minor celebrity while reporting on a Uttar Pradesh school programme

Local publications put me in the headlines. The attention was mortifying. But then, I began to realise how it helped their communities.

Shreya Roy Chowdhury

· Dec 29, 2017 · 12:30 pm

The backstory: When I nearly got deported from Kurdistan

‘You have come on the wrong visa,’ said the officer curtly, taking a look at my passport. ‘This is Kurdistan, not Iraq.’

Supriya Sharma

· Dec 29, 2017 · 07:30 am

The backstory: A lesson from reporting in riot-hit Uttara Kannada – conceal my Muslim name

The mob started questioning me. I remained quiet. I knew their intention was to ascertain my religious identity.

TA Ameerudheen

· Dec 28, 2017 · 06:30 pm

The backstory: In Uttarakhand to cover the elections, I saw a tiger strolling across the road

The driver rushed back into the car. He had heard an ominous rustling in the bushes and feared that he’d disturbed a snake.

Abhishek Dey

· Dec 28, 2017 · 07:30 am

The backstory: In Madhya Pradesh, helping a granny who had run away with the family jewellery

In the backdrop of the big changes in India are daily upheavals in the lives of countless people.

Mridula Chari

· Dec 27, 2017 · 08:00 am

The backstory: On the poll trail, searching for Gujarat’s missing young women

In the Banni grasslands, the only females visible in public spaces were little girls playing and older women busy with chores.

Aarefa Johari

· Dec 26, 2017 · 08:00 am