The Times of India’s Newspaper in Education (NIE) journalism internship for aspiring student writers in grades 8 to 12 transformed me as a writer when I attended this two-week internship in June 2010.

I was in 9th grade and along with 36 other shortlisted students from all over Delhi, I had the opportunity to be a part of an editorial board at Times NIE, where we got the chance to design our very own youth newspaper. We were selected on the basis of a test that examined our writing skills. Little did I know that my dream of interning for this prestigious newspaper would come true!

I stepped into the mesmerizing world of creative writing at age seven. Writing always takes me to another world, a world entirely mine, where I let my ideas find newer vistas. The internship gave me a glimpse into the world of journalism. Under the guidance of the eminent editors of Times NIE, my skills were sculpted and I was able to pursue my ongoing passion for writing.

We were divided into groups of four and began constructing the layout and framework for our newspaper. The experience of working in a group involved joint efforts to frame our ideas. The fun part was that apart from writing an individual article, we also got the chance to write one story together. Each of us suggested themes for the various articles and collaborated on the ideas. We widened our imaginations and spawned great ideas for titles of our articles, such as: “Do ghosts really exist?” “Creatures beyond the realm of reality.” “Blood diamond and its dark luster.”

Once we decided on those, we were introduced to the various facets of journalism. On the first day, we were given a session on reporting. The following days involved interesting sessions on sub-editing, critical reviews, news features, commentaries, and page design. We finally received the fruits of our labor: print copies of our newspaper. It looked fabulous. It felt like we all had accomplished a herculean task!

After that, we went to the Times of India printing press offices in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh, an industrial hub 15 miles north of New Delhi. What a lovely day it was. We actually witnessed the entire printing process; seeing the various mammoth machines and how quick the entire process was as the work of media is around the clock. The people there also explained the mechanics of those huge printing machines in detail. We gained oodles of knowledge.

The true essence of any creative collaboration is teamwork. It is an enriching experience to exchange ideas and give feedback to one another, or to work together on the same feature, fusing together everyone’s perspective. Tackling the big questions together and collaborating on articles formed our perfect youth newspaper. Interacting with senior students in the creative process gave me a broad scope of improvements, which helped me recognize my shortfalls as a writer, too. I understood the spirit of leadership and teamwork as vital life virtues.

Even after the internship, I remained in touch with the Editorial Board. They contacted me regularly to contribute articles to the Times NIE. I wrote an article about GenY, a limerick on Harry Potter, and book and movie reviews. The feeling of being published in a newspaper that is distributed to schools all over India is indeed lovely. These were undoubtedly some of the most cherished moments of my life. I wish I could relive those internship days: the great friends I made, the amiable NIE editorial team, the fun we had! The knowledge I gained there is enough for a lifetime.