Mumbai diary III: Dinner at Light of Asia

It was a momentous day for us yesterday, when one of the news sections of our newspaper, went live on the new editing and pagemaking software. ‘Went live’ means, the page that people are reading today was made on the new software. This is the first news page of our publication to go live. A day to cherish.

Though we have been bringing out trial versions over the past week, the feeling that ‘live’ brings in is altogether different: a combination of excitement and tension. There was a lot of coordination to be done. And everything had to click. Software transitions, wherever, are always tricky, with the fear of a ‘crash’ always looming overhead. Touchwood, barring minor glitches, all went well.

I was just wondering, how journalism, like of course everything around us, has changed over the years. Twenty years back, I was involved in a similar exercise when the newspaper I worked for then, brought in computers to replace typewriters and teleprinters. The media industry is poised for still more revolutionary changes as technology evolves rapidly.

Last night most of us missed our dinner. At 1.30 am, totally exhausted, we had only one thought in our minds: where can we get something to eat. We were told there is a restaurant called ”Light of Asia” close to the CST. It was 20 min walk away.

The cafe had its shutter down, but there was a tiny door beside it kept ajar, through which we all squeezed in. Wow! So spacious inside. We had our meals, and the big surprise, they offered us complimentary icecreams! Let’s come here everyday, someone screamed. Stay on in Mumbai, don’t go back, added another.

The most odd hour to have dinner, but nothing unusual for journalists. The cab guys were very considerate and stayed on beyond the 2 am cutoff time, and we were back in our rooms, by 3 am.