This story was originally published by Reasons to be Cheerful
Geetanjali Krishna is an India-based journalist who recently became Reasons to be Cheerful’s third contributing editor. She’ll be reporting regularly from one of the world’s most amazing countries, a place saturated with both challenges and solutions. We asked her to answer a few questions about herself. You can read some of her past work for Reasons to be Cheerful here.
Tell us about where you live. What is it like there? Is that where you grew up?
Growing up, we lived in cities across India, from Manipur in the Northeast, to Jaipur in the West, then to Simla (high up North) to Trivandrum close to the country’s southernmost tip. I became a perpetual outsider — a perspective that has somehow given me more joy (and an incurable travel bug) than angst.
I now live with my family in New Delhi, a city of contradictions. On the one hand it is one of the most biodiverse capitals in the world and on the other, we’re crippled by air so poor that being outdoors in winter is like smoking seven-plus cigarettes a day. Delhi is where some of the most profound cultural, environmental and social movements in the world are playing out, but also a city with chaotic inequalities, a giant waste disposal problem and the craziest traffic in the world. So my life here is a contradiction too — I’m constantly looking to escape, but as a journalist I couldn’t have hoped for richer hunting grounds.
We receive lots of pitches from Indian journalists. Do you think solutions journalism is really catching on there? If so, why do you think that is?
I think solutions journalism in India is an idea waiting for its time to come. To my knowledge, not even a single mainstream newspaper publishes solutions stories regularly and consistently. But India’s development and NGO sector is diverse, inventive and creating so much impact on the ground that it is an endless fount of solutions stories. We also have some of the most qualified and talented freelancers in the world, so it is not surprising that they pitch solutions stories overseas. I think that the country is ripe for a rigorous, impact-driven SoJo platform here, something which could really help solutions journalism to catch on faster.
How did you get involved in solutions journalism?
My writing evolved into the practice of solutions journalism after years of experimentation and failure. I used to write a column called The Bright Side about interesting social and developmental projects across India. Almost every other fortnight after filing the column, I’d have a nagging feeling that it needed something more. Worse, I often got the sense that readers thought it was just fluff. Anyway, after I stopped writing the column and the pandemic had begun, I decided to upgrade my skills and studied solutions journalism and its four pillars. It was a lightbulb moment! All these years, I had been writing about good, even great ideas, without really rigorously assessing their measurable impact and replicability! One of my first SoJo stories was for RTBC, and it left me feeling like I hadn’t just reported on a good idea, but chewed it down to the bone. It felt amazing and I haven’t looked back since.
Finish this sentence: When I’m not reporting, I’m…
So when I’m not reporting or writing, I’m either planning or dreaming of my next hiking trip, or devising a new game to play with family and friends. Years ago, when my kids were little, I started creating new games for us to play together (I even compiled them into a book of games) and to date I find it a fun, low-pressure way for people to interact meaningfully. Incidentally, the last game (more of an activity, really) I developed, was for Christmas 2024 with 30-odd family members aged between eight and 90, and it was called Reasons to be Cheerful! Everyone got 30 seconds to talk about what gave them reason for cheer in 2024, and the responses were very meaningful. Another one which has become a family favorite is called MyTunes, in which you’ve got to hum a tune for others to guess.
We recently returned from our winter break. Describe your ideal vacation: Epic thrills or epically chill?
I look for the wild wherever I go. I look for places that are natural, unspoiled and untainted by light. So most of my ideal holidays are in the mountains, the quietest beaches we can find, or in jungles. That said, a recent family holiday to Italy has been really memorable. I loved losing myself in the neighborhoods of Rome and the winding alleys of Venice, and conversations with my husband and children over gelato, Select spritzers and pasta, as much as I enjoyed hiking in Tuscany’s rolling hills and vineyards.
So I’d say, my dream holiday would involve lots of walking, lots of talking, family-run cafes… a pistachio gelato a day would be lovely!
What gives you hope for the future?
Reporting on solutions, small and large scale, for some of the knottiest problems we face, gives me hope. This year, I’ve set aside an hour at the beginning of my workday to read about, and listen to, solutions. This is helping me not just professionally, but also reinforcing a sense of optimism, a feeling that all is not yet lost, at a time when headlines are screaming war, climate doom and political turmoil across the world.
The post Ask Me Anything! Our New Contributing Editor Geetanjali Krishna appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.
