Visiting the nearby temples and tourist attraction spots every weekend

t the age of 5 when I accompanied my grandmothers to offer Puja at Lord Jagannath's temple in Puri, little did I know that after 16 years I will get an opportunity to come back again to Odisha for my higher studies. As a native from Bihar raised in Kolkata, it was for the first time when I got a chance to experience the culture, people and vibe of a state well known as India's best kept secret. My journey started from Dhenkanal, a princely state in Odisha where my alma mater, Indian Institute of Mass Communication is located. Meeting the simple, god loving, honest and religious people was a heart-warming experience. I loved every corner of this quaint town nestled in a natural landscape. Visiting the nearby temples and tourist attraction spots every weekend after a grilling week of studying was a religious affair. Needless to say, it became a meditative experience.

It seemed 10 months passed in a blink and I was posted in TOI Jaipur as an intern, but somehow, destiny again brought me back to Odisha as I got my first job as a Reporter in Odisha's fortnightly magazine My Citylinks in the capital city Bhubaneswar. From 2012 to 2019 I worked as an executive reporter, blogger, visiting faculty at NIFT, voice over artist, senior copy writer and an author. It was during this period, I was blessed with frien