Journalist Anushree Rastogi opens up about growing up in Meerut, facing newsroom bias, surviving the media industry, and building a career driven by instinct and resilience.
In an industry often glamorized from the outside and brutal on the inside, Anushree Rastogi stands out not because her journey was easy — but because she never pretended it was. Coming from Meerut, a town far removed from India’s major media hubs, Anushree’s story is one of survival, instinct, and an unwavering refusal to be silenced.
Who Is Anushree Rastogi?
Anushree Rastogi is an Indian journalist who began working at a young age and built her career through ground reporting, newsroom discipline, and lived experience rather than privilege or shortcuts. Hailing from Meerut, she represents a generation of journalists shaped by pressure, long hours, and real-world reporting. Known for her confidence, resilience, and unapologetic honesty, Anushree believes journalism should prioritize public interest over sensation — and purpose over popularity.
Growing Up Without a Script
In many traditional households, girls are taught restraint before confidence. Anushree’s upbringing followed a different rhythm. She began earning at a young age, and that early independence shaped her fearlessness. Her parents never discouraged her voice — a rarity she acknowledges with gratitude. Over time, her father became her quiet supporter, while her mother played a defining role in shaping her resilience, values, and sense of self.
Those early years didn’t just build confidence — they built conviction.
The Moment Journalism Chose Her
Anushree didn’t grow up dreaming of journalism. Journalism found her. In ninth grade, while serving as a class prefect, she was unexpectedly nominated for a district-level debate competition on traffic safety — with no preparation time. She walked in and won first place.
What followed changed everything. A teacher looked at her and said words that stayed: “You should consider journalism.”
That moment wasn’t planned — it was instinct.
Why Journalism Isn’t Taught, It’s Lived
She later studied journalism at BFIT, but she speaks candidly about the gap between classrooms and reality. The real education, she says, came from newsrooms — from seniors, deadlines, pressure, and mistakes made in real time. Journalism, for her, wasn’t learned from books. It was absorbed in chaos.
Facing Fear, Bias, and Brutal Honesty
Being a young woman from a small town came with its own battles. With no backup plan, everything felt like a do-or-die gamble. Early in her career, she faced taunts, bullying, and cruelty — even from those in power. She was mocked for her appearance, demeaned for her background, and made to feel like she didn’t belong.
There were tears. Green rooms became places of quiet breakdowns. Nights ended with doubt.
Then came a turning point. A boss who saw her not for how she looked, but for how she worked — trusting her with on-ground election coverage across multiple states. That belief changed her trajectory.
Ambition as Survival
For Anushree, ambition was never about fame. It was about independence. She understood early that relying on anyone financially meant surrendering freedom. Journalism wasn’t just a career — it was a way to stay standing.
When things felt overwhelming, one truth kept her going: there was no going back.
Inside a Newsroom: The Reality No One Sees
She still remembers her first newsroom — the urgency, the obsession, the hunger to break stories first. That adrenaline hooked her. Today, days blur into nights. Meals are skipped. Water is forgotten. But regret never enters the room.
She recalls moments like Operation Sindoor, when the newsroom didn’t just extend hours — it stopped going home altogether. Desks turned into beds. Coffee replaced food. There were no instructions, no announcements — just an unspoken understanding: this is bigger than you.
That’s how real journalism works — silently, relentlessly.
A Message for Girls Who Are Afraid
Her advice is unapologetically honest: no one else will live your life or bear its consequences. Society will never be fully satisfied — “लोग तो भगवान से भी खुश नहीं हैं.”
So choose yourself. Every time.
Looking Ahead
Anushree sees her future rooted in purpose — telling stories that serve public interest over sensation, truth over noise. She wants her work to matter, not just trend.
And if she had to leave behind one line from her journey?
“My instinct made me.”
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Published by Trendora Magazine
Image & Video Credits: Anushreerastogi
