"Nice to meet you. Will you marry me?". A provocative headline to a March story in the Boston Globe aroused our curiosity to venture out and seek the writer Anand Vaishnav, a journalist and reporter for the newspaper. This is, as Anand tells me, a story written off the beaten track, since he regularly reports on Boston Public schools, bilingual education and MCAS tests. "The story was spurred on at the time when Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding was released and I got thinking about the social structure and the pressures that exist in a marriage market. Some things are uniquely Indian, like the ads for example, and I was intrigued.".

Anand Vaishnav exemplifies the new breed of young Asian professionals – the brave and the unorthodox with plenty of verve and an adventurous streak to match. Choosing a career path out of the ordinary was a decision that was made when he was in middle school. It was here that he decided that there must be a way to make a living out of writing. This Houston based native built up his high school resume writing for the campus newspaper which eventually led to his enrolling in Journalism at Northwestern University. ”What makes journalism so good at Northwestern is they have a separate journalism school and also have a strong placement process",says Anand. "Every summer, I worked as an intern in a newspaper and in my junior year at college, I came to work at the Globe. The key to get a job as a journalist is to have experience...Every newspaper wants to see whether you can do a job under deadlines and get news clips. Depending on your area of interest, you can major in any subject like Political Science, Music, Business, etc. and still find a niche for yourself.".

One can deduce this interest, for, after a 3 year stint in New Orleans in educational reporting and his work in Boston for the past two years, his focus has been in Education. "Because it interests me," he says, "I believe strongly in the public school system having been in one myself. I love going to schools, knowing what works and what doesn’t." And it appears that his five years of experience has given him the wisdom that he has been lucky to get into a field he is passionate about. "I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time." he says, "A student straight from college would get a General Assignment, but in my case, they were looking for a person to cover education and there I was!"

Many prefer tranquillity in their jobs to full thrust throttle. Whether it is a press conference or an investigating story, having been there and done that, he says uncharacteristically, "The reason I chose this profession is because everyday is different. I look at others and wonder. What do they find in that? Here is a chance that allows me to meet interesting people, write about them, find myself in new and varied situations, and gives me access to high level events. So why would I go anywhere else?”

Since Anand has obviously done well for himself, I inquire as to what a good journalist needs to rise to the top. "The element of curiosity, the ability to write, and write quickly at that and analyze the information gathered. Also it is important to get out into the community and keep in touch...We try to hold people accountable and point out when promises are not kept. Such as in the case of when Merino promised 5 new public schools and did not carry it out we immediately pointed it out. That is our job. Also you have to be very skeptical in the news that come through various sources. Check it out and establish its reliability. Our job is to ask questions, so when a need arises, you must be able to challenge a response."

“The biggest thrill is, of course, to be the first person to tell people a story," says the 27 year old, "and that is a challenge. Since we are trained to write fast and concisely, it helps. In journalism, you should be accustomed to situations which is all pressure, long hours, and meeting deadlines. The pay is not all that great, especially, in smaller markets. This can be stressful to people with families.”

To occasionally kick back and relax, Anand volunteers for a local Boston organization, Boston by Foot, as a tour guide. He is an avid reader and loves listening to live music and playing the piano. In person, he has boyish looks, appears calm and collected with a sagaciously mature and down to earth outlook.

So what does he think of the image of the increased South Asian presence? "If organizations hire good people, it will lead to a diverse staff, and the Boston Globe definitely does that." While he is looked at as a reporter, this rising star admits that he loves living here. "I love Boston and enjoy the atmosphere here. I also find that the Indian community is very involved and vibrant here. After my story on Indian weddings, I was suddenly flooded with emails from all of them. That is how I came to know about Project Impact and NetSAP and Lokvani too".

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