A visit to India to join in a unique workshop – an experiment in journalistic multi-culturalism – proved a real eye-opening experience for American reporter Jenni Glenn.  So much so, that she wrote it up in a series of colourful sketches on the website of her newspaper, the Journal Gazette, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she is a business reporter.

The Writing International News workshop in Mumbai in April was organised by Reuters Foundation on behalf of the Iowa-based  Stanley Foundation. It brought together six American and seven Indian journalists around the theme of emerging India.

Jenni Glenn’s snapshots-of-Mumbai articles cover such angles as surviving cab rides, discussing sex in India, and beggars and poverty amidst luxury.

Nick Phythian, who ran the week-long workshop, wrote that for WNS, one of the world’s leading BPO providers, it was an opportunity to proclaim the coming-of-age of the humble call centre and predict a revolution in the way the world does business.

For the WIN journalists, he added, it was a rare glimpse behind the scenes of an industry at the heart of the globalisation debate – and a way into a story with huge domestic and international implications.

For WNS, one of the world’s leading BPO providers, it was an opportunity to proclaim the coming-of-age of the humble call centre and predict a revolution in the way the world does business.

For journalists at a Writing International News workshop in Mumbai it was a rare glimpse behind the scenes of an industry at the heart of the globalisation debate – and a way into a story with huge domestic and international implications.

 “What work will be done and who does that work will change very dramatically,” Group CEO Neeraj Bhargava told us at the headquarters of WNS Global Services, which offers to relieve companies - and governments - of the burden of their back office administration.

Bhargava’s vision highlights the challenge of globalisation – job loss for some, job creation for others. It’s a debate that will run and run. “Only four to five percent of the potential market has been tapped,” he said, referring to North America and Europe, WNS’s primary market.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

The workshop combined hands-on reporting with individual feedback on written stories. As it began, the soaring cost of food was making headlines around the world. A visit to Mahindra & Mahindra, one of the world’s top three tractor makers, offered one way into the story.

Over two thirds of India’s population of 1.1 billion live off the land. Many farmers make little or no money. The past decade has seen a rash of suicides as many struggle to repay debts incurred buying seeds, inputs and equipment.

With the Indians using their local knowledge, the journalists set off in search of the story behind the story. They interviewed Palagummi Sainath, whose book “Everybody loves a good drought” highlights the plight of rural India.

“When you shift very small farmers to risky cash crops, you have to place protections in place,” Sainath told them. “We didn't do any such thing."

TALE OF TWO CITIES

Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, is a city of extremes. Some of the world’s most expensive real estate sits alongside Asia’s biggest slum.

Dharavi took root on a swamp in the 19th century. Conditions are harsh for the million or so people who live and work there – but they are squatting on a real-estate goldmine.

Krishna Poojari of Reality Tours & Travel organises visits to Dharavi.  He puts annual turnover of its 10,000 back-street workshops at $665 million. “Anybody who comes here can find a job,” he told us.

Workshops recycle plastic and other rubbish from the city. They make leather products, clothing and a vast range of other goods. The question is for how much longer.

INSIDE BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood, home of India’s film industry, is Mumbai’s other major claim to fame. Hollywood, the original dream factory, is investing in the Indian domestic market.

“They realise that Bollywood is growing,” film industry analyst Komal Nahta told us. “It’s growing like we have never seen it grow… It’s just a trailer. The real film is still to come.”

One journalist sampled Bollywood from the inside. Life as a film extra wasn’t quite what he’d expected. His Escape from Bollywood has the makings of a U-tube video hit.

The workshop focused on news writing skills. One tip was “Avoid acronyms. If you must use them, spell them out.”

WHAT’S IN AN ACRONYM?

WNS stands for World Network Services, the old name of WNS Global Services.

BPO? That’s Business Process Outsourcing, the new mantra of the call-centre industry.

Services range from fielding calls to finance and accounting, logistics, research and specialised financial, technical and legal analysis. “There is a broad trend globally which is human resources outsourcing,” WNS Chief Executive Officer Bhargava told us.

It doesn’t stop there. Next time you’re ill, consider this. The sales pitch that persuaded your doctor to choose the medicine he prescribes, might just have been concocted in Mumbai.