Of deadlines, headlines and frown lines

Now who better to write about deadlines than Srikanth, PR writer for whole of Blue Lotus PR. He offers a whole new perspective to overcoming given timelines…

“Dear Srikanth, Please prepare a-1,000 words article on ---------- for ------ client. We would need it by tomorrow.” “Dear Srikanth, Kindly write an authored article for ------- on ---------. Deadline is tomorrow.”

Free Dictionary defines deadlines as “A boundary line in a prison that prisoners can cross only at the risk of being shot.” Although am not a prisoner, the risk of being shot is real and grave. Easy to set, hard to keep, deadlines are those frightful time-lines that leave you dead if you cross the line. I am no stranger to deadlines. My career as a journalist spanning over 11 years was all about deadlines, headlines and the inevitable frown lines. Meeting a clear-cut deadline, especially with no proper guideline or a vague one-line on the storyline can be tough.

At Deccan Chronicle, my former editor, the lady Hitler as we used to call her in hush-hush tones, would scream at 10.30 pm, “Srikanta, move your butt,” reminding me of the deadline while I am still struggling to give a headline. I used to laugh it off and would whisper in my neighbor’s ears, “I would move my butt a thousand times if it produces a headline.” At TOI, the editor (Mr. Nag) would strike me with his deadly fangs as it clocked 11 pm, throwing tantrums at me leaving me all wired up. But each time, I was reminded of the deadline, I used to whistle and sing silently, “I’m writing some verse about mending, my deadline is soon and unbending. But alas I can’t fix it, and may have to nix it.” It's not that I don't like deadlines. At times, a deadline cannot bring out the storyline in a given timeline.

In the end, I must apologize for failing to meet the deadline on ‘deadline’ for Culture Curry.

An anecdote: On February 14, 1876, inventor Elisha Gray applied for a patent at two in the afternoon on a device he had invented. Gray’s patent was rejected. You see, just two hours earlier Alexander Graham Bell had applied for and been awarded a patent for a similar invention: the telephone. Had Elisha Gray been just two hours earlier, today we might be making calls via "Ma Gray." It pays to get important work done early!