By The Casual Observer Team

Hey there !

We are at a crossroads. As we come to the end of 2021, we also approach our final chapter as a team. In the spirit of looking ahead, our team decided on a theme that revolves around perspectives. Looking back at all we’ve done is an essential step in moving forward! 

Before the Casual Observer moves into a new phase of its young life, we wanted to make our last Casual Observations segment an extremely memorable one. This month does not feature a review of a book, movie or any restaurant. It is a compilation of all the best moments our team shared together this past year. 

Natalia (Head of Journalism)

Working with Jia has been an absolute dream. To put it simply, the Journalism team is just pure vibes. Jia and I instinctively knew what we wanted to write about for every edition. I love that Jia and I were able to review a variety of pieces from movies to restaurants. We, and I mean the entire team, always seemed to be on the same wavelength. Jia and I have done all our work online (mostly chatting on Google docs) , never meeting in person to discuss or write, which is just a testament to how well we have understood each other. My favourite memory is definitely when Jia and I were thinking of a creative way to sign off Casual Observations. We wanted something memorable, quirky and sweet but I guess after writing our longest article (Editing team correct me if I’m wrong), it seemed as though our creative juices had run out. However, Samud came up with the classic Nuts and Chia, a fun play on our names. I instantly fell in love with it, it was exactly what we wanted – fun, light and cute. Apart from that, I think CO gave the opportunity for my writing to be read by other people and seeing their reactions, both positive and negative, has been truly gratifying and a continuous learning experience through the months.  

Jia (Head of Journalism)

The Journalism Team has a history of being terribly wordy (Sorry Editing), and I shall now attempt to redeem myself with a concise paragraph. I absolutely loved having the freedom to write my unadulterated thoughts. Writing is something I enjoy doing and this newspaper truly gave me the platform to be heard. Working with Natalia was really fun as she always brought fresh things for me to discover. We had such an amazing dynamic and instinctively knew what the other person was thinking. Writing Casual Observations was a new challenge I undertook as for the first time, I was able to draw out my personality in all of my writing. Coming up with cool theme ideas that sparked conversation was the second best highlight of my role. The first was definitely watching movies, reading books and going to fancy restaurants for “work”.

Sneha (Head of Editing)

The most memorable experience from all of this was the working dynamic that the team had. We popped in once a month to discuss the upcoming edition and brainstorm for article writers, and then we’d return to our own caves to do our pieces of the work. There was never any nagging, never any delays in the production line. Month after month, the editions were churned out of our perfect little factory. One of my best memories was during the February edition. The teachers’ interview document was over 3000 words long, and Laura and I had quite a lot of work to do on it. We had to decide which teachers’ responses to include in which question, whether to cut the responses down or not, and had to reduce it to less than 1500 words. Samud was concerned about whether we’d be able to do it quickly or not, so he gave us 4 days to finish it, but Laura and I did it within 2 hours. Here’s Samud’s reaction to our unbelievable speed, it always makes me giggle.

Laura (Head of Editing)

Even after editing numerous articles, the joy and ultimate satisfaction I get in reading the final published version remains as strong as ever. Seeing articles and interviews come to shape, working with writers that have such unique perspectives, collaborating with my fellow editor Sneha and finally seeing the work put up on the website as a result of teamwork, consistency and excellence is one feeling that I will never forget. My favourite memory is that feeling every time something gets published. The brilliance in quality that the Casual Observer team achieves with each edition is something I’m proud to say I was a part of.

Roshan (Head of Design)

Who would’ve thought a tech enthusiast like myself could inspire life in our Instagram stories and posts? Obviously not me. After all, your team is only as good as the people leading them. Kritika taught me how to use the little artistic creativity I have, and Samud encouraged me to be open. One key thing that I learnt is that you need two types of people in the Design team, ones that give wacky ideas, and ones that adapts it to the relevant theme. On that note, here’s a story so gloomy and dismal, it’s hilarious!

Rishabh (Head of Administration)

I am probably the most chill guy on the team, with the least stressful job of handling the website. I have always had a fun time designing and managing websites and getting to do a complete overhaul of the website with such a lovely team made this journey worthwhile. My most memorable moments were the late clutches that we as a team pulled to release the editions on time. Sometimes during my online classes I was getting the website ready to post these editions. Those times showed how, as a team, everyone puts so much effort into each and every edition. Getting the positive feedback from our readers just makes our days 🙂

Arjun (Head of Photojournalism)

When Samud came and asked me to join the Photojournalism team I was super excited as this project gave me an outlet to showcase my work without being restricted. If I had to choose a memorable set of memories, it definitely has to be receiving the most out of the box themes for our editions! Aparajit and I really had to rack our brains for ideas for each exquisite theme we got, which I enjoyed very much as it let me be creative and express my views and ideas through my photos. But, even after 9 months, the photojournalism team comes in clutch at the very end of each release. Iykyk 🙂

Aparajit (Head of Photojournalism)

Keeping the legacy of the CO Photojournalism Team alive, here I am at the last minute, this time with my favorite memories down this amazing lane 🙂

We’ve got some insane themes bestowed upon us over the past year, followed by a cat and mouse chase each time between Arjun and I before Samud actually gets us on our toes. In the process, Arjun and I came up with shots so awesome we couldn’t believe ourselves! And then there was that one edition Food for Thought – March 2021. I guess I was over-thinking what to shoot, and I made a bad entry into graphic design with a creation I titled ‘Black Tap’ – 

But after all the last minute clutches, private chat rants, and the Photojournalism Articles we’d surely have got 7s on, I’m really going to miss shooting for CO every month on a new, thought-provoking theme, right from that November evening when Samud asked me to join the team and shoot for the month’s edition, DURING SA2. As you can see, I’ve been ‘Looking Back’ quite far into the past 🙂

Kritika (Deputy Head of Casual Observer)

As deputy head of CO, I was given a bird’s eye view into the behind the scenes of each edition. From going through photographs with photojournalism to panicking with Sneha and Laura about editing articles at the last minute, everything required extreme focus and determination! Brainstorming ideas with Samud, Jia and Natalia was extremely invigorating, as they would work till the very last second before every edition dropped, but the quality never suffered thoooooo. The most exciting and fun part of working in CO this year was designing and helping Roshan, to make our posts and stories “less depressing.” It was almost as if Samud and I had a telepathic connection (the team’s words, not ours) as we always seemed to work on the same page. We truly complemented each other in the best possible way. While I am going to miss all of this, it’s not over yet. The best is yet to come 😉

Samud (Head of Casual Observer)

Having too many memories to choose one from is undoubtedly a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. From synchronised brain lags with Kritika, to making ridiculous designs with Roshan, to panicking about photos with Arjun and Aparajit, there is no shortage of unforgettable memories. But after much deliberation my standout memory as part of this team is having Ms. Smitha tell me after the February Edition (where our interview with her was published) that her kids really enjoyed the article and got to know a side of her that they didn’t know before. I’ll let that speak for itself. Heartwarming 🙂

As you can tell, the past year has been an absolute blast for us and we thank you for supporting us and reading our editions. This is a bittersweet moment as we look back on all our memories but look forward to the new team. 

For the last time, 

The Casual Observer Team (2020-2021)