Palki Sharma

Host: Well, our next guest, ladies and gentlemen, is a well-known award-winning journalist and was previously managing editor of WION news channel and hosted India's only international primetime news show, Gravitas. Our next guest loves a good debate and has interviewed a huge range of political and well-known global industry figures throughout her time. She is now the managing editor of Network 18 Media and has her own show, Vantage with Palki Sharma.

To share the challenges and triumphs that have shaped her career as well as the passion and the purpose of her storytelling, I'm now delighted to welcome on the stage, please give a very warm welcome to Palki Sharma, managing editor of Network 18 Media. How are you? Thank you so much for joining us. This is very exciting you're here.

Yes, please do, take a seat. How does it feel to be, in the, in the other seat, answering the questions this time? Palki Sharma: Well, I will be more sympathetic to my There you go.

I suppose, to say that. Host: Brilliant. Right. I wanted to start off with a tweet that I read online from you and it says, "I hope I live to see the time where the world doesn't need a women's day to recognize the place of women in society, and that empowerment doesn't come from marketing drives, fancy quotes, and cupcakes."

Can you elaborate? I agree, by the way, but please do elaborate for us. Palki Sharma: I will. Let me also first start by thanking Manoj and IGF for having me here and for us to be able to have a conversation like this, and I totally sort of stand by what I wrote, that cupcakes will not bring empowerment.

Definitely. For empowerment, you need, to be acknowledged for what you bring to the table, which women often don't. You need freedom of choice, and freedom to express your opinion. You need financial independence.

You need to be in control of your life. And I think, I think being, rewarded and being appreciated for what you contribute to this world, not just in terms of words, but I think in our world increasingly financially as well, is very important. Host: And that's something we're gonna touch on a bit later on, because I know financial independence for you is a big passion sort of topic.

As a very successful woman in journalism, sort of what challenges have you had along the way as a woman in journalism? Has it been quite an easy road for you? Palki Sharma: I think, I think the challenges for women are near universal, and they are industry agnostic.

Though some. So for journalists, the time that we spend doing our work is, the hours are longer. It's more demanding physically and mentally, and you're, you find yourself in situations which are not always friendly.

So yes, it can seem more daunting from the outside, but I think any woman who manages both home and work, feels those pressures. Having said that, in, newsrooms still are a, are a man's world. I know there are a lot of women presenters, but the people who are, who are making the calls are, more men than women.

And I think I was, I was lucky to have had some good mentors and bosses along the way, but I wouldn't say that it's easy for anyone, for people in my team. And whatever I learned, in my two odd decades, I make sure that the challenges I face are not the same ones that my team faces. I'm sure they have their own set of things to worry about.

But I think what we need is more women leaders, to be able to appreciate, what women in the workforce anywhere go through. Host: And so, I mean, you've, you've become, you know, managing editor. You're managing editor of two networks now.

So how has that sort of journey been as a woman? Have you had to fight your way to the top, or has it been quite a nice supportive atmosphere in both networks? Palki Sharma: This is not so much about the networks, it's about the industry that we operate in, I think.

And this was famously said by someone else, I love to borrow the quote, that women are judged on their performance and men are judged on their potential. So you always have to prove both to your bosses and to your teams that you're deserving of the seat that you have, and it's that much harder for any woman leader anywhere.

So no, it's not easy, and sometimes you have to go against your basic nature and push for your case. Because I think a lot of women still believe that someone somewhere will recognize how talented they are and reward them, and it doesn't happen. And over the past few years, when I became a manager, when I started hiring people, I saw that,

And I'm not saying it's a bad quality, but men were very forthright in asking for what they think they deserved and negotiating better for their salaries and for their, designations. Women were more, they did not want to upset anyone. And I think that's, that's how a lot of girls are raised.

We need to change that, and we need to tell them that it's okay to ask for what you think you deserve. Host: I've heard that in so many industries, not necessarily just media. But yeah, we're always, you know, we don't want to offend anyone.

We're peacekeepers, and we never Mm-hmm. Because it looks like we're being arrogant if we want something else, you know? Yeah. But in actual fact, if you're doing exactly the same job, why shouldn't you?

You know? Exactly. If you have the same skill set. Let's go back to your journalism. What drives the passion and purpose in your storytelling?

How did you get into the field of journalism? Palki Sharma: I always say the journalism chose me. I was, I was studying to do something else.

I wanted to be a designer, but I somehow find found myself writing for a local newspaper, and one thing led to the other, and then I was in a bigger newsroom, which was quite fascinating, so I stayed and did what I was doing. But I think I really.

I chose journalism after I took a break, and I did because, I don't know how much of Indian news or television news you guys have consumed, but it became a very crowded place and the kind of storytelling that I wanted to do was not what I was doing, or so I thought.

So I did take a break, but when I came back, I knew that I wanted to tell news stories, like stories that are, that are palatable and accessible to people of a wide range. We are, we have 400 news channels in India, but we did not have a global voice as it were.

So we wanted to tell our own story to the world and not depend on someone else to do that. And in my own small way sort of that's what I tried to do. We still have a long way to go, but I guess we've made a start.

Host: You've done incredibly well so far, my goodness. So what about, some of the big interviews? Can you share with us any of the big interviews or breaking news stories that have been memorable in your career that you've really enjoyed or you know, you were proud to be a part of that moment?

There's have been so many. Sorry. Yeah. It's quite a difficult question. Palki Sharma: There have been so many.

I think, the big interview. One of them I did in Dubai that was Pervez Musharraf, he was the former president of, Pakistan and the army chief. I think that was quite an interesting interview.

I wouldn't say one story is more exciting than the other because we tell the stories that excite us anyway. But of late, so last month I was in, I was in, Israel, just after the conflict began. The year before I was in Ah.

To see what was happening. And when you're there on the ground and you talk to people then you get a perspective that you do not get while you're sitting in your studio. And you realize that it's so easy for us to sit every night and say, "This is the death toll, and this is what has happened and these are the trends."

But when you've been there then you see how it touches lives, and it can be very moving and it shapes you as an individual. You know, all of those things. Host: Yeah. Being on the ground I can imagine is very different.

Yeah. Because we'we're just getting numbers and you sort of become in tune to what you're sort of watching. And yeah, being on the ground and actually seeing suffering like that must be very different. Yeah. Palki Sharma: That, and sometimes you you see, you see a trend that is building.

I think, I think Me Too was one such, movement of sorts that was supported a lot by the media. We did not have any ground reports as it were. But there was.

Or the big anti-corruption movement that we had in India. You know, when you're part of those events then you see history shaping in front of your very eyes and you feel that there is, there has to be a bigger purpose to what you're doing than just telling the news. I mean, you are, you're actually shaping, your story and that of your country or your people.

Host: You're making history at the end of the day. Yeah. Palki Sharma: Or you're chronicling it too. Yeah. Host: Yeah. Chronicling a history.

Exactly. Let's get back to, financial independence. So I was reading a staggering 62% of women, of Indian women don't have a bank account, and you've been quoted as saying that financial independence or financial wellbeing is the key to women empowerment. So what does women empowerment mean to you and why is that so important when it comes to financial independence?

Palki Sharma: I think, 60, 62 you're saying? 62%. Yeah. I thought percent, yeah. I thought 80% of Indian women have bank accounts.

Oh, wow, okay. But it's not as much as men obviously, and it's better than the global Yeah. For India. But I think, in India or I don't know about other societies, but women have a way of saving which is not documented in formal structures. So you a lot.

We are the biggest consumers of gold, and that is a form of security for women and they you know, stash away some money. But that money is just there. It's, it's not investment.

It's just a saving for a rainy day, and it's, it's their understanding of security. I think even for women who have jobs and who are earning their own money are not managing it. I have a I have a friend who runs a podcast on financial advice, and she told me that a lot of, a lot of middle-aged women in India, are now being struck with two Ds.

That is debt and divorce. And then when they're on their own with a big debt they do not know. They've never managed their finances.

And so she's telling them to take charge of. And it can't be so difficult. And I think, I think financial literacy is a life skill that should be taught in schools to everyone, but especially to women, because we need to know what we're doing with what we have.

So I think, I think financial independence is very important and we need to do. I guess it's, it's not on anyone's priority list, not that I know of, Host: Oh, it's not. Is it still something that's just sort of left behind?

Yeah. Because as you said, you know, there's financial independence but then it, as you said, there's financial Yeah. Which is completely different I suppose. So it's, yeah, instilling that at a very early age, isn't it?

Yes. Other than financial independence, what else do you think is needed for sort of women empowerment when it comes to being more independent and becoming more, I don't know, yeah, independence I suppose? Palki Sharma: I think it would help to have more women leaders because they can inspire others. I think, in schools and colleges, women tend to do better academically, at least in India they do, than boys.

But then somewhere along the way they drop out of the workforce because their career cycle and their biological cycles clash. And a lot of them Mm. Their family or whatever it is that they're doing, and that's, that's their choice.

But I'm saying that the, we don't have a pipeline of leaders to draw from then after a certain point, so we need that. We also need networks that support women, to pick a career of their choice. There's, there are all boys clubs.

There aren't such clubs or groups for women that enable them to make the choices that they want and grow, and they typically do not get the kind of investment.

There was a very interesting study that was done, I don't know, I think it was in the US, where, the same investment pitch was made in a man's voice, and the same one was made in a woman's voice, and the one with the man's voice got more takers.

So I think these are inbuilt biases, and it won't, it won't change overnight, and what we need to do then is to co-opt men and women in this journey of transformation because we cannot change biology, but we can certainly transform our society and what it expects of us.

Host: That's what we were talking about in one of the previous panels actually is like, do you think there should be blind pitching when it comes to entrepreneurship and trying to raise money? Mm. And as you said, a male voice got all the interest. So I mean, obviously it's a sad moment in time where you've got to do blind sort of pitching and things.

But yeah, it's very interesting that the male voice got that through though, really interesting. What sort of education and policy needs to be further developed in order to sort of help promote more financial literacy from the bottom up, sort of in, within the education system? Do you think a lot more needs to be done?

And what sort of active role do you would you like to see government sort of play to change the the playing field? Palki Sharma: Education policy, I'm not sure I'm the best person to talk about how it should change. Like I said, financial literacy should be introduced.

But I was, I was part of, some conversations, around G20 on women empowerment, and we had, we had women leaders from various countries, all G20 members in India a couple of months back, and ministers.

And one of the interesting things, that came out was STEM education, that more girls need to be encouraged to take up science, technology, engineering, and math because, the job market is going to change, and it'll be more technology oriented. But I don't know if it's because of biases.

I don't know if it's because women think or girls think that they will do better in humanities, which is okay if that's what they want to study. But there has to be an active, intervention, to encourage girls to pick up those subjects. STEM education is the way forward for them to be able to more.

To become more eligible for the kind of jobs that we'll have in the near future. Host: The future of jobs.

'Cause I was, I did an interview with, the, I think it was the, one of the chiefs of L'Oréal, and she was saying, you know, more and more women and girls are going in STEM education, but a lot of them fall short after they sort of, graduate, and they get their degrees, and they do quite well at it. They either fall short from sort of family pressures- Mm-hmm.

You see. And so they can never extend their careers. So it's how to sort of balance that going through and past sort of higher education and actually putting it into practice as well is, like, apparently a very big thing as well. Palki Sharma: And some of this data is very disheartening, like the gender pay gap, for instance.

You know, the best agencies in the world say that it's going to take 136 years or 140 years to close that gap, which tells us how slow our progress is. A couple of years back, I remember there was a study that, oh, came out that said that, women who do unpaid work or work at home, if that were to be quantified and paid for, it would be some $11 trillion.

And if those women were to make a country, they would have the third highest GDP in the world. My goodness. So they are contributing. Right. And if you were to add it to the contribution that is converted into Yeah.

Then women would be contributing much higher to the global GDP. So I think that there needs to be more awareness to what women are bringing to society, and they need to be compensated for that. 100%. Yeah. Host: Very well said.

Very quickly, what would you say. I want to talk about who your role model is in a minute.

But first of all, anyone that's sort of in our audience here today or anyone watching online, of course, you've got a big online audience, what what sort of words of advice do you have for sort of younger women that are looking to get into journalism that maybe you'd wished that you'd known before getting into this field? Palki Sharma: I wished I'd known before getting into this field.

Host: How would you have navigated it better, do you think? If that's possible, of course. Palki Sharma: I don't know.

You need to, you need to make the best case for yourself. You have to market yourself. No one else is gonna do that for you.

I think that. But my first advice to anybody would be to read and to educate yourself because that's what is going to stand you in good stead no matter what you do. And it's very important, because, especially as journalists, we struggle with timelines. We are always faced with a stiff deadline, and we have to deliver.

So it helps if you have some basic understanding of a subject, and you can't do it overnight. It's a process that takes years, and there is no shortcut to it. So you have to, you have to do it, and it can be, it can be daunting in the beginning, but eventually you're better off for it, and you like what you've done, the kind of work that you've put in.

So I think it's very important to do your own reading, to research, to arm yourself with knowledge. Because then you know that you cannot be short-changed. Host: And journalism is not for the fainthearted, is it?

Palki Sharma: It is not. It is not. It can be, I mean, you ask the junior-most reporters on the field, they're, they're sent on they're usually given education or crime.

That's where you start as reporters. And crime reporting can be tough because you're thrown into all sorts of situations. You see all kinds of scenes which can be blood-curdling.

And initially, some of those stories stay with you for very long. Slowly, you become more cynical, and you learn to process it, and you know that you don't have to become very emotionally attached. The first time I went into a refugee's house, it stayed with me for months.

And then I had to learn to tell myself that I'm not part of that story. I can only tell the story, but I do not have to go and find a school for those kids. Yeah. That's not what I'm here for.

So I think, I think it takes time to become more rational about the subjects that you're dealing with. And they're not easy. I mean, you learn every day.

And sometimes it's, it's upsetting because when you're talking about stories like hunger, they're not as exciting as war. So you see people switching off mentally or physically. And that's not nice because you're, you're, you're telling, you're telling about the hardships that a huge section of our population is going through.

So I think the challenge is to make it more interesting and palatable and exciting. All stories are not like that, but that's what we do. Host: And at the same time, growing a very thick skin at the same time.

Exactly. And making sure that you're not. Obviously, you're not a part of the story. You're telling the story, as you said.

Yeah. Very quickly, we've got one second to go, but I really want to know who your sort of inspiration is. Who do you look up to? And it's very important, as we were saying across this forum, that it's very important to have a role model and a mentor.

So who is that for you? Palki Sharma: For me, I think it's my mother. She got married at a very early age.

She was studying and taking a formal degree till I was in high school, and she was doing it with everything else. And she was a teacher, she was raising us, and she was studying herself. And she's taught us to be, to be true to our values and just take a shot and see where it takes you.

So I think it takes, it takes a lot of grit. And I see And she's not Her story is not unique, but that's, that's, I think, what inspires me, and I hope that I can leave that behind for my own daughter. So I think she's always inspired me that way, and she's, she's had a very positive approach to life, which is hard to emulate.

Host: Really nice. We cannot thank you enough for making time for us here at the India Global Forum 2023. Ladies and gentlemen, Palki Sharma. Thank you.