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17 Dec 2009 Query: Spirituality & Health
Author: Mridu Khullar |  Category: Samples  | Tags:  | Leave a Comment

I sent this query when I was in Ghana and finishing up my first assignment for this editor. I typically would have waited to write and submit the first piece before pitching the second, but I knew this one would be right up his alley and didn’t want to waste any time because I was leaving the country soon.

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Dear X,

Hope this finds you well. I’m putting the finishing touches on the (previous) piece and should have it to you within the next couple of days.

In the meantime, I came across a very fascinating concept here in Ghana, and since I’m only here until [date of my departure], I thought I’d run it by you in case you’re interested.

Here’s a brief:

A large fish. An over-sized Coca-Cola bottle. A hammer. Even a mobile phone.

They could be art exhibits in a gallery in Paris. Instead, they’re coffins. Handmade, very detailed, and created to carry a deceased Ghanaian to his afterlife.

In the West African country of Ghana, funerals are as much a time of mourning as they are of celebration. The significance of symbols is strong, and hence a person, in the event of his death, is placed in a coffin that symbolizes his life. So a farmer may bid farewell in a cocoa bean coffin, a pilot in an airplane, and a cell phone salesman in, what else, a Nokia cell phone.

Death is taken very seriously, and the body of the deceased may have to be preserved for months while the coffin is carved out. The coffins themselves cost about $400 and up, in a country where a majority live on less than $2 a day. A death ceremony can send families into several years of debt-paying. All so that their loved ones can leave in style and find peace in the other world.

Near Accra, the capital of the country, skilled craftsmen have their stores and are open to the public to come view them at work.

I think the concept is fascinating on many levels, and the primary appeal I see for Spirituality & Health’s readers lies in the concept of celebrating death. Seeing the positive in what appears to be a negative. Finding joy in moments of pain. A sad event, a death is a colorful celebration, so much so that coffin-makers are a tourist attraction. And a minutely-carved piece of art is buried making it special and impermanent, just like the body that lies inside it.

What do you think? Let me know if you like the idea, and I’ll hop on over and get my research, interviews and photography done.

Thanks X. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
Mridu

**

The published piece: Going Boldly Into That Good Night

16 Dec 2009 Query: GlobalPost
Author: Mridu Khullar |  Category: Samples  | Tags:  | Leave a Comment

While this was an editor I had only worked with once before, we’d hit it off immediately, and had discussed everything from my crazy work-all-night schedule to the birth of his children. The editor had loved what I had done for them before and received fantastic feedback on it from his staff, so we were quite comfortable with each other. Because of that, even though he was still editing my earlier piece, you’ll notice that my query is laidback and doesn’t try too hard. I don’t need to mention credits or bio because he’s already aware of what I bring to the table.

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Hi X,

Hope you’re well. I know you’re still looking at the [earlier] piece, but I came across this timely story that I thought I’d send your way. Let me know if you find it interesting.

When’s the baby due? Ask your astrologer

As the concern over the rising rates of caesarean sections grows around the world, in India, the opposite is happening: couples are increasingly opting for them. In consultation with their astrologers.

Middle-class Indians today, with access to some of the best healthcare in the world, are opting for premeditated caesarian sections in order to perfectly time the birth of their babies. In this practice that is both dangerous and controversial (but increasingly popular), couples consult with their astrologers to make sure that their child is born at an “auspicious time” of their choosing, at great risk to both mother and baby. No doubt astrologers– and doctors– are profiting. Some hospitals now even boast of astrology departments.

The story hasn’t been picked up yet by any international media, and I’d love to report on it for you. Let me know if you can use it.

Thanks so much, X. I look forward to the edits and hearing what you think of this story idea.

Best,
Mridu

**

The published piece: In India, C-Sections are in the Stars

15 Dec 2009 Query: ELLE
Author: Mridu Khullar |  Category: Samples  | Tags:  | 2 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before, I got my start in journalism with ELLE’s Indian edition, and have continued writing for them over the years. I have a relationship with several of the editors at the publication, and my queries are often quick, personal notes, sometimes just a line or two.

Because I understand this publication intimately, I went ahead and did my reporting as well as asked a photographer to accompany me even before we had the assignment. Since we went as a team, you’ll see that I pitch this piece using a “we.” I don’t mention it here, because the editor is no doubt aware of it, but it was the first gay pride parade to be held in several cities.

The query took about ten minutes to write.

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Dear X,

Hope this finds you well. I’m writing because I’m sure you’ve heard of the Gay Pride Parades that took place around the country yesterday in Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore, and I wanted to offer you a story on the parade as well as the issues surrounding the gay and lesbian communities in India.

I was at the parade yesterday with photographer BK, who flew here from Sri Lanka. We spoke to several activists and straight people who were attending the parade, and thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about homosexuality in India. Despite being part of a gay pride parade, it struck us that several people who had come to stand in solidarity with gay people were quite homophobic (one straight student told us he had dressed in his shabbiest clothes so that he wouldn’t get hit on by gay men.)

In addition to the parade itself, I think the article could focus on the problems that the gay community faces (forced marriages, violence, alarming rates of suicide) and solutions (the arts are a huge outlet when it comes to expression of freedom in the community). It would also take a look at the class factor: while middle-class and upper-class homosexuals have been able to gain a level of acceptance in their communities, for the majority of homosexuals in India, it still seems like an impossible dream. Indeed, many people at the parade wore masks to cloak their identities and several refused to speak to the media for fear of repercussions.

I think the gay pride parade has brought the issues of the homosexual community into the spotlight, and hence this would be a very timely piece in terms of talking about the achievements made and how much more there is to do. A Supreme Court judgment on the law against homosexuality is due in the next couple of days and I’ll make a note of that ruling as well.

Let me know if you agree. I can have the article written in the next ten days so that it can be published in a timely manner. Professional photographs by BK are available.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Mridu

**

The published piece: Pride Meets Prejudice

14 Dec 2009 Query: Ms. Magazine
Author: Mridu Khullar |  Category: Samples  | Tags: , ,  | 3 Comments

Here’s an early holiday present from me to you. For the whole of this week, each day I’ll be posting a query letter that led to a sale. The published pieces are all available online. If you read them, you’ll notice that the queries often look different to the pieces, because once the editor gets involved, his or her vision becomes part of the final product as well.

I sent this query to Ms. Magazine in July 2007, it was published a year later. This was my first assignment for them.

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Dear X:

Six states in India banned sex education in schools late last month, saying that the course material was too explicit, encouraged sexual conduct in young people, and was against the Indian culture.

To discipline students further, two high schools in Mumbai came up with another rule: girls and boys will not be allowed to touch each other. If they happen to brush against each other by accident, they’ll be penalized.

In a rapidly developing India, where pre-marital sex is still considered taboo (even though reportedly a quarter of the nation’s youth admit to engaging in it), and the generation gap has become a gaping hole, more and more young people are fumbling for reliable information on sex, contraceptive choices and methods. Even in educated India, the inhibitions and taboos surrounding sex make information inaccessible.

But education is just the first step. Getting access to contraceptives is a whole other battle. When Nikki B. went to the local pharmacy to buy the morning-after pill, the looks from the men across the counter, she says, made her feel like a prostitute. The next time, she went with her boyfriend and pretended to be married to him before making the purchase.

Doctors act as moral police, too. When patients reveal that they are unmarried, several of them are given lectures, stern looks, or are completely dismissed. The result is a large number of youngsters who feel reluctant to approach doctors and health workers about their sexual health, and are as a consequence, susceptible to STDs, genital infections, even AIDS. Abortions among unwed mothers continue to be on the rise.

Not surprisingly, this moral policing is directed mostly at women.

Would this be a story you might be interested in? I’ll talk about the lack of willingness among parents to talk to their children (especially girls) about sex, interview women from different generations to get their takes on the issue, and talk to health and education experts to find out what this means for the future of India’s youth.

[My bio]

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Resultant piece: Have They Forgotten the Kama Sutra?

28 Jul 2008 Query: Women’s eNews
Author: Mridu Khullar |  Category: Samples  | Tags: , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

This was my first query to Women’s eNews. I’d earlier sent them a Letter of Introduction and the editor sent me writer’s guidelines and encouraged me to pitch ideas.

Some things to note:

1. Even though the project isn’t aimed at women in particular, I emphasize why it’s of importance to women, and hence relevant to the publication’s audience: “The project is particularly of help to women, many of whom are widows and have children from their previous marriages.”

2. The article speaks of a huge problem (one written about hundreds of times), but also gives details of a unique solution (which hasn’t been written about at all). There’s a freshness about it.

3. I’ve done my research. This helped me give lots of details of the background of the people involved and why this project is not just a simple government-funded effort, but something that held meaning to the people behind it.

**

Dear [Editor]:

Thank you for your e-mail. Here’s an idea that I think would work well for [Name of Publication]. I hope you agree.

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In a country of arranged marriages, it’s hard enough for a woman to exert her identity. Add AIDS to the equation and you have women who can never have healthy relationships.

In India, few women–married or unmarried–can afford to come out in the open about their HIV status because of the stigma attached to AIDS and the morality issues that surround it.

Daxa Patel, of the Gujarat State Network of Positive People, has come up with a unique solution–a marriage bureau for HIV-positive people.

The bureau was set up by Daxa and her husband Vithal Patel, both of whom are HIV positive. Daxa found out she was positive when she got pregnant, though neither of them have been able to determine how they got infected. On a doctor’s advice, Daxa aborted the baby, but has been in a happy relationship with Vithal for the past seven years.

The couple became HIV counselors and thought other people deserved to be in happy relationships as well. The idea behind the project was that people with HIV might be happier together than alone or with partners who were HIV negative.

The project is particularly of help to women, many of whom are widows and have children from their previous marriages. Many of them need not only social security, but economic security as well.

I propose a piece on this marriage bureau and the people behind it. I will also interview couples who have come together through the network, and others who’re seeking partners with their help. The article will additionally help explain the situation of AIDS in India, which according to recent UN reports is now considered the country with the most number of AIDS cases.

As I mentioned in my previous e-mail, I’m a freelance journalist based in New Delhi, India, and have written for publications such as Marie Claire, Elle, The World & I, The Times of India, Yahoo.com, Chicken Soup for the Soul and East West Magazine.

Details of my work and published credits are available on my website: http://www.mridukhullar.com.
I’m happy to send samples of my recent work.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
Mridu Khullar

**

The resultant article:
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3201

02 Jun 2008 Query: Women’s Health & Fitness
Author: Mridu Khullar |  Category: Samples  | Tags: , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

This was my first and only assignment with this publication. I never received a copy and the magazine soon went out of business. So if you have a copy lying around from September or October ‘05 or know where I can find back issues, please let me know.

As for the query, some of the things that make it work include:

* The words Harvard study in the title. Look editor, I have proof!
* Thorough research, and new tips.
* A counter-intuitive approach. Instead of how to lose weight, I’m telling you how to not gain weight.

**

Dear [Name of Editor]:

If you’ve been eliminating fats from your diet, it’s likely to result in weight gain! These findings by a 12-week Harvard School of Public Health Study prove that low-fat diets are probably the reason you’re not losing weight, but gaining it. In fact, in order to lose weight, you need to increase your consumption of good fats (monosaturated or polyunsaturated).

The lack of fat in your diet may also be the reason why you’ve been so stressed and frustrated lately. This was proved by an American study at Bowman-Gray University in which scientists separated monkeys into two groups. The first group received a regular-fat monkey diet, while the second group received a no-fat monkey diet. After a period of time, the monkeys eating the normal diet behaved like normal monkeys-playful and active, while the monkeys on the no-fat diet became agitated and violent, with some monkeys nearly killing each other.

However, women frequently make the mistake of eliminating fats from their diet and end up causing more harm than good. And that’s not all they’re doing wrong.

In my article “Diet Not Working? 10 Food Mistakes That Make You Fat” I’ll talk about many such follies that even smart dieters fall prey to. For instance,

* Giving up your favorite foods: “When you’re turned on by food, you turn on metabolism,” says nutritional psychologist Marc David. In fact, research shows that if you eat a chocolate ice-cream cone with complete delight, the hypothalamus sends out signals that stimulate a fuller metabolic breakdown and more efficient calorie burning than if you feel guilty while eating it. So instead of feeling bad every time you touch the cheesecake, enjoy it.

* Skipping meals: Next time you’re tempted to skip a meal, don’t! Your central nervous system interprets such behavior the same as if you were under threat and initiates a fight-or-flight response. It assumes that it needs to start storing fat, hence reducing your metabolism and the ability to burn calories.

* Staying busy to avoid the thought of food: You should be doing the opposite! The best way to jump-start your metabolism each day is to think about and plan for each meal and snack. When it’s time to sit down for a bite, take time out of your busy day. Don’t eat while working or engaging in other activities that occupy your mind. Concentrate fully on enjoying your food and that’ll speed up your digestive efficiency by up to 30%!

Marc David, nutritional psychologist and author of The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy & Weight Loss has already agreed to an interview and I will be contacting other nationally-recognized experts and authors as well.

As a full-time freelance writer, I’ve written over 200 articles for over a dozen national publications and several regional magazines in countries such as USA, Australia, England, India and Bahrain. I’ve also contributed articles to several known US-based and online publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul, Writer’s Digest, Wedding Dresses, College Bound and Senior Connection.

May I write “Diet Not Working? 10 Food Mistakes That Make You Fat” for you?

Very truly yours,
Mridu Khullar

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