As a freelance journalist, Meghali was already in Ukraine when the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine. She had been traveling around the country, gathering stories for various publications. But now, she found herself in the middle of a conflict zone. She knew that this was a story that needed to be covered, and so she agreed to report for an Indian TV news channel that had asked her to provide live coverage from the ground.
Meghali had never been to a war zone before, and she was both scared and excited by the prospect of reporting from the frontlines. On February 24, 2022, she woke up to the sound of explosions around Kyiv. She had only 15 minutes to pack her belongings and leave. She grabbed her smartphone camera and headed out into the city.
The streets were chaotic, with people running in all directions. Meghali saw families fleeing their homes with whatever they could carry. She met a woman who had lost her entire family in the conflict. The woman was going to the morgue to identify the bodies and sign the necessary paperwork. Meghali was struck by the woman's resilience, her ability to carry on in the face of such tragedy.
Meghali continued to move through the city, capturing video footage of the destruction and the people caught up in the conflict. She saw buildings that had been bombed out, cars that had been overturned, and people who had been injured in the fighting. She also spoke to locals who were doing their best to help those in need, despite the danger.
She reported from the war zone, providing live coverage for the Indian TV news channel. She slept in makeshift shelters and survived on meager rations. She saw firsthand the toll that war takes on both the soldiers and the civilians caught in the crossfire. She witnessed acts of both heroism and cruelty, and she did her best to report on the truth of what was happening.
Finally, after 15 days, Meghali was able to fly back to India. She was exhausted and traumatized by what she had seen, but she knew that she had done important work. Her reporting had helped to bring the reality of the war in Ukraine to people around the world. She hoped that her work would inspire others to take action to end the conflict and prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.
Meghali witnessed the horrors of war and felt that it was essential to stop it.