Ayieno Kechű worked with Google for almost five and half years and also was part of the initial You Tube India team. She worked as “Abuse and Safety Specialist” for a year and then returned to work as “Policy Specialist” for Google.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
Exploring an interesting career ranging from producing and directing TV shows, working with Google and You Tube as a policy specialist to ultimately returning to her home state, Nagaland, to serve the people through Government sector, Ayieno Kechű, is the “bold lady” from the state to have field reported from the “war torn” regions of Afghanistan.
Ayieno received her degree in mass communication, video production, and including masters in communication media for children. She also had worked with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), an associate producer for over 52 episodes of five programmes aired on Zee Networks “Faldo” and also having the distinction of producing and directing over hundred episodes of a children’s progamme “Khushi Ki Duniya” that was also aired on Sony TV Prime Time.
Ayieno Kechu later went on to work with Google for almost five and half years and also was part of the initial You Tube India team and worked as “Abuse and Safety Specialist” for a year and then returned to work as “Policy Specialist” for Google. Upon returning to her home state, Nagaland, she joined Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) as Programme Officer for Information, Education and Communication (IEC), designated as Deputy Director, for five and half years and presently serving as Media Officer to the Chief Minister, Nagaland. In 2010, she was the first “Communication Lead for India” for the “Girls 20” which led to the G20 Summit held in Toronto, Canada.
Sharing inside of her journey through Asalie Peseyie’s Podcast talk show, the man regarded as Nagaland’s own Larry King for having interviewed many influential people of the state including politicians, social reformers, musicians, fashion icons and the lists goes on, the vastly experienced Ayieno also shared about her experiences while growing up as a responsible “young lady” amongst five siblings being from a broken family. She gave credit to her mother for raising her and her siblings for what they are today despite facing many obstacles and struggles.
Alumni of the then Little Flower School (LFS), now Little Flower Higher Secondary School (LFHSS), Kohima, who also studied the then pre-university (Class XI) at Patkai Christian College (PCC), Chumukedima, she has to relocate herself to Baptist College Kohima owing to her health conditions and other reasons. As a child, she said she was always hooked into reading newspapers and other informative magazines including “Wisdom” and also was ambitious on becoming an IAS officer and also in becoming a Chartered Accountant which according to her was unheard of those days.
During her high school days, having coming to term that she is “mathematically challenged” and logical reasoning almost zero, Ayieno gave up her “dream” and opted for travel and tourism management which was very new in the state and also the Northeast. It was during that time that she heard about mass communication and following a research on it and that not many Nagas were into the particular field, she decided to do a course and later degree and masters including in video production from St Anthony’s College, Shillong, Meghalaya.
She also joined the SNDT College, Pune, for her another course mass communication media for children. With a determination never to quit, Ayieno with support from one of her professors shifted to Hyderabad as an intern with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) for six months from where she travelled to Afghanistan in 2003 to shot a documentary which also included relief works and covering on girls’ school right after the Taliban being ousted.
Recalling that stint in Hyderabad was not that easy being a new face armed with educational qualification in mass communication, she was not well received and seeing her as an “threat” to the many of her colleagues, she said her intention was not to “overthrow” anyone but was determined to finish her six months internship while also planning to travel to Afghanistan for the coverage. She also shared her experiences as an intern sometimes being bullied, treated as an outsider and stealing the limelight from those senior colleagues having more than 10 years experiences in the field.
Also sharing that in the third month of her internship, the shy and timid Ayieno said that the opportunity to travel to Afghanistan for the coverage came as a surprise to her keeping in mind that during that time men were denied entry into many villages in the Afghan region.
She also said she stayed in a village called Istalif in Kabul which is famous for turquoise pottery and also known as “burnt village” now as it was completely razed by the Taliban during their previous regime.
Ayieno further informed that apart from the relief works including medical relief, she produced two documentaries basing on the border of Istalif and another on the pottery which is the main occupation of villagers. She also disclosed that she also did a film on a girl child called Najela who happened to be the first girl child to go to school from her family.
Ground Realities
Ayieno on recalling her experiences, she shared the situation during that time was not very “calm and peaceful” as many armed personal were seen across the streets and not very well received while also being suspicious on them by the locals.
“Tension gripped as there were also live landmines in many places and we have to track very carefully while shooting”, she said. Ayeino has written and directed shows with CBN after her internship, and she before directing and producing the children’s programme “Kushi Ki Duniya”, she also co-directed and co-produced many programmes for the CBN.
She also got employed by the Google since 2005 after facing many challenges including seven rounds of strenuous interviews stretching six months though she said she landed up with Google within a month after her CVs including her coverage in Afghanistan was crosschecked. She was with Google for five years and was also was part of first Youtube India team.