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Ila SarbadhikariFrom Starfarer Ila Sarbadhikari Ila SarbadhikariName: Ila Sarbadhikari
Appearance:Species: Human
She keeps her hair and make-up very professional and low key in appearance but pretty enough to enable doors to open. While on assignment she wears professional attire but while not working she wears a brightly coloured sari suitable to the occasion.
Personality and TraitsGeneral Overview Ila is a mix of tradition of her home province of Bengal. She exhibits a traditional female Hindu quietness all the while evaluating the field. She can spring into action at a moment’s notice or sit quietly and write poetry. She is as calculating, manipulative and predatory as that of her home provinces most dangerous carnivore, the Bengal Tiger. Meticulous in all things, she measures every move. Her attention to detail borders on obsessive compulsive. Ila loves things to be checked off of her to-do list. Ila is extremely bright. Often secretive in her feelings and dealings, she is, upon initially meeting her, considered quiet and demure but this is a mask. One she keeps well. Those who know her in the news industry understand she is a demanding and driven reporter. Her news savvy has landed her choice spots, rocketing her to the top of her field. The only thing that eludes her now is the coveted anchor chair, held by her arch-rival, Zhia Frankel. She’s very level headed in an emergency. So much so, that her reputation is that of an “ice queen” for those who have seen her in action. When in social situations, she is charming and exudes a charisma while still maintaining an appropriate demure attitude. A balance between shadow and light was well taught by her grandmother. Journalism demands a tough exterior and an even more disciplined mind. As a successful TNN journalist, Ila has learned hard lessons in self-preservation. She is both savvy and silky.
Strengths and Weaknesses Aggressive, calculating, creative. Ila has a calculating mind. She sometimes overthinks. Aggressive, she can put people off or attract those of like mind. Losing control of a situation can bring out the worst in her. She prefers to be in control and when she is not, it will cause her to recalculate to possibly overthink. Yet, beneath this tough shell of a hard bitten reporter is the unsure woman that was overly protected. Her view of relationships is jaded by both traditional matchmaking or by sexual favor taking and giving in the news and entertainment industry. The road to the top is paved in condoms. Ila has a strong family background which protected her from anything but traditional courtships. In long term relationships, she is naïve due to a lack of deeper romantic liaisons—though many physical ones have come her way. In that vein, she stays clear deeper relationships to an almost paranoid level. Still she hopes to find someone someday. Perhaps not today.
Overall Ambitions To be the anchor chair of the top civilian news network TNN, Terra News Network and retire in comfort at an old age.
Hobbies and Interests Writing above all. When not jotting notes for her future news stories she can be found doing any of the following: Poetry, Sandskrit Calligraphy, Tamil Poetry, Sailing, Dragon Boating, Cooking, Martial Arts, and Gymnastics.
Languages Hindi (in Devanāgarī script), Urdu, Bengali, Assamese, Federation English, Romulan.
History:Born in the province of Bengal on Earth (Terra) – October 23, 2457. Education: Rabindra Bharati University: Bachelor’s in International Journalism. Cardiff University School of Journalism: Master’s Degree in Journalism (International: Broadcast and Print). Ila is well educated in the traditional Hindi arts. She was brought up in a refined Bengali home. Her widowed grandmother strictly adhering to custom, taught Ila to be self reliant and strong while keeping a non-aggressive outward appearance. Having been raised under the protective wing of her grandmother in the old family villa on the water in Calcutta, Ila has grown up with Hindi as her native tongue. At the appropriate age, Ila went off to Rabindra Bharati University to get her degree and when it was complete her grandmother was destroyed as her grand daughter left her for Wales and Cardiff University to achieve the next step in her education. Both families were beside themselves when, Ila, instead of going on to her doctorate went straight into her field as an intern for TNN. A lucky break in her first year landed her the coveted Associate position under soon to retire and renowned Bolian journalist, Lim Zott. Taking her under his wing, she soon learned the grim underbelly of journalism. Used for her quiet beauty bu the senior journalist, young Ila was sent on a series of fact finding assignments. Trial and error brought the fresh faced Ila to the hard world of amorality. How the real world worked was an eye opening experience for her. Her journalistic integrity, however, pressed her forward to more dangerous assignments.
“Sir,” Ila looked down at her hands. “He was a dangerous man.” “I sent you.,” Zott tapped the PADD, “because I knew of his weaknesses. YOU knew of his weaknesses. Why … Ila cut him off, “Sir, his entire demeanor was predatory.” “This is true,” the Bolian looked at her with a measured eye, “Only you knew that going in, Ila. You knew what it would take. Take your lessons where you can, or you will be eaten up and spat out.” “Sir!” Ila protested. He tapped the pad impatiently. “You blew your cover?” “No.” Ila shook her head side to side. “Get it. This is what you want, isn’t it? To be the one with the story? You can’t get it by being squeamish, Ila. You can’t get the story from a man like this if you’re going to be shy. This isn’t grade school. This is TNN. We get the story—we move up the ladder because we can get that story. Nobody cares how you got it, as long as you didn’t kill anyone.” “But…” “Ila, a journalist in TNN uses whatever means they can and nobody thinks any less of you for it. In fact, they’ll be impressed that you didn’t flinch.” “I didn’t flinch,” she thought to herself later that night rubbing her wrists as she soaked in the tub. It hadn’t been a horrible thing after all. She was surprised how good the adrenaline felt. How well she could stand there and tell half truths without shaking as she listened to and recorded the stories in her mind. Clear concentration was all it had taken. Focus on the story—she remembered Zott telling her—focus on the story and the rest of it will simply fade into black and white. Ila lay back in the tub and let the heat of the water wash away the pain. The microscopic lens in her eye took the photos. She didn’t blink when she stood there, in the middle of the group of various species. The trade of flesh was going on around her, she moved effortlessly among them, dancing, smiling and laughing as they did their business. If they knew what she was they’d never have let her in. If they knew what Zott would put on TNN the next day they never would have let her out of there. But Zott was careful to avoid any pictures with the man they had made the agreement. The same man that Ila had taken specific photos of in another room. There was no implication of the kingpin, only his minions, the ones he wanted out of the way and there was no retribution from the kingpin as the pictures were safely coded away as an insurance policy.
Many of her disciplined habits stem from the early forging of this new Ila by Zott. Her meticulous attention to detail, too, was fostered and grew from this Svengali relationship with the older Bolian male.
“CUT!” the site director yelled and Ila took off the earpiece and shook her head violently. “Do not yell,” her eyes blazed at him as she hissed. “We do not yell in this business. There is no need. What do you think this is? Sennett Productions? I am not your Charlie Chaplin and you may not boss me around.” “Yes…” he looked startled at her. He was new to the crew and his initial impression of her was of a beautiful, poised Indo-Asian human who he would not have minded having a go. He wasn’t sure if her breasts were real. Probably not, he decided. Her face had obviously been enhanced but he didn’t care, that body whether natural or surgically enhanced was just plain fine. Now, however, she was glaring at him as though she would cut his manly bits to pieces. “…m’am.” He finished and gulped. “Very good,” she smiled and her voice was silky. Ila dropped the earpiece in the air and he scrambled for it suddenly realizing she was controlling him, reading his mind somehow. He felt at once like she’d both petted his head and smacked him with a rolled up newspaper. He liked it. He liked it a lot. Looking around he saw the nodding cameraman. As she walked out of earshot the seasoned cameraman man leaned over to the director. “You’re so screwed.”
Family:Mother: Geeta Anaad – Biophysicist Father: Fareed Sarbadhikari – CFO of Bharajit (a top investment portfolio advisor) Ila's parents divorced while she was still very young. While they were both career-oriented people, her mother and father both chose to have Geeta’s widowed mother, Amulya, raise her. Neither of Ila's parents married again and Ila is an only child. |
