Over the past three years Sangita Iyer has become one of the most recognisable faces on the Island, as a result of her nightly appearances on ZBM TV News and through her recent award-winning EnviroShorts documentary series.

But on the third anniversary of her first news broadcast for Bermuda, Ms Iyer is moving on. Although it was not her choice, she did not anchor her usual Thursday and Friday evening newscasts last week and therefore was unable to give an on-air sign off, but she is taking the opportunity through The Royal Gazette to say goodbye to her viewers.

Here, she speaks of her time with the Bermuda Broadcasting Company – good and bad – and what it has been like working in Bermuda these past few years, what she has learned about the Island and about herself, and what the future now holds.

When the studio recording light went out after the ZBM newscast two Friday's ago, it was Sangita Iyer's last direct broadcast to the people of Bermuda.

She put together some news packages last week and saw out her contract, which she asked not to be renewed and which expired last Friday.

Rather than renew her contract, Ms Iyer is looking to fresh opportunities and challenges, a few of which could see her make a return to television work in Canada.

When she speaks of her three years in Bermuda it is with mostly positives and enthusiasm, bar for aspects of the working atmosphere she encountered.

Working at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company had been "an emotional rollercoaster" with good and bad aspects, according to Ms Iyer.

Yet for all the difficulties she says she faced professionally, the feedback from different corners of the Island regarding the way she has presented herself as a media professional and her involvement in the community, particularly in the field of environmental awareness, has been universally complimentary.

On the positive side her television work has brought her touching moments and interactions, not only with some of her colleagues, but with everyday Bermudians when she has been out and about reporting.

Numerous anecdotal stories pepper Ms Iyer's conversation as she recalls those moments. One time she was preparing a health segment for the news and met with heart patient Gloria Greaves who was baking coconut cookies when she arrived. Ms Iyer remarked how she loved coconut cookies. Later the same day, a batch of coconut cookies was delivered to the ZBM office from Mrs Greaves.

On other occasions she has received flowers annonymously as thank you gestures.

At the TV station she has worked with many good and genuine people but has also encountered negativity from some quarters, which played a key part in her decision not to renew her contract beyond three years.

While not wishing to dwell on that, she said of her decision to leave the station: "I feel an immense sense of relief because the negative energy and toxic environment was starting to suppress my creativity. When your efforts are constantly undermined, your spirit starts dying. That's when you know it's time to pack up and leave.

"I learned a lot of life-transforming lessons about personalities and egos and about hard news reporting."

Reflecting on what she has learned during her three years in Bermuda, she said: "There is so much potential that the people here have but it is being stifled by a certain mentality. I've met so many bright, young people and have had the chance to interview them and find they are very intelligent."

She mentioned in particular the experience of visiting students at CedarBridge Academy. "It is about making connections with the young people and focusing on their attributes rather than what they don't do well. What you focus on is what gets magnified."

Instead of focusing on the deaths, murders and violence that afflict some of the Island's young people, Ms Iyer believes the community should put more effort into rallying behind the young.

"The media is also to be blamed. Let's face it – news sells. Society wants drama and action and the news lends itself to that; stabbings, murder, fires. Young people start thinking 'This is so cool, this is what I want to be involved in'," she said.

"Yes, it is important to report fires and deaths, but it is equally important to report the good things that will pick people up – that doesn't happen here in the broadcast media. The media has a responsibility to mould our society."

She would like to see parents truly understanding the importance of nurturing their children. "It is imperative for parents to prioritise in raising their kids and spend time with them, make them an integral part of their life and communicate with them.

"Even if a parent is working three jobs, they should talk and share with their children why that is so, and give them their undivided attention when they can, even if it's only for two hours a week."

Ms Iyer, who was a teacher of biology and conservation when she lived in Kenya, added: "Teachers can make or break a child. It goes back to focusing on what is good in each child's life while working through the negatives – if that is what you call it. It is up to teachers to bring out the child's positive qualities, and they can do that by the way they talk to them, their slight gestures and the energy they bring to them."

Regarding the state of local television, Ms Iyer is perplexed by the irony of Bermuda being a sophisticated society and amongst the richest countries in the world per capita, yet not having a broadcast media to match.

"We need to have sophisticated coverage of news. Why can't we have digital equipment and live broadcasts? Why can't we stay on a par with the rest of the world and get ahead of them?"

A lack of competition between the two rival broadcast companies on the Island is reflected in the lack of investment and low standard of onscreen advertising seen in Bermuda, she feels.

Ms Iyer was born and raised in India. She also lived in Kenya before moving to Canada where she has spent much of her life and where, during the early part of this decade, she worked with two television stations in Toronto, most notably OMNI TV.

Getting television work had been a testament to Ms Iyer personal resolve and determination after she had encountered knock-backs. In an overwhelmingly white country such as Canada she found it hard to break through the 'quota system'.

She did not give up. After securing work at OMNI, she hosted shows focused on the near-one million strong South Asian community living in the Canadian city.

Then, in 2004, she travelled to Bermuda as a part-time fragrance consultant. A naturally private person, she boarded the Island-bound plane intending to sit quietly and read a book. But instead she struck up a conversation with a couple sitting alongside her on the plane. It was to be a fortuitous decision.

The couple were John and Belinda Tucker. Ms Iyer remembers remarking, as the Island came into view outside the aircraft windows: "Wouldn't it be great to report in Bermuda."

Mrs Tucker said she knew a broadcaster on the Island and would speak to him. That broadcaster was Rick Richardson, the then-managing director of Bermuda Broadcasting Company. After receiving Mrs Tucker's rave review of the woman broadcast journalist he sought her out for himself, strolling into the fragrance department of the store where Ms Iyer was working.

That led to an opportunity for a one-off show on a water project on the Island, which Ms Iyer put together in the allotted time-frame of a week and that – together with her show reel from Canadian television – impressed Mr. Richardson enough that he offered her a contract.

"When I moved to ZBM I was able to cover courts and hard news which was a great opportunity, although I did not enjoy having to report on cases such as the father who molested his daughter. And it could be painful covering young people committing heinous crimes and being jailed for 20 years at the point in their lives when they could really make a difference."

She has been genuinely touched by some of her colleagues at the TV station, such as Earlston Chapman, Donnamae Masters, cameraman Wayne Astwood and and Mr. Richardson.

"Despite my disagreements with Rick on certain issues, we always found a way to communicate and get past the confusion. I'm grateful that he gave me the opportunity to serve Bermuda, but beyond that, to produce EnviroShorts (her environmental documentary series) which is a legacy I leave behind for Bermuda's young people. When he left the station I felt that I lost my support."

Ms Iyer added: "I will also cherish my camaraderie with David Lopes (presenter and farmer), who would bring her fresh farm fruits, and Power 95 Captain Keevil Burgess as well as Juggling Jason. They made me feel like I was part of their team and our radio casts were wonderful because they are professionals and recognise that together everyone achieves more."

Only four months after arriving on the Island, Ms Iyer contacted around a dozen key people involved in aspects of environmental concern in Bermuda with the view to generating stories. She felt honoured when they all showed up and brought so many ideas that it became obvious there needed to be a series of documentary shows to cover all the topics.

Bermuda Broadcasting Company boss Mr. Richardson gave his support on the proviso the project did not affect Ms Iyer's primary role as a news journalist and that she found the money for the venture. Ms Iyer succeeded in securing funding from a range of companies and organisations and worked in her spare time to create the EnviroShorts shows.

The series was commended by Senators and won the inaugural DeForest Trimington Award from the Bermuda National Trust. The documentaries are now being distributed as a DVD set to schools across the Island as an educational aid and hopefully to be incorporated in the school curriculum.

For Ms Iyer the shows are the highlight of her work on the Island, the hard work often entailed working until four in the morning and juggling her day job responsibilities, but has created a legacy of which she is proud.

She expresses gratitude to those who helped put the shows together, especially editor Larry Bucher. Through the passion of the likes of Andrew Dobson and Jennifer Gray, of the Bermuda Audubon Society, Jack Ward, David Wingate and others, Bermuda's environmental story unfolded. She also feels current Environmental Minister El James is genuinely concerned and committed to making a difference for the benefit of the Island's environment.

"Bermuda can be placed in the global spotlight when it comes to the environment," said Ms Iyer.

"It already has its turtle project and fish pot ban. The EnviroShorts will be going out on DVDs to schools, which is a great way for the children to get the message and they can take it back to their parents and tell their parents the importance of picking up plastics and garbage and looking after their surroundings."

She adds: "When I was making the EnviroShorts, although there were times when I was emotionally tired when things weren't going the way I wanted them to go, I never felt exhausted because I was so energised producing this work. Every minute I put into those shows I feel was worth it."

Reflecting on what she has learned about herself and Bermuda in the past three years, Ms Iyer said gossip is one of the things that is killing the Island.

"Gossip is destroying our young people. When there is so much gossip, young people don't want to talk. Gossip stifles open conversations and as a result the young people's emotions are cooked up inside and it explodes as gang violence and criminal activities," she said.

"If only people that gossip could use that time and energy to do something productive for the Island then Bermuda could be transformed into an oasis of peace."

Xenophobia is also an issue she has faced. "It exists and we face it. Sometimes it is obvious, other times it is ever so subtle. One individual told me to 'go home'," she said.

"My response to that is Bermuda belongs to the universe and the universe is open to everybody. If this is the place you call your home then I say 'what are you doing to make it a better place for the young people rather than doing drugs and getting involved in criminal activity?"

And then there is the politics of the Island. Her first news report back in 2005 was covering former Premier Sir John Swan's speech to Hamilton Rotary. She recalled: "As soon as it aired there was feedback, 'Oh, she's a UBP girl'. People try to figure out what side you are on, but I was just doing my job, and I have always been trying to do my job with objectivity.

"Sometimes you can't get the other side to comment and people think that shows bias. I have been as fair and objective as I could be."

On a personal level Ms Iyer feels she has grown in her time in Bermuda, with highlights including reporting from deep within the Crystal Caves and interviewing US presidential candidate John McCain when he visited Bermuda last year. And she is grateful for the level of access – not possible in many other larger countries – to senior Government Ministers, the Premier and Governor Sir Richard Gozney, when covering stories.

And she said: "I've worked with difficult people and in difficult circumstances and that has taught me forgiveness and acceptance of others. That has been a major lesson from living in Bermuda."

Ms Iyer will take from Bermuda many precious memories, treasured friendships such as the one she has with Bermuda god parents Tommy and Marion Squire, and magical moments of wonderment with nature.

She also recalls two recent whale-watching trips, the first of which had seemed destined to be fruitless hours at sea searching for the migrating ocean giants. Sitting at the bow of the boat she closed her eyes and felt a spiritual connection with nature, moments later a group of humpback whales appeared out of nowhere. That same feeling came again on the second trip when a dolphin played in the bow wave of the boat feet away from where she sat.

"I'm in love with Bermuda's natural beauty and no matter how many times I visit the same beach there's always a new lesson I learn from Mother Nature."

She feels the universe paved the way and put all the right people on my path. "I believe that when your service is based on pure intentions for the greater good of the society, the universe will pave the way and make things happen even if the negative forces try to thwart your efforts."

Looking to the future, she said: "I have a couple of offers in British Columbia, Canada. But I'm still weighing my options carefully. It's a watershed moment for me, and I have to make the right decision, so I'll not be pressured into making hasty decisions."

She added: "I came to Bermuda as an average reporter and as a news anchor. Because I acted on an idea that God planted in my mind, I'll leave also as a documentary maker and hopefully as someone who has touched people's lives."

Iyer talks of work/life balance experience - Business, Page 30

What others have said:

Governor Sir Richard Gozney: "I think we have all been impressed and enthused by Sangita Iyer's dynamism and her passion for her work and her causes. The EnviroShorts which she made for television, and which are now being distributed to Bermuda's schools, showed those characteristics well: convincing film work and a huge commitment to conservation, on and off Bermuda."

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown: "Sangita proved to be a positive addition to Bermuda's media, particularly when it came to the environment. She showed high integrity in that area by consistently asking difficult questions and reporting what she learned to the public. Her shoes will be difficult to fill. I wish her well."

Former Premier Sir John Swan: "Her standards have been excellent. She has presented the news 'as it is', a presenter of the facts and I do not think anyone has questioned her on the level of balance she has maintained. Her standard of reporting has been excellent, she is very professional and definitely very presentable. To me she is a very intelligent, sensitive and concerned individual who has projected her confidence in an area that is going to be important to Bermuda and the rest of the world – and that is the environment.

"She has been a significant person on the airwaves and has brought about, in the process, environmental awareness in many aspects of Bermuda. That awareness is important to our survival. Sangita recognises the synergies between how we treat aspects of pollution and preservation and how we treat each other."

Quinton Edness, former broadcaster and managing director of the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, said: "Sangita is a very talented and creative person. She is a good presenter but above and beyond that she is a very good producer behind the scenes and has produced some valuable shows, such as those on health. She has a lot of ideas that she has not been able to bring forward and I hope that she will be able to unleash that talent in the future. I admire her."

Al Seymour Sr, a former broadcaster, said: "The talent she brought to Bermuda was very uplifting to journalism and she conducted herself in a manner that was very professional. She had the ability to really be 'talking to you' rather than to the whole country. Personally, I think she did a terrific job and her EnviroShorts series was of a very high standard. I appreciate high standards and she had high standards. She was a credit to the country and her profession."

Andrew Dobson, president of the Bermuda Audubon Society: "As well as presenting current events in a professional manner, Sangita has also highlighted many environmental concerns which would otherwise remain overlooked. People are responding to some of the environmental issues facing Bermuda and Sangita has certainly helped in that education process".

Jannell Ford, Bermuda Broadcasting Company news editor: "During the time Sangita has been with the Bermuda Broadcasting Company she has done some interesting work. She was recognised by the Board of Directors for the work she did on the EnviroShorts series. We wish her well in her future endeavors."