Yay!!
I got promoted. My newspaper has officially recognised me as a “Special Correspondent” now! And has also given be a 8K raise!
It’s probably the happiest day for me in my career as a journalist.
To be honest, I’ve never really thought or seen myself as a journalist. It’s too serious a word to describe me. I just write. Like I would do in a diary. But because a lot of people read it, I write it a little differently while trying to get the grammar and spellings rite.
So, I’ve surprised myself reaching here and being a “journalist” for ten years now. I started for this tabloid called Metro Ads after my first year of college. I used to write film reviews back then and also had a humour column, apart from doing serious reporting. Then, I wrote for another tabloid called A.m. Plus, the Saturday supplement to Morning Times in Manipal, during my M.S. days there. It was a compulsory thing and we couldn’t say No it, for two years. The serious nature of A.M.Plus haunted us week after week, so much that we were frustrated enough to launch a spoof called P.M.Minus, a raunchy underground version (even if it was just for two issues).
By the time I had joined The Hindu, I already had four years of experience writing features. That sort of helped me to do some quick light writing. I had taken up the job only as a stop gap arrangement till I finished my film. In my sixth year in the paper, today I’ve grown to realise that I’ve become addicted to the paper, so much that I wouldn’t want to stop writing for it, even if I do have to quit it some day.
I’m addicted almost to the extent of being obsessed about my space there. I want to keep seeing myself in Metro Plus, I want to see myself in Education Plus, I want to write for Sunday Magazine, I want to keep doing my reviews on Friday, even when if they get butchered and even if it means working on off days (watching movies, that is! π he he!) and I just want to see myself in every section of the paper.
Why don’t you shift into a lucrative job that actually pays, asked my fresh-out-of-college friends who started off their first job with twice the pay that I was getting after five years of work here. But I used to reason it out saying that I get paid to maintain my brand in the most circulated paper in town and the second largest selling newspaper in the country. “It’s like getting paid to release your ad everyday.”
As a filmmaker, I realise the importance of branding and how much it would help me in getting a larger audience for my films. As a journalist, this filmmaker also had the perfect platform to meet people from different walks of life, get to know what concerns them, what touches them, what affects them and what really makes a difference to their lives. This filmmaker also soon got unique access into the mind of a film critic, while getting to watch movies before anybody else gets to. I do know that one day, I’m gonna be at the receiving end of strong words of criticism, be rubbished around mercilessly so badly that I won’t even be able to hide behind a newspaper cuz the biting words free flowing from some smart ass critic’s keyboard will meet me there, point blank at my face! The same people who liked my work as a writer might want to catch my collar asking for refund of ticket, petrol and popcorn! ha ha! There will be no escape.
But that’s another day. Today is a day to feel Special!
And to bask in the glory of a career that I hardly bargained for. One which has made me ‘Special’ indeed.
Congrats!
But seriously, whats the deal with Spl Correspondent and Staff Reporter. When would Hindu start naming their reporters and correspondents in their news reports! I ve made it my practice to mail your editor every month and never got any response!:(
Are you the only one after Khalid mohammed-journo (movie critic) turned film makder?
Congratulations Suderman
Sudhish,
Congratulations man!!!
Been reading your articles and blogs for quite sometime now. Good job!! Also, saw you at EVAM Indrajit today. Nice play it was..:-D
Abhi
Congrats, Sudhish!! And haan, it was great meeting you!
Jawaani JaaneMAN.
Thanks for your comment suderman. Yes, hope to meet u soon. You on Yahoo???
Abhi
congrats machi…
congrats suderman on getting promoted.
ps:still cant find you in orkut:(
Congrats on the promo sudhish :))
Congrats man !!! Looking fwd to reading more of u’r page 2 hindu stories !!!
-Karthik
woaahh! Congrats Suderman!
But we’ll still be seeing ur name in the Friday Review and He says, She says.. na?
Way to go, dude!
Sudhish…Congrats! I knew/know nothing abt the director in you, but I know everything abt the writer in you. From writing abt scarcity of water in Chennai(which i consider your best article till date..I’ve cut it n preserved it) to writin abt Evam, you’ve been brillant. Five years ago, I used to read ur article first thing in the morning. I still do.
You’ve always been an inspiration for me to write, and what I am today. I’ve tried to ape ur style of writing some years ago(n never succeeded), but now am developing my own style.
You are the new age writer Sud…very very creative yet getting the point thru.
Good luck and congrats. I’m always writer Sudhish’s fan.(but as a director….well, lemme wait till august for tflw.)
Srinivas.
Congrats Bro! Keep up the good work (Duhh! that sounds so cliched.. but is there are better way? wait…)
Keep up the good work. DO the job, and rewarded you will be. May the force be with you. (Howz that?)
Congrats Sudermaan saar!! Is the treat in bangalore or shd I drop in there? π
Goody Suds!
Way to go!!!
Shelob.
Congrats man!
Congrats!! π
And it was nice meeting u the other day π
vasanthi emmanuel:
no i dont think so. i think there are more such people we dont know about!
thank u uma! π
JaaneMAN!
see u at the duel.
goli khaney ke liye tayyar ho ja, jaani!
man on a mission:
Yes, im on yahoo msngr:
sudhishkamath@yahoo.co.in
and on msn as:
adwala@hotmail.com
vishnu prasad:
dont bother finding me, ill add u on orkut myself! i can find u!
Karthik:
Thanks dude!! π
harish:
yes of course.. u’ll see me in different corners and sections of the paper. π with great power comes great responsibility wasnt just for Spiderman!
Rohit:
Thanks dude! And you rock! keep kicking ass man!! i love ur blog!
srinivas:
touch pannitae pa!!
thank u thank u thank u!!
π
and i hope i dont let u down as a director!
Sriram:
Thanks bro! May the force be with u2! So that we’ll get some more kickass music!! he he!
Ooops:
All the Anonymous comments above were by me… forgot to sign in!
Lynnu:
Kannu, anything ma… whatever’s earlier! i’ll scrap u before i start to ur town for sure! do the same! and lets make sure u r not here when im there! π
shelob, anbu and praveen:
thank u!
thank u!
thank u!
π
A simple but much meant congratulations. Would neither comment on your writing or filmmaking abilities…coz that we always discuss as and when we meet up. But if it makes you feel special, so does it make your friends feel great. Do much greater. Good luck. And some tight kicks in your skinny ass.
P
oye P mere bhai!
shukriya!
π
Hi Sudhish..
First of all, many Congratz on ur promo..
I hav been reading ur articles in the Hindu from ..time immemorial ??i don’t remember..Wonderful they are..
But i am new to ur blog and went thro all the article here..excellent work sir..
May we b previleged to read more and more of u..
Plz. Don’t tell me u r planning to quit writing for the Hindu!!
Gud luck..
Congrats Sudhish!well that’s a well deserved promotion coming in..:) Infact being a resident of Anna nagar have been one of the few out here who have been following ur articles right from the first one you wrote! Infact eagerly used to wait for METRO ADS every week for your article and also the film reviews you were doing then.I can say havent missed any of the editions of the paper. The fact that the paper was free also helped ofcourse!;) And also the DAV connection helped ofcourse…my close buddy is from DAV who was your junior…but I am divagating.
This nostalgia is because your post reminded me of the piece you wrote initially abt wooing a girl. you wrote that in two parts in METRO ADS. Not to forget that parody on “MARS Attacks” with Ramarajan as the lead actor.! I remember there was a lyric which went something like..
” ………..,
Lakele Vaatha
Near Poi Paatha
Hey Enga Aatha! “
apparently to be sung to the tune of Los Del Rio’s Macarena! Had msyelf and my sis in splits when we actually attempted to sing the song! Also I recollect your piece on Federick Forsyth then when he released his book The Icon! (Was it you or Ashwin…remember him your co-journalist or whatever in METROADS?)
Man! those were the days!! When I was in chennai used to regularly read ur articles on page 2…my all tiem favorites being that of the “New Year Resolutions” one and the “Stray Cow” one! Been reading your blog regularly ofcourse and there are lots of us keeping close tabs on the way your movie progressed.
Err…guess this “comment” has turned out as big as the post but couldnt resist it…these words are just echoing the thoughts as I type in…anyway rock on mate! π
You are indeed “special”. Any virtual treat for the readers? (like the Hot Chick pics!)
Keep up the good work!
congrats man
now, does the special correspondent’s vocabulary automatically substitute “matter” with “lovemaking”
shall wait and watch
oyyeeee….mereko party chaiye!!!!!
beer!!!!
Congrtaz mate…you rock!
have fun..
Congrats Sud! And hey, it was a pleasure meeting you the other day!
Adrasakkai Adrasakkai,
Congrats Maaplai, As the Bhagawat Gita says “You only get what you deserve.”
Footnote: Please don’t check Gita. I just used it for special effect. π
Arun:
thank u so much!
and sir, pliss dont call me sir! makes me feel old! π
girish!!!!
dont embarass me with something i did years ago… i was lil then and did have some fun at the expense of the paper!
π
and did i really write those lines? ooops!! was i bad or was i bad!!! he he!
but hey, thanks so much for reading me all these years in spite of those terrible lines that have haunted ur memory all these years! π
im touched! thanks again!
kaps:
thanks!! π
hot chick pics? tomorrow, surely! watch this space! π
catcharun:
lovemaking and matter are not always the same thing! π
elixir:
oye teddy bear, beer ke liye u wait til i get there. until then, pliss bear with me!
krish:
thanks mate!! u rock too!! π i think everyone who has nice things to say ROCK!!
Adel:
there was a blogger meet that day! i dint know abt it when i met u or u cudve joined us too at spencers!!
anyway, there’s always a next time! and hey, thanks dude!
karthik:
Berlin machchi!!
super fotos in ur blog… i really envy u!! ensoi machchi! i can see u r having fun!!
when u exchange ur still camera for the last time, exchange it for a digital MiniDV handycam!
π
and where did u meet Gita in Germany? Is she hawt? π
Hey Suderman!!! Amazing news!!! Good Show!!! π
woo
sudhish! – hey man, you roll. after all these years, _seeing_ you now, makes me wonder … how bright you shine … i simply can’t believe – a boy, who could think of nothing_more_crazy than running a detective agency in school could turn out so colourfully smart.
good to note the steps you climb in the journalist ladder.
vinod:
thambi, thanks pa!! π
it happened on the day ur story appeared. some good luck charm u guys have!
M:
hoo!
Sam Sankoorikal!!
Wow!!! What a surprise to find you here. After what?? a decade or more… 12 years huh?
i remember u wrote me that long letter once in between but we did lose touch once again!!
You remember that detective agency stuff!! ha ha!
And I remember how we got on stage together to put up that play we wrote… I think they called us Crazy Boys then!
A big Congrats from a stranger who firmly believes that getting paid to do what others tell you to do is *normal* but getting paid for having fun(like you are!) is the best thing on this planet !
Congrats, Suddu! Well deserved π
Enjoying what you do for a living is one of life’s biggest blessings. Glad you are happy with your blessing.
Heard you are making a movie with DVX100a ? Do you have a teaser trailer up ? You seem to update this blog more than ur movieblog, any more updates there?
{ok, insert customary congrads here} – but real congrads will be after seeing ur movie π
Hi there!
I came here after quite some time actually. I remmber reading all about your love story π Trust a girl to remember the emotional bits.
Congrats on the promotion. Here is a coward who chose a better paying job over entering print. Actually I just messed up the timing and destiny ruined the rest.
But I believe I can still make a mark π Visit me at http://media-in-india.blogspot.com/ when you find time. Ive just started actually.
Ciao,
Zira
congrats sud…maybe u should think of respelling your name now to “psuede”..not just “sud”..
“Psuede” in iitm lingo is “sooperstar” in whatever field !
π
Seoul trip…”hawt” russian…promotion…ennamoda madhava! Good to hear. Good luck.
Hi Sudhish..sorry am late here. Guess i’m one of those priveleged to be “around” almost when the news was broken…eh?? Congrats!
Hi Suderman….
Congrats! If not you, whodeserved it? SO heart glad happy for you.May you ALWAYS see victory in your life! You still are MY MOST FAVOURITE JOURNO and always will be… All others can only follow you. You have ishtyle sud! And never stop writing… Congrats again……. And yeah, wen’s demovie releasing?
had bee(n he)r(e). phir nahi bolne ka didnt come karke π
Hearty Congratulations….been frequenting your blog for quite sometime now. Never commented though π All the best!
Shankari:
Yes, absolutely! π
Only that I spend it all in doing something else which is a lot of fun… movies!! both watching and making!! π
arvinda kissna:
thanks pa!!
did u see Sam left a comment!! after all these years!!
Sam: arvind is arvind ganesh… the round guy in school, the guy we called Bondhu Ganesh. he no longer is round tho!! wat a reunion! and there’s bharath ram and G. raja who scrapped a while ago! Hail technology!
ram:
yeah, man.. same camera!
its so compact you can put it on the dashboard and shoot interior car conversations which usually require a vacuum base!
and updates there will happen closer to the release of the film… rite now we are so tied down by hardware hassles. once the hard disk problem is set rite, we wil be ready to edit again!
Plus more people follow this blog, so will keep everyone posted abt the film from here as and when I post something there! π
Zira:
Yes, trust a girl to remember! π
There have been a dozen such stories ever since, only that i havent blogged abt them.
Maybe I’ll fictionalise them a lil and make short stories out of them so that no one gets hurt! So watch this blog, I’m gonna start a new series of Chottisi Love Stories, starting from school crushes!
Maybe Ill do it once a week. been meaning to compile all of them for a while now!
And welcome to blogdom! happy blogging! all the best!
ritzkini:
Naah! I dont wanna be stud and all… I’m just be regular comicbook Suderman! π
mukunth:
Guess we win some, lose some. For the Seoul trip, I probably lost out on an Amsterdam trip which my colleague has now gone on… π
Hawt Russian Chick… its not like it ended with “and they lived happily ever after”.
And the ladder of promotion makes up for the snakes that have surrounded all our efforts of making one movie as we keep coming back to square one again and again… it’s happened three times in five years! So in the end, it all adds up to the same thing! π
kutti kazhichi paaru, annamalai kannakku seriya irukkum…
Yedra Vandiye!
ravi:
yes, u were among the first to wish me in person!
so how does it matter that u r late here!
thank u!! π
sandhya:
and you will always be my favourite air conditioner!
he he!
elixir:
beer bad for you sweetie. i’ll get u something nice!
cheers!
shobha:
thank you!
for frequenting! π
and do come back!
sudhish – may be i should mention, it was bharath who silently took me around some of the jazz up here.
g raja – sounds like praboooos pal,yes? arvind needs no intros.! and yeah – as thats bleeding edge techno. converging all the way.
arvind – wat say! been a while isn’t it. sneaked into your blog a couple of times. dude – yours ticks techno. and latetly nature!. brilliant snaps.
any one heard of m aravind?
Congrats Sudhish. Glad that u got that status in the paper respected in the country. Raji&Bala
Hey Sam, fancy catching up with you here! π Yeah, I tend to ramble aimlessly on my blog. Lets take this conversation offline, my email is arvindg at gmail dot com. Btw, Sudhish lest you get confused that last comment is from my parents!
arvindh, sudhish, sam,
wow! I never thought this wud happen.
sushish and seju sebastian the first benchers. I have been benchmates with sam and arvindh at different points in time.
this is really cool. I havent stopped raving about sudhish to people I know.
btw guys. I am moving to Univ of Mich, Ann Arbor this fall to start my MBA. Havent announced this in my blog yet. will do so afer I quit π ( sam shut up about this to your friends and dont send mails about this to my office account π )
Sudhish! detective agencey – dum charades in MIT, chrompet and hindu journalist and now cinema padam director.. ne kalakku.
Ha… Danku Suderman!!!
Will’AC’ you forever.Don’t you worry! π
Arvind and DaFolks:
Thank you soo very much!! π
Sam, Arvind and Bharath: Im so glad that we have got back in touch!!!
π
maybe as joh anbalalagan put it so eloquently we should also say ” welcom sam.k. sankaragoil”
Wow this is wonderful news… hearty congrats and may you keep flying high!! π
My hearty congratulations!..:)