'Journalism entails lots of pressure, fortunate to have had a guru like Nidhi Sethi'
Marketing expert Vishesh Sharma remembers his senior who taught him the ropes of journalism in the early days of his career
One of my seniors from the media industry, Nidhi Sethi from Asian Age newspaper, has been my guiding light in different walks of life. She has taught me the a-b-c of how to be in the business of journalism.
I kickstarted my career as a journalist and had just joined The Hindu as their intern back in 2007.
I was delegated to cover my first assignment, and since I was a newbie, I was utterly clueless. From how to reach out to people, to what kind of questions to ask, I had no idea about even the most minute details. Nidhi was my cab-mate and the moment I sat in the cab to leave for the event she could sense the fright on my face and asked me "Is this your first time?”, I replied with a nod and further asked, “How do you know?”. To this, she replied with a smile, “Because I can sense the nervousness”.
She then took charge as my guide and made me feel extremely comfortable with conversations. That evening at the event, she introduced me to all the PR folks, fellow journalists from the fraternity and even the host. She even explained to me a lot of nitty-gritty like how to behave oneself at such events.
From that day to now, I have shifted my track from writing stories as a journalist to selling stories as a marketer in these 16-17 years but Nidhi hasn’t left my side. She has been my constant pillar of strength and is my first guru in the industry. If today I understand what are the morals, values and ethics one must follow as a journalist, it’s because of her.
Even today if I have any doubt, or need help with a campaign idea, Nidhi is the first call I make.
She is a very strong, opinionated character who very well knows how to stand for her convictions, how to conduct herself professionally and stays firm on her beliefs. I have learnt from her that women may not actually have to fight for their rights, they can snatch it, grab it if they want to.
The field of journalism entails a load of pressures, externally and internally and to be able to have a guru like Nidhi amidst all this was a blessing.
