All around we hear success stories of people and we think how did they make it so big? Did they have some hidden talent or a stroke of luck or they are just born to be successful? In our ‘Soul Success Mantra’ section we bring you candid tête-à-tête with successful women from all walks and spheres of life and try to decipher the common mantras for their success.
Today @ SOUL we bring you a very popular face on Television, whom we have seen countless times on the other side of the camera – reporting, interviewing and presenting news for Times Now channel. Soul had the opportunity to catch up with Padmaja Joshi, a famous TV personality (News Editor @Times Now) and talk about her life, work and success.
SOUL: What is your mantra for success?
PJ: Mantra for success can be a bit presumptuous to say so, but I believe for anyone to be successful you should have your heart and soul in what you are doing. It may be in any profession but you have to give your 100% to it. Your work should interest you, motivate you and make you look forward to go to your workplace every day. If you have all of it in place then that’s your mantra for success.
SOUL: Did you always want to be a reporter?
PJ: Not really. My original plan was to be a veterinary doctor and that’s the reason why opted for science when I had to choose my stream in college. But then I realized that in India, though we are growing quite well in the educational field, we lack the quality and excellence in veterinary field. And that made me think about my other interest which is politics. Coming from a family where we were always encouraged to talk about the latest happenings in the country, I was quite tuned to the politics arena right from the beginning and I found it quite intriguing. That’s when I decided to shift my base from Science to English and become a reporter.
SOUL: How did the news anchoring thing happen?
PJ: So I was a reporter for one and a half years and when I joined Star News, which is ABP News now, they offered me the news anchoring post which I took readily. But yes, I started with Hindi reporting and anchoring and later shifted to English.
SOUL: What is a typical working day for you like?
PJ: Good thing about our job is that no day is a typical day for us. We reach office around 11 am and then the day begins which is full of activity like discussing the agenda, attending meetings and if a story is to be covered, then I go reporting, come back and do the bulletins etc. Also if I am required to travel to cover something then there is no typical day for me. Otherwise the day usually ends by 9 in the night for me.
SOUL: Out of the many news stories that you have covered/reported which one is your most memorable one?
PJ: Recent memory is of the devastating earthquake in Kathmandu. It was a very tragic catastrophe but if I talk about it from the reporting point of view it was quite a touching experience for me.
When I went there to report, I saw human beings at their most helpless moments in life. There were people who were fighting against the situation, the disparity and the hopelessness yet the fighting spirit was in abundance everywhere. People were doing their best not only for themselves but also for others. I heard so many stories which are all so fresh in my mind; the small human stories on how the people were surviving in the middle of the tragedy.
I wish it never happened but since it did, I for one can say the experience made me very grounded, more aware and appreciative towards what we have in life.
SOUL: How do you unwind and spend your free time?
PJ: I like going to the gym and I like reading. I read anything that catches my fancy be it fiction/nonfiction, airport reads or recommendations by friends. Currently I am reading ‘Gone Girl’ and the next, very highly recommended book, is ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’ which I intend to read once I am through with this one. Apart from this, it’s the usual hanging out with friends, occasionally watching movies and just being with the ones who are important to me.
SOUL: What are your future plans?
PJ: I have no future plans as of now. I am going to focus and continue doing what I am doing right now because this is what I enjoy the most and shall do it till it lasts.
SOUL: A message to the others who aspire to be a reporter/news anchor?
PJ: There’s only one thing I would like to say and it is that Television News is not about glamour. It’s not as easy as some may think. It is much more difficult than what you think and one really needs to be very passionate about news. This is not something like a 10 to 5 job. You have to be connected to the news world all round the clock. Even on your day off you have to make sure you are updated with the latest happenings. It has to become a part of you.
