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USHA ARVIND talks to Sydney Morning Herald’s frontline reporter Arjun Ramachandran

Many an observant netizen, logging onto www.smh.com.au for their daily dose of taaza khabar, must be curious about the very “Indian” byline that is almost always up there. Quite literally.

A second generation Indian Australian, Arjun Ramachandran is Sydney Morning Herald’s online news reporter, currently covering “breaking news” as it happens. His schedules are rigorous, fast paced and full on, but certainly without a dull moment.

For the benefit of the uninitiated, “breaking news”, Ramachandran explains, “is a broad beat, that involves a significant amount of crime reporting, but also extends to and includes major international stories, politics, and of course colourful city yarns. Importantly, it focuses heavily on the main issue or story of any particular day or week, like swine flu, bushfires and, of course, Indian students.”

Working on the early shift, Arjun has been with the prestigious group for nearly three years. A passionate newswallah, journalism seems to be a family tradition. His grandfather was a sports editor and reporter for The Hindu, while his grand-uncle founded Sruti, the iconic Carnatic music magazine that boasts a global following.

Surprisingly though, journalism was not his initial career pathway. After winning a scholarship, Arjun took a degree in Information Technology from UTS. A career in IT became the next logical step.

So, what prompted him to make the switch to media?

While Arjun enjoyed the problem-solving and analytical skills involved in the IT job, the urge to write was too strong. Journalism, he firmly believes, is a noble profession and the idea of there being a moral and ethical dimension to day-to-day tasks, unlike in many other occupations, fascinated him.

“I was always attracted to journalism. If anything, I fell into the IT career because of the scholarship. But as I was passionate about making the change, I decided that if I wanted to try journalism, I ought not to leave it too late,” he told Indian Link. While still working as an IT consultant, he completed a Masters of Arts in Journalism, also from UTS.

His wife and mother were both very supportive as he tested unknown waters.

“In fact I owe it all to my mother,” says Arjun.

His mother has not only raised him singlehandedly (his father died soon after the family migrated in the ‘70s) but instilled in him strong ethical and family values.

“Back then, with no other family here, we relocated to India, but keeping my wellbeing in mind, my mother returned to Sydney,” he remembers.

A co-founder of the Sydney Music Circle, she also initiated in him a lifelong passion for music; “though my interests are more western, particularly folk and rock genres,” he quips.

Arjun has imbibed his father’s insatiable appetite for life and certainly his cricketing genes.

“My father was a popular leg spin bowler, who was team mates with Steve Waugh at the

Bankstown club,” Arjun fondly recalls. His love of sport though, extends beyond the narrow confines of cricket. “Like any Australian male, I’m deeply embedded in Australia’s sporting culture, avidly following cricket and rugby league.”

Perhaps it is Arjun’s forte that he harmoniously combines traditional Indian values with the warmth, openness and adaptability of Aussie culture.

Being a mediaman in the mainstream, does it come with excess baggage?

Oh yes, he banters. “Fitting my long Indian name at the top of stories is a disadvantage for my editors! But joking aside, I’ve lived in Australia my entire life, so I think I approach stories the same as any other reporter.”

“But then, good journos,” he argues, (and he regards colleagues at the Herald as such), “are capable of being empathetic and open with all people and are keen to understand and tell their stories to a wider audience. So in most instances I don’t think it’s necessary to have an ethnic reporter to cover ethnic issues.”

That said, when issues affect new or recent arrivals to Australia, those migrants are often significance for me,” he notes.

While the adrenalin rush keeps him going, the formidable part is confronting victims as they grapple with personal tragedies. This is why Arjun firmly relies on wholesome quality time with his young family to let off steam.

Playing with his toddler Dhanya “is a necessary and enjoyable contrast to some of the more gritty crime stories we cover, and something I’m grateful for,” he says. Parenting, in fact, has added a whole new dimension to his perspective, “bringing into sharper focus the human aspects of stories.”

Likewise, he is gratified by the regard the community has for scribes. “Particularly, Indians highly regard the career of journalism. And it’s nice to know I am doing something respected by my own community,” he acknowledges.

As a frontline reporter, Arjun hopes to see more desis in prominent mainstream capacities. “Now that Indians are a well-established community that is growing fast, I hope we will see more of them involved in civic life, including in politics at all levels and in the media.”

He also believes that the growing Indian diaspora in Australia will be central in further strengthening the links between these two nations.