2025 is exciting for The Chennai Emailer

Well, I am back again in your inbox but after many months. It’s appropriate I reintroduce myself:

I’m Rayaan, a journalist from Chennai. Last year, I quit my job as a sub-editor at The Hindu BusinessLine and joined the  Young India Fellowship (YIF) — a multidisciplinary liberal arts program at Ashoka University near New Delhi. I wrote about this in the last post.

Since moving to Delhi NCR, it has been one heck of a ride of learning from fascinating professors and peers of my batch belonging to different parts of India. I’ve forged new friendships and found wider professional connections.

I graduated this June and boy it was fun! (Big shout out to Alan Soon and Rishad Patel of Splice Media for sponsoring my YIF journey).

After the end of YIF, I took a month’s break in July back to Chennai and then joined AshokaX (part of Ashoka University) as Deputy Manager for Content in June. It’s a big pivot from journalism but I am taking forward my journalistic skills such as writing, among other core things and applying it in the edtech space. It’s been three months and I’m liking it so far. Taking it one day at a time.

But do I miss journalism? 

You bet I do. I miss the thrill and rush of the newsroom and the clickety-click of the keyboards from the desk of the army of editors. I miss the order in the chaos of reporting and editing. I continue to be in touch with journalism by connecting with my friends and acquaintances and keeping track of what’s trending.

But after my experience at the YIF, I’ve realised that there’s a world beyond journalism. There are so many important jobs/professions where you can measure the impact it creates on the people around you. It took me a while to realise that the stories we write are more than just our bylines. I love this beautiful piece written by Samarth Bansal: My advice for young journalists. Wish I got this advice when I was a cub reporter.

I’ve seen many big-name reporters across the globe running their own newsletters/micro-niche products, alongside a full-time job in a field that is completely not related to journalism. It made me go: ‘Hey, this is smart right!’

I also know that I can’t run the Chennai Emailer with a full-time job. Until and unless I get a journalist on board who believes in the mission and vision of the newsletter. And I’m delighted to say that I found one such amazing person with more than two decades of experience. (Will reveal soon!)

In the last few weeks, we’ve been working together, just discussing how TCE can scale but more importantly, what’s the problem that Chennai Emailer is solving for its audience. Here’s what I wrote:

What is the problem that The Chennai Emailer is trying to solve?

In a city as vibrant and diverse as Chennai, information flows in abundance. From English dailies like The Hindu, The New Indian Express, DT Next and Times of India to Tamil newspapers like Dina Thanthi, Dinamani and Dina Malar, residents are spoilt for choice. 

New-age digital platforms like The News Minute, Citizen Matters, and South First are adding to the mix, alongside a growing number of local Internet creators flooding our social media feeds with content about politics, food, culture, heritage, and films.

However, the post-Covid world has left us with an overwhelming amount of information—too much. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate the signal from the noise, to find the stories that truly impact our lives, our neighbourhoods, and our city. What Chennai lacks is a singular, reliable source that curates this information meaningfully, helping residents make informed decisions without wading through endless streams of irrelevant content.

I have to accept that the problem statement is a work in progress but for now, it’s a good enough Northern Star that can guide me to focus on what kind of reportage I should offer to my target readers. 

With this in mind, the writer and I have been discussing editorial plans. The idea is to have a bank of original reportage ready for the first month, starting Jan 2025. My plans include publishing small zines and hosting online events. However, the primary goal for 2025 is consistency in publishing weekly stories and tapping 1,000 new email subscribers. 

In the meantime, you can expect curation of weekly news articles that land in your inbox every Saturday. You can also have a look at the updated About section. I’m happy with what I wrote. I want to end 2024 on a hopeful note and start 2025 with a renewed purpose. And I’d love it if you’re part of this. I am always looking forward to hearing your feedback/suggestions at [email protected].

Bye for now!

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Did you like reading this edition? Should I do better? Please don’t hesitate to offer me your feedback. I am open to ideas and suggestions. Feel free to reach me at [email protected] or you can simply reply to this email or comment below. See you soon! Do forward this newsletter to your friends. 😊❤️