News Broadcasting
Discovery cracks the Da Vinci Code this month
MUMBAI: With the highly anticipated movie The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks scheduled for release on 19 May across India, Discovery will air a special Da Vinci Declassified on 14 May at 8 pm.
This special will present facts, information and a new look into the controversy that has captivated millions across the world. Dan Brown’s bestseller upon which the film is based explores the theory that Jesus had an affair with Mary Magdelene and had children by her.
The special takes a fresh look at The Priory Of Sion. Is it real? If so, who’s behind it and what are its actual goals? Ultimately, whose destinies are they out to control? Discovery will take viewers on a journey through two thousand years of European history and art, going on location throughout Europe to unravel intricate clues about the Priory.
Drawing on the expertise of historians, art specialists, scientists, mathematicians and actual representatives of the novel’s other famous secret society, Opus Dei, the special goes to great lengths to separate truth from fiction. From building an actual Cryptex (a device used in the book to hide and potentially destroy secret documents) to unraveling hidden messages allegedly encoded into famous works of art by Da Vinci and possibly even more controversial, Jean Cocteau.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
