‘Not my Beat’, said no one at The Arabian Stories, and that’s the crux of the success Nishad Padiyarath continues to cement with his now-perfected blend of editorial chutzpah and marketing flair. It’s an all-hands-on-the-deck policy that has made ‘breaking news’ a protocol, with headlines shaped to grab eyeballs and compel readers to click through for the full report.

TAS thrives on organised chaos; it is as if this virtual chaoticity triggers the daily ‘beats’ spawned from local and international news cycles. The cursor hovers endlessly over the notifications tab. It is perhaps the drive – the hunger to be the first, which in media circles only translates as ‘breaking news’ – that sets the tempo for the team, acting as relentless watchdogs, sniffing out stories across the vast expanse of the web.  

With a CEO who is more of an editorial honcho than an overseer, it is but inevitable for the team to think and act like him – pre-empting his headline-crunching thoughts and speed-processing skills. For, it is no secret that the way people consume news today has seen an evolutionary shift. While many senior journalists (like myself) have found a way around – at times unlearning all the old-school newsroom diktats – others have become immune to ‘infobesity’, the information overdose plaguing modern newsrooms.

Subverting it and finding uncharted paths to navigate requires a smattering of journalistic acuity and a huge dose of audacity, along with farsightedness. Audacity to believe that you can rock your boat in the surging media waters that keep getting steeper with new news portals and social media handles. Farsightedness to hold the line and keep sailing despite challenges and limitations. 

It was both audacity and farsightedness that ensured TAS stayed anchored during the onset of COVID-19 in its nascent stage. It didn’t take long for TAS to show that it had arrived – and how! Like a branching tree, it found its crowning glories while maintaining crown shyness, ensuring it grew without overstepping boundaries. It made its mark through channels, birthed along the way to create newer avenues for loyal followers and potential supporters. 

Today, as it stands firmly entrenched in the Omani soil as a media house with its pennants flying high, TAS projects a mood of accomplishment – having been there, done that, with the gumption to pursue further success.

As a footnote, I will say this: Some things in life are serendipitous, like my association with The Arabian Stories. It happened without prelude or expectation. It feels, in hindsight, as if I was destined to be a part of the publication that continues to impress and inspire its followers/readers with its uncrowned status as the news breaker.

There is pride in saluting the founder and the publication, knowing that the classic industry idiom ‘putting the publication to bed’ will never define TAS, with a CEO who stays tuned to the buzz of notifications even in the dead of night.