From reading news to making news, Sathyaa Durrairajh (30) has come a long way. She is contesting from Mylapore as an independent, fielded by Youth Politics, a two-year-old Chennai-based organisation.
A native of Thanjavur, she completed B.E. from SRM and MBA from the University of Madras. Sathyaa says her experience as school pupil leader and volunteering in NSS in college has helped her. She quit her first job in TATA Metallics in Goa as she “felt out of place.” A part-time news reader on Doordarshan for nearly three years, Sathyaa works five days in a fortnight from Chennai and spends the rest of the time in Thanjavur.
If elected she says she will remain accessible to all. But how did she convince her family to let her enter politics? “I lost my father early in life. It was difficult to convince my mother. But I have promised her that I would get married by the end of the year,” she says.
“We are promoting Youth Politics through Facebook and Twitter. I also take up door-to-door canvassing,” she adds. She has spent around Rs. 40,000 on the elections but maintains “It’s not about winning but serving people.”
