My part-time interest in journalism leaves no stone unturned in ferreting out new magazines on stands. I have seen magazines come and go since the years I started identifying with print journalism. I remember "Illustrated Weekly of India", "Sunday", "Imprint", "Civil Lines", "Junior Statesman" (Jug Suraiya), "Target", "Quest" (the magazine brought out by Nissim Ezekiel before it bowed out during the Emergency days), "Mainstream" (by the late Nikhil Chakravarti - back now), "Caravan" (Vishwanath- again back) etc...Its sad to see a magazine close down for unviable reasons. I remember subscribing to a magazine published from Chennai - "Indian Review of Books". I even have some of my letters published in that respected monthly-IRB. It used to scour the Indian Book Market for the best reads. Sadly, it closed down too after a few years. It is difficult to find courageous publishers, publishers with a literary backbone to back new writers and exciting fiction and nonfiction these days in the age of e-books and online buzz.
Inspite of the heavy odds agaisnt niche literary magazines in terms of declining readership (Or is it?), there are people coming out with with highly readable prose and poetry - in magazines like "Open" (Manu Joseph), "Caravan" (the NRI son of the legendary Vishwanath). I am delighted to introduce a new literary magazine - "Fountain Ink" again brought out by Chennai. This is in the tradition of those high-quality magazines which cover narrative fiction, NewYorker-type of reportage and visual aesthetics. First three issues beginning November 2011 have been good reading material - and I have kept up with them in the car by buying two copies each. I like the format - it has about 120 pages each issue, good fonts, high GSM paper, and energetic and engaging fiction and nonfiction and mixed up well with high quality photographs and graphic novels that will appeal to the newgen. Their cover stories are good - the first cover story was on "Telangana", the second on "How today's facebook and twitter-crazy crowd live their daily lives" and the third on "How vernacular writers are finding it hard to make both ends meet." The January 2012 issue is a collector's special - rare art collection of Mario Miranda's best and some good graphic novels again.
I am shocked by the price Rs.20/-per issue - that is less than the parking fees you pay at GVK Mall or Big Cinemas. And they are offering the whole year's subscription of 12 issues at Rs.60/- in an obscenely tempting innaugural offer. Why are they under-selling themselves? Is this a bottom-of-the-pyramid pricing? You have "Forbes Life" which charges Rs.150/- per quarterly issue for maybe slightly better literary stuff...I really hope this monthly will succeed. Read it - and subscribe for a good cause - of reading quality writing. Let the folks survive. The magazine is aiming in that niche where an exciting thread of commentary is made on the media, socio-economic-political scenarios as well as the vernacular worlds - the many microcosms that abound in India. I love the vast canvass "Fountain Ink" has attempted and wish and pray it succeeds. Hope springs eternal for things literary, to survive.
Inspite of the heavy odds agaisnt niche literary magazines in terms of declining readership (Or is it?), there are people coming out with with highly readable prose and poetry - in magazines like "Open" (Manu Joseph), "Caravan" (the NRI son of the legendary Vishwanath). I am delighted to introduce a new literary magazine - "Fountain Ink" again brought out by Chennai. This is in the tradition of those high-quality magazines which cover narrative fiction, NewYorker-type of reportage and visual aesthetics. First three issues beginning November 2011 have been good reading material - and I have kept up with them in the car by buying two copies each. I like the format - it has about 120 pages each issue, good fonts, high GSM paper, and energetic and engaging fiction and nonfiction and mixed up well with high quality photographs and graphic novels that will appeal to the newgen. Their cover stories are good - the first cover story was on "Telangana", the second on "How today's facebook and twitter-crazy crowd live their daily lives" and the third on "How vernacular writers are finding it hard to make both ends meet." The January 2012 issue is a collector's special - rare art collection of Mario Miranda's best and some good graphic novels again.
I am shocked by the price Rs.20/-per issue - that is less than the parking fees you pay at GVK Mall or Big Cinemas. And they are offering the whole year's subscription of 12 issues at Rs.60/- in an obscenely tempting innaugural offer. Why are they under-selling themselves? Is this a bottom-of-the-pyramid pricing? You have "Forbes Life" which charges Rs.150/- per quarterly issue for maybe slightly better literary stuff...I really hope this monthly will succeed. Read it - and subscribe for a good cause - of reading quality writing. Let the folks survive. The magazine is aiming in that niche where an exciting thread of commentary is made on the media, socio-economic-political scenarios as well as the vernacular worlds - the many microcosms that abound in India. I love the vast canvass "Fountain Ink" has attempted and wish and pray it succeeds. Hope springs eternal for things literary, to survive.
