Maimed Manifestos

A picture, quite in contrary to the state of affairs today. 8220;It is quite difficult to publish a youth magazine from the city. If one is not backed by some big publishing house, it is almost impossible to do so,8221; says Monidipa Mondol, literary editor of the youth magazine Ex Nihilo. The magazine, which launched its print edition about a year -and-a-half ago, had to convert itself into an online magazine to avoid losses. 8220;We couldn8217;t even break even as a print magazine. An online edition made more sense,8221; says Mondol.

For a city that boasts of a youth culture steeped in intellectually stimulating addas at coffee houses, Kolkata8217;s preferred choice of reading when it comes to English magazines is surprisingly populist. 8220;Glossies are what the youngsters prefer when it comes to light reading. So what we are fed Bollywood and more Bollywood,8221; rues Anasuya Sengupta, a fresh graduate from Jadavpur University. Which is why, Sengupta and a few of her friends decided to launch a 8220;youth magazine8221; a few months ago. 8220;Kindle is essentially a magazine for the youth, but its not as if we limit ourselves to pimple problems and boyfriend troubles. The idea is to talk about everything under the sun. We invite our readers to think and also to contribute,8221; says Sengupta. The first three issues of the magazines have not really sold like hot cakes. 8220;But we are hopeful. It8217;s difficult for a magazine to break even. More so because a magazine like ours8217; does not really ride on the glamour quotient,8221; she adds.

Piyush Bagchi, in-charge of little magazines in the Kolkata Book Fair feels that the target reader of an English youth magazine is spoilt for options when it comes to reading. 8220;The section, these magazines are aimed at can afford glossies, literary mags and subscribe to big publications. They are not very aware of an indigenous publication culture,8221; says Bagchi.

It was a need to get ideas and opinions, not complicated by prejudices that come with the grey hair, a platform 8211; that spurred Nirmalya Majumder, then a 19-year-old college-goer, to launch The Monthly Journal. 8220;From films to social issues 8212; magazines, papers mostly had prominent faces doling out generous doses of advice or diplomatic sermons. I wanted the young to voice their opinions without hesitation in TMJ,8221; says Majumder, now a producer with a radio channel. So NEO ran for two years with an online version throughout the second and last year of production. Majumder blames the closing down on the reading culture of the youth in Kolkata. 8220;In places like Shillong, Gangtok too, apart from Mumbai and Delhi, people actually read the coffee table journals in coffee shops and such hangouts,8221; says Majumder. In Kolkata, coffee shops are yet to grow up to the idea of creative pursuits and Majumder had circulated most of the printed copies in Coffee Pai outlets and some other coffee shops apart from schools and colleges.

8220;It8217;s the easiest way to reach out to your target readers especially when you don8217;t intend to profit from the magazine,8221; says Srijeeta Biswas, a first year postgraduate student at the Jadavpur University who postponed the plans of getting a print version of her online magazine Ecstasy.

Agrees Sengupta. 8220;If we want to create a readership we need to work towards it. It makes little sense to distribute a few copies of the publication in book fairs. To reach out to the youth we need to go where they hang out,8221; she says. So Kindle will be stocked in popular coffee shops of the city alongside its more glamorized counterparts. 8220;Most youth magazines don8217;t think of a marketing strategy,8221; she affirms.

The production costs, the circulation hiccups and the sponsorship problems join hands, making it difficult for publications from youth groups to survive in Kolkata. Adds Majumder, 8220;There8217;s very little trust in youth publications and it8217;s difficult to get sponsors for the mags.8221; TMJ got advertisements for about 5 months in its two-year life span. Vetoes Biplab Majumder who has been bringing out a little magazine on English poetry for the past nine years. 8220;Several NRIs contribute for little mags in Bengali he publishes one called Sahityo Utsab, but are not as nostalgic about English magazines published here,8221; says Majumder.

Amrita Chowdhury, an architect who plans to launch a youth lifestyle magazine early next year adds dearth of writers to the bouncers in the way of mags in Kolkata. 8220;It8217;s very difficult to get writers to contribute readable articles for a fledgling magazine that too run by youngsters,8221; says Chowdhury. So, she with her friend who heads a PR firm, had to employ freelance copywriters to ensure that the first edition didn8217;t lose out on quality. The, young it seems, have profits in mind over causes. Or so feel people like Biswas who found it difficult continuing even the online version because most people demanded money for articles. 8220;There is hardly any money in the business. That is not our priority at all. Our attempt is to create a platform for youngsters. To inspire a reading culture,8221; says Mondol who runs the online edition of Ex Nihilo thanks to the contribution of hundreds of youngsters across the subcontinent. 8220;There are many people in my friends circle who have shown a lot of interest in our publication. What is lacking is visibility,8221; states Sengupta.