Wednesday, 19 December 2007
I discover a Lost World
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Child's Dreams.....
A few days back, I happened to chance upon a new issue of Tinkle – which as most of us would remember, was an essential part of our growing up days. I greedily lapped it up, more in nostalgia than excitement, and realized that ‘Uncle Pai’ was still going strong, and ‘Suppandi’ had managed to incorporate Microsoft Windows in his jokes.
So it seems that the magazines we grew up with have changed with the times, in Dylan’s words. But have they lost their appeal? Is the excitement of reading about princes, dragons, mythical worlds, gods, adventurers and daredevils too childish to even think about now? Does growing up mean we cannot be fascinated by these magazines, yet again?
One of the first magazines for children, Chandamama, apparently thinks otherwise. Published in July 1947, it continues with its multi-lingual editions up to this day. It was surprising to read how Chandamama refused to advertise in its pages. Brilliantly colored illustrations, marked with tales that tell tales about the heritage and culture of
To be reminded of one’s childhood is a haunting feeling. A friend reminisced the time when she would be eagerly waiting for the new issue of the monthly Gokulam, and the elation she felt on receiving a new magazine in her name.
Children’s magazines aren’t a dying breed today, as we may think, surprisingly. Tinkle continues to rule the roost in the English language, while Chandamama and Champak vie for vernacular language readerships. Most magazines follow a simple thread – richly colored sketches of characters, stories with morals, no shades of grey in the hero, and informative pieces about
These magazines are essentially that – a mine of information, morality and character-building. However, it will be highly unfair if one takes away the fun factor – the biggest draw. Target, another magazine that subsided with the advent of cable television and cartoon channels, made puzzle solving an exciting adventure. Owned by the India Today Group, it stopped publishing in 1993 to make way for Teens Today, a drab attempt at cashing in on Target’s popularity. In those days, we didn’t care about lifestyles or fashion. We wanted adventure, intrigue, fun, information. We wanted to be know-it-alls.
An email from another friend spoke about the days when children had no iPods, multi-channel cable networks, hand-held gaming devices or wireless connectivity. Reading the issue of Tinkle took me back to those days – though I must confess I had a few luxuries to boast of. It seems children’s magazines will never lose their charm, though the magazine itself may die of profitability issues.
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Vizag and random thoughts
who would have thought vizag wud turn out to be one of india's cleanest, most well maintained and beautiful cities.....
pointer to myself - i need to stop making judgments before i see the place
but apart from tht - this place is def rocking....its all scenic beauty..the sea..the long coastline...the massive hills...brings one a sense of calm just by looking at them....probably one of the best health tonics for rejuvenation....
probably wht i needed after a hectic first term....
but it was fun...life flowed in a series of stories..stayed up till 5 doing our print project...got onto a wrong train and didnt realise it upto 30 kms away(yams and muku - we'll prob warn our kids against this sort of idiotic behaviour)...shouted at others maybe a gazillion times:)...
but in the end - it worked...
it will be different this term...none of the random madness that defined our group F..of course..sumitdasgupta is missing...but i have TUNNU to compensate for everyone...
hahahahahaha
we will rock print okies tuns??
so...here we are...
i am reading a book calld red earth and pouring rain...by vikram chandra...
interesting storyline but he is dragging the story now...so gettng infuriated[well not exactly] at the turn of events...
but i am happy...i got to read finally....
till the next post....
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Adventures in Lungiland
this place is exhausting...tiring...exciting...yeah it is..u kind of end up discovering a new self everyday...
take me - i didnt know i could manage haggling with the worst auto drivers in the world....and that too with a language barrier
i didnt know i could learn tamil - even if i haven't perfected the art of learning tamil in 30 days[my roomie gifted me tht book tho i havent looked at it even once - sorry mr ziad]
i didnt know that moonlight could shine on the sea.....
anyway.....
my screenplay partner tells me i must start blogging once again...now that i have discovered the art of going around the firewall to edit my blog....we must start once again....
chennai is a city of contradictions - they say it is the hub of india's information technology future...but all i see is a city mired in poverty, lack of official attention and the utter despondency of its citizens
i am a cynic - but i am not alone in my views.
malls here shine in gold shops..while outside drunk people lie on the roads with traffic passing within an inch of them...
i think thats life....
lungi land can never be this good....
maybe i expected a silicon valley in the making....
Tamil Nadu is a surprising land - alien to the rest of India, maybe even to the world.
Asian College of Journalism --
what about that?
it's a job!!!
and one that makes you pay for working!
sometimes i feel - this college was setup to make us alcoholics and schizophrenics....hooked on to stories all day long, we've forgotten how to be at a beach except think about is there a story there?
but i am having fun...soon the grilling starts....
till then...
Thursday, 22 March 2007
finally...back to blogosphere....
bombay excites me....there is something about the city tht is different...or maybe its just the 5 years in delhi that makes it seem so..
but whatever the reason..
bombay seems a much better place to be than delhi...more alive...faster..
those who say its too fast are just complainin!!!:)
as my friend said....u either love bombay or hate it....
so far so good...
ive got thru symbiosis mass comm, pune...
for now...
i have a place to continue my education...tht feels good...
Monday, 22 January 2007
the new word is RED
if you trust me--
YOU MUST READ THIS!!!
i forgot to mention-the best bit about this book is the style.a very novel way of presenting a story-in the first person, but not as simple as u think.if u dont think so-pick it up for urself-its for Rs. 225 only!!!
btw...i got it as a gift-and i love it!!one of the best gifts in recent times!!!thank you!
Sunday, 7 January 2007
new resolution!!!
another new set of resolutions!!!!
seems like its time to join the rat race..
anyway..
on my to-do list this year:
1>movies-lots and lots of them-as always...we must increase our budget to meet increasing movie standards and appreciate the art in them..depictions of reality after all....(thats so lame!!!)
2>books-gabriel garcia marquez, hemingway, steinbeck - the holy trinity - i am coming for you.....
3>study--not that its the least important priority, but its there...yeah..it is...this year finally!!!!
4>try updating this webpage as often as possible..
what i cant figure out is what to keep writing in this..its not as if ppl follow my writin as something great...
maybe someday they will...
anyway..
cheers..