Counter Culture

As the editor of the non-existant IITB H6 magazine, I always had this fond hope that the rag would take on a life of its own.. something that would survive the earth-shaking passing of the baton.. something the grandkids would see (sniff..)

Some fond hope that... legions of H6 lit secys have passed on without publishing anything worthwhile. So many manifestos.. so many lies, or excuses.

But then you cant blame us. The hostel was always a splintered social unit. Wing vs. Wing, Undergrads vs. the rest, Freshers vs. Seniors, Lit Junta vs. the ..er..philistines. You get the picture. The audience for such a inclusive hostel magazine just did not exist.

The lowest denominator was hostel gossip, but if the editor had to be really clued in to the diffent cliques across different wings/years, and walk on eggshells so to include all. Even hostel sports results would not have interested many, with the obvious cynical realisation about the death or non-existance of the hostel as an institution. The hostel magazine was a non-starter. It took the occasional enthu and genuinely talented editor, like the occasional one from H2 or H4 in the late 90s batches to bring out that gem.

I've talked to Kaps about this, and I remember talking to Chinmay too once about the possibility of starting a rag, something on the lines of Target, or Gentleman. But it has been a fact that the demise of both these excellent magazines, nothing has come up to take the space which these occupied.

That brings into question what this space really is. The national audience is as diverse and fragmented as is the typical hostel crowd. Is there a space for an English language alternative or children's magazine of the quality of Gentleman/Target? It did exist a decade or two ago, but the commercial interests evidently did not think so.

What has changed since the demise of Target? Kids are more tech/net savvy, and more young like adults. They probably take offence at being labeled 'children'. Life in urban landscape has turned topsy-turvy as compared the quiet life of the smaller towns. And there is no Rosalind Wilson to push that vision through. Maybe I need to get in touch with IP. He knew the pulse.

As for a Gentlemanesque publication, the question is moot. There are pretenders (Man's World), but the money follows the bare skin. It will be asking a lot of consumers shell out Rs 50 plus for a quality publication relatively free from the vagaries of commerical interests. A lot depends whether a good mix of writers can be brought together to contribute. A Rajib Sarkar or Sambit Bal will aslo be need to nurture the talent. A tough ask indeed.

Comics in India have a similar fate. Other than the Nagraj and ilk, we've had slim pickings so far. I wonder if this potential, this space, is not just some miasma. A deeper look at this treacherous space is needed to understand whether any ventures here will be worthwhile.

Or maybe one should just leap, damn the looking.