| On June 2 last year, after 22 years of being a fortnightly
newsmagazine, India Today turned weekly. It is a decision I have never had cause to
regret. In many ways our timing was perfect, as the past year has been a tumultuous one.
Governments fell and two prime ministers were forced to resign. Sonia Gandhi tested the
political waters, while Arundhati Roy made a startling literary debut. India's 50th year
of Independence was celebrated, yet there was national mourning when Mother Teresa passed
away. And then came India and Pakistan's nuclear tests. India Today covered it all,
consistently maintaining its high standards of journalism. Politics predictably has been
our bread and butter, with 48 per cent of our covers devoted to the subject. Yet, we have
done several not-so-predictable cover stories as well. Ranging from serious stories like
the "Invasion of Monster Mosquitoes" and the "Army's Changing Face",
to lighter ones like "New Toys And Tastes of the Megarich" and the "Rise of
the Cellerati". What's most encouraging
is that our readers responded with similar enthusiasm. Our circulation, which some
believed was bound to dip, not only stayed stable but even increased. With the result
that, despite the recent proliferation of television news programmes, we sold 22 million
copies this year as compared to 9.7 million the previous year. Even letters from readers
have quadrupled in number. So, in this issue we have included a questionnaire for our
readers, to find out their preferences.
But just being analytical, informative and credible is not
enough. At India Today we have always sought to go further, to tell stories that make a
difference, and in that respect too I believe we have been quite successful. When we
carried exclusive extracts from the Jain Commission report ("Damning
Revelations", November '97), it eventually led to the resignation of the Gujral
government and a fresh general election. This cover sold second only to our 50 Years of
Independence special issue. Elsewhere too we made a mark. Our reportage of the distressing
condition of war widows in Rajasthan ("Widows of Shergadh", August '97) won an
award for Special Correspondent Uday Mahurkar and the suicides by starving farmers in
Bundelkhand ("Death Wish", April '98) resulted in a government inquiry. We have
also attempted to set benchmarks like our Top 10 Colleges list.
Regardless of the frequency of our magazine, our mission
remains the same; to bring you clarity and understanding about the changes occurring in
the world around you. It is a job we enjoy doing. Hopefully, the outcome is equally
enjoyable.
(Aroon Purie) |
