21 years of tracking India like no one else does

Bringing out a magazine for 21 years, month after month without missing an issue, rates as an achievement. It could easily become a slog, but we remain enthusiastic about our stories and truly invested in the mundane and less glamorous aspects of keeping a media business going.

Our priority is content. In a straightforward way, we give our readers what we find engaging, relevant and credible. Our readers are invited to see India through our eyes.

You could say we are not dissimilar to a gourmet restaurant. The tables are limited and the chef decides the menu. People show up because they like what they get. Over time they bring others along as well and a community grows. This has been our experience.

Do we make a difference? We think so because our stories are original and in spaces where the rest of the media doesn’t tend to go. It has been borne out over time that our coverage of people, trends and events is unique to us.

A vibrant and responsible civil society is crucial at a time when economic growth is causing serious disparities. The voluntary sector is needed more than ever to ensure inclusion. For India to be a modern economy much remains to be done by way of healthcare, housing, education, transportation and creation of livelihoods. Better cities are needed as are villages. As journalists we see a role for ourselves in understanding the problems and looking beyond them for solutions. Our interest in this magazine has been in individuals and groups who have ways forward.

Being independent sets you free, even as it presents other challenges. In our book, there is no such thing as being ‘big enough’ or ‘too small’. In a country of 1.3 billion, size will always be relative. People we cover gush about the visibility they get, particularly so in quarters that matter to them. We have no doubts about the impact of our coverage and the shelf-life of our content.

We are, of course, a business and need to earn to survive. But there is nothing we do as a business that influences what we publish. There is also nothing we publish that is intended to drive up business. We expect to keep it that way.

We are fortunate to have the support of friends and colleagues. Our columnists — Sanjaya Baru, Kiran Karnik, R.A. Mashelkar, Venkatesh Dutta, Arun Maira, Sumita Ghose — always find the time to write. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have placed faith in us – our  advertisers and subscribers.