Reviving the lost culture of reading

Two Pune students, along with their team, have launched a quarterly magazine named Bluslate to revive the reading habit among today’s generation, that is hooked on to ezines and e-books.

Twenty-year-old Mukta Patil, a third-year BA student from Fergusson College, and 24-year-old Javits Rajendra, who now works in Chennai, proudly claim that though they started the magazine, it is for the people and by the people.

The first edition of
Bluslate was launched in
February this year.

Speaking about the response to the magazine, Mukta said, “We are surprised that it is getting a good response. We have sold around 500 copies till now. The city bookstores, we approached, have agreed to put our magazine on the stands.”

When asked the reason behind choosing the name Bluslate, Manav Taneja (23), who is part of the editorial team, said, “The tech world has completely absorbed us, and with e-books we have forgotten the pleasures of the olden days. To bring back the old times we used the word ‘slate’ and it is up to the readers to interpret the word ‘blu’.”  

The first issue, with the theme ‘Tuning in’, includes works by eight poets, eight writers, three photographers and nine illustrators.

Leafing through the
magazine, you will find works of renowned poets such as Hoshang Merchant, Annie Zaidi, Claus Ankersen, Ayesha Chattrjee and others. A lot of amateur writers have also contributed their works for the magazine.

The issue also features a question and answer session with Hoshang Merchant, an Indian poet, who came out with the first Indian book on gay issues, Yaraana: Gay stories from India, in 1999.

“What makes Bluslate different is its miscellaneous theme, that sets it apart from other magazines in the market, which focus on sports, fashion, and money,” said Mukta.

“Due to some technical problems, the second issue of the magazine could not be published, so our issue for November 2011 will be a double issue,” said Mukta.

“We are aiming to make it popular and our next step is to hit the stands at all the big bookstores in the city,” said Shantanu Verma, a member of the team working for the magazine.

The magazine costs Rs60 and is available at Manneys Bookshop in Camp and at Twister’s Place in Aundh.

Those interested in
contributing to the magazine can log on to
www.bluslate.wordpress.com or
www.facebook.combluslate.