An annual Diwali Marathi literary treat
A 103-year-old tradition of festival magazines has an uncertain future
Despite the growth of new media, the 103-year old tradition of Diwali annual magazines in Marathi lives on, and according to enthusiasts, is still flourishing.
This Diwali, over 400 annuals covering subjects including fiction, literary essays, poetry, science, cooking and humour were sold. The tradition of festival annuals is shared by Bengalis too, who have Durga Puja specials.
Poet Arun Shevte who has been editing Ruturang said the tradition of annuals has become stronger with the decline of literary magazines. "There are no literary magazines in Marathi anymore, so people turn to the annuals," he said. This year's Ruturang which had 'home' as its theme, featured a poem by Gulzar that was translated from Urdu to Marathi. Shevte said that 10,000 copies were sold.
Other popular magazines include the literary Lalit, Kathashri which is a collection of short stories, Chandrakant which features short novellas, Vigyan Patrika, Dhananjay and Mauj.
In many households, these annuals are compulsory purchases during Diwali. Sometimes, they form part of Diwali gift bags that are given to relatives and friends. The average cost of an issue ranges between Rs70 and Rs100. Then there are libraries like the one run by Neha Nachne from Thane, that offer 30 titles for a Rs350 fee for a three-month period.
Shashikant Sawant, a contributing writer and editor said, "There was a time when people only read the special annuals during Diwali and newspaper sales would go down." Issues are even preserved and passed on. Dr Meena Vaishampayan, honorary secretary of the Asiatic Society and a regular contributor gets responses to articles even three years after it appeared in a Diwali issue. "Earlier authors waited for the Diwali issue because it gave them fame," she said.
The titles have a high mortality rate and while many of them have responded to changing reading habits by featuring shorter articles, many fold up after a few years. Shevte said that Diwali annuals are a good opportunity for writers. "Since newspaper articles are now limited to a few hundred words, writers prefer to write for the annuals as the length of the features can be between 3000 and 5000 words," he said.
While the magazines are doing well for now, some readers are worried about the future. "For my generation — educated in Marathi-medium schools — reading Diwali specials is a passion. The newer generations who have attended English-medium schools find it tedious. When my generation readers gone, I do not know whether these specials will still flourish," said Nachne.
A 103-year-old tradition of festival magazines has an uncertain future
Despite the growth of new media, the 103-year old tradition of Diwali annual magazines in Marathi lives on, and according to enthusiasts, is still flourishing.
This Diwali, over 400 annuals covering subjects including fiction, literary essays, poetry, science, cooking and humour were sold. The tradition of festival annuals is shared by Bengalis too, who have Durga Puja specials.
Poet Arun Shevte who has been editing Ruturang said the tradition of annuals has become stronger with the decline of literary magazines. "There are no literary magazines in Marathi anymore, so people turn to the annuals," he said. This year's Ruturang which had 'home' as its theme, featured a poem by Gulzar that was translated from Urdu to Marathi. Shevte said that 10,000 copies were sold.
Other popular magazines include the literary Lalit, Kathashri which is a collection of short stories, Chandrakant which features short novellas, Vigyan Patrika, Dhananjay and Mauj.
In many households, these annuals are compulsory purchases during Diwali. Sometimes, they form part of Diwali gift bags that are given to relatives and friends. The average cost of an issue ranges between Rs70 and Rs100. Then there are libraries like the one run by Neha Nachne from Thane, that offer 30 titles for a Rs350 fee for a three-month period.
Shashikant Sawant, a contributing writer and editor said, "There was a time when people only read the special annuals during Diwali and newspaper sales would go down." Issues are even preserved and passed on. Dr Meena Vaishampayan, honorary secretary of the Asiatic Society and a regular contributor gets responses to articles even three years after it appeared in a Diwali issue. "Earlier authors waited for the Diwali issue because it gave them fame," she said.
The titles have a high mortality rate and while many of them have responded to changing reading habits by featuring shorter articles, many fold up after a few years. Shevte said that Diwali annuals are a good opportunity for writers. "Since newspaper articles are now limited to a few hundred words, writers prefer to write for the annuals as the length of the features can be between 3000 and 5000 words," he said.
While the magazines are doing well for now, some readers are worried about the future. "For my generation — educated in Marathi-medium schools — reading Diwali specials is a passion. The newer generations who have attended English-medium schools find it tedious. When my generation readers gone, I do not know whether these specials will still flourish," said Nachne.
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