If you make a list of the many alleged weaknesses—biased, trivial, anti-BJP, anti-Hindu, cricket-obsessed, etc—of this publication, self-glorification is likely to be missing from the list. A journal which constantly needs to pat itself on the back reminding its readers what a great job it is doing is in a sense admitting that its journalistic virtues are hidden. Whether that is the case with Outlook is not for me to say. I will leave that judgement to those who pay Rs 20 every week. What I can claim, on the basis of the huge mail I get every day, is that the jury is still out. Opinion is divided, tilting ever so slightly (I would like to believe) in our favour.
Meanwhile, even those of you who love to hate Outlook have a high level of engagement with the "rag". When I meet the good folks from the parivar, I find they have serial grievances against me in particular and the magazine in general. Yet, Outlook is essential reading for them. "You may be a pseudo-secularist, and your journalism may be one-sided, but you don't tell lies," is how one worthy put it. Even as I accept such compliments—damned with faint praise?—I understand the wisdom of the aphorism that you cannot please all the people all the time.
It has been my editorial policy in Outlook to invite participation from those manifestly opposed to our editorial line (I don't believe we have an "editorial line" but that is another matter) to make a periodic appearance on our pages. You may have observed that in our Hey Ram! number two weeks ago, Balbir Punj, who is a card-carrying member of the BJP, berated secularists (read Outlook) over the Ram Setu issue. Interestingly, his intervention went against the grain of our entire coverage which clearly detected politics in the controversy, reminiscent of the Ram temple campaign. Nevertheless, Mr Punj's arguments enriched and enlivened our cover story by providing the perspective from the "other side".
In the number you are holding in your hand, I requested the editor of The Pioneer, Chandan Mitra, to contribute his views on Outlook and the journalism it practises. Chandan was a little surprised by my offer but graciously accepted the invitation. He has written a superb, thought-provoking piece glancingly attacking both the editor and the journal. Do I agree with him? Not entirely, but that is irrelevant to the point I am making.
I am no masochist. So long as it is sincere and intelligent, I enjoy praise. However, a journal which prints only accolades and indulges in self-worship is likely to have a diminishing clientele. To be frank, criticism of Outlook, both gentle and rude, comes so spontaneously and from so many quarters that I seldom have to go looking for it. An open, independent publication, not afraid to call a spade a spade, will always provoke, incense, delight, stimulate, enlighten and infuriate a section of readers. I would consider my editorship a failure if the aforementioned reactions in their totality were absent.
Currently, all of us in the Outlook Group are observing the title's 12th birthday. In publishing, a dozen years are but a wink, but for those of us on the staff it has been a very long journey. As a result, we have set false modesty aside as we raise a toast and look back on a voyage which began on October 11, 1995. We are in a mood to celebrate, to revisit the good things we've done alongside the few bloopers we've committed. I hope you will indulge us for this sentimental nostalgic lapse.
Since we are 12 years old, the anniversary issue revolves around the 12 theme. We have, therefore, selected 12 of the best assets and achievements of India 2007—from the schools providing the best mid-day meal, to the best district hospital, to the best heritage project, to the best retail idea—by consulting experts and specialists. It is a subjective list, no doubt, but be ready for a few surprises. We then move on to our 12 best stories, 12 best cartoons, 12 best covers, 12 best pictures, best letters to the editor.... The full package does not suffer from predictability. It is all unabashedly upbeat, in which the "other India" seldom makes an appearance. I apologise in advance for the omission, but this is a champagne moment for us. Besides, we hope to answer those who say we are congenital pessimists forever running down Shining India.
Anniversaries when celebrated too often can become a bore. As do Special Issues without a proper editorial theme, or just one theme beaten to death. The orgy of special issues breathlessly applauding India's 60 years of democratic existence is a case in point. I believe Outlook has been able to strike a judicious balance. Even though a 12-year survival record will not get us into the Guinness Book, our editors researching back numbers were astounded by the wealth of material in our archives. There is much we have left out for want of space.
On a personal note, in the nearly 30 years of slaving as an editor and starting new publications, I have lost count of how many opening articles I have written on the eve of launches and anniversaries—and not always with a happy ending. I remember the first anniversary of a newspaper I launched in Mumbai in the late '80s. Three weeks after a glittering party celebrating the widely-acknowledged success of the first year of the daily, I found myself out of a job amidst much media attention. Experience has taught me to celebrate anniversaries with fingers crossed.
Twelve years at Outlook, besides having made me calmer and wiser, have been a joy—both professionally and personally. Inshallah! I will be here for a few more years.
