I don’t read a lot of Outlook because I like reading things that interest me and there is not much in the magazine to pick up. I am truly tired of reading about the same cycle of politics and the same ministers; why are we giving them so much importance? Instead, I think you should up your cultural quotient. There’s a column here and there, and perhaps Bollywood gets its due, but apart from that the magazine is lacking in reportage on daily lives and conditions, the real stories.
The written word apart, what I see is also no longer attractive. I remember a time, many years ago, when the magazine was great to look at and browse through. Now the magazine design lacks imagination.
As for the photographs, and I say this about every magazine in India, there is a gap in emphasis on good photography. However well written, every story needs powerful photographs that will catch the readers and transport them to the exact spot where the reporter found the story. There is no visual experience left in Outlook, or any magazine in India for that matter. It’s the quick generation time and the visual elements speak for the most now. So while yours is a bright, effective magazine, a small step towards culture and better presentation would go a long way.
Raghu Rai is an award winning photographer and photojournalist
Outlook invites readers to take part in its 20th anniversary celebrations. Send us your bouquets and, more importantly, your brickbats. E-mail your entry to editor [AT] outlookindia [DOT] com
