ARTICLE

Internet and Odia Literary Magazines: Challenges and Opportunities

Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee

mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com

Excerpted from a lecture delivered on the same subject organised by Odisha State Sahitya Academy on 27 October 2013 in Bhubaneswar. 

Introduction

Odia literary magazines have been published from mid nineteenth century. They have played significant role in establishing the identity of Odia language, shaping the language, setting new trends in Odia literature, helping freedom movement and several socio-political movements in Odisha, besides providing entertainment and aesthetic pleasure to the readers.

Over the years, Odia literary magazines have faced many challenges. Three major challenges before Odia literary magazines have been:  poor readership, poor finance and amateur management. Interestingly dearth of content has never been a big challenge, until recently. Many of the Odia literary magazines died young. In fact, casualty figure of Odia literary magazines has been exceptionally high. However, thanks to the sheer passion of some litterateurs and literature lovers the stream of Odia literary magazines never dried up. It found new tributaries and continued.

By mid 2013, Odisha has about 100 literary magazines, published from all over the state. However, majority of them are published from Cuttack, the traditional publishing hub and Bhubaneswar, the new Capital city. About 20 of them are regularly published. Rest are irregular. Many of the literary magazines are occasionally published. Many literary magazines are published during Puja (October), Bisuba (April, on the occasion of Odia New Year) and English New Year.

Internet was introduced in India in 1995. Odisha, fortunately had a relatively strong telecom backbone and had access to Internet fairly early. However, the penetration was slow because of several reasons (discussion of which is beyond the scope of this article). As per census 2011, Internet penetration in India was 3.1 per cent. In Odisha it was 1.4 per cent. However it is rising very fast. Majority of the users happen to be youth in the age group of 18-35.

Odia newspapers took to Internet by 1999. It is in the new millennium that more newspapers and even periodicals marked their presence on the web by launching their websites. Though there were not many visitors from the State, it provided them the opportunity to connect with the Odia diaspora worldwide. It also accorded them a status of ‘coming of age’.

By mid 2014, several established Odia literary magazines are on web platform, besides print and few audio book and audio visual version. There are about a dozen web only literary magazines. About half of them are active. About half a dozen web only semi-literary magazines are run, mostly by Non Resident Odia (NRO) organisations across the world. Many of the literary magazines are active in social media platform as well.

This essay will discuss the impact of Internet on the Odia literary magazines on three aspects: content, business and management. It will take into consideration the established literary magazines (with or without presence on web) and the active web-only magazines.  

Challenges that Odia Literary magazine are facing

In the second decade of the new millennium, Odia literary magazines are facing four major challenges now.

1.       Low Readership

2.       Amateur Management

3.       Poor financial status

4.       Not many research based quality creations

These form a vicious circle.

Low readership and amateur management lead to low advertiser enthusiasm, which again leads to low revenue. Low revenue/income means less money for investment in high quality input for the end product, which translates to poorer quality product in terms of paper and printing quality; also low (in most cases- zero) payment to the writers. Low payment to the writers leads to reduced interest, particularly in the area which requires investment of time and extensive research and travel. Without consistent high quality content, the readership is impacted. The vicious circle is complete and it continues to hang around the neck of Odia literary magazines.

What are the reasons?

a.       A dip in the interest in studying Odia literature, especially by the upper and middle class. In fact there is a marked dip in overall engagement with Odia language, despite it being given official status with certain rules that mandate engagement with Odia language in several spheres including primary and secondary education. There is a marked decline in the number of students opting for Odia as an honours subject in graduation level and in Masters level. This has impacted the quality of Odia language and literature education as well. Over the years there is a marked dearth of good students and a lack of enthusiasm and respect for the discipline.

b.      Literature, especially serious Odia literature is gradually being pushed out of social discourse among educated Odia knowing population. Without a vibrant social discourse, the younger generation hardly feels the importance of it in their social life and in shaping their aesthetic sensibility.

c.       Odia literary magazines have somehow not being able to link themselves with the cultural identity of the Odia as people- the way Bengali literature or Tamil literature have been able to do. It has not been an ‘in thing’ to learn the language or study the literature, or keep oneself abreast with the latest in literary world. There is no sense of remorse if an educated Odia does not know the language or its literature. Or, sense of pride if one does.  

d.      Low circulation (especially among the elite class) of literary magazines attracts less advertisement, which translates to its poor financial status. There is a need to cut cost. The result often is low quality paper, printing and less payment to the writers. Of late fierce competition among the literary magazines forced them not to economize on quality of paper and printing. They economise by paying lesser amount to the writer. The premise is: “creative writers write out of the urge to write and get published. They do not need money. Nor is there any need to pay them. They will write anyway.” Also this: “the writers need us more than we need them. In fact we are doing them a favour by publishing them. So instead of us paying them, they should pay us.” And in fact this is happening to some extent in Odia book publishing world.   

e.      As there is no adequate compensation, many creative writers are shying away from putting in the amount of effort and time- the work warrants. Of course there is no direct relationship between less compensation and quality of work of art, but  it impacts the motivation level at some point of time and that impacts the overall quality of the creation. Especially in creations which require extensive research and time.

How Internet is impacting?

a.       Opening the world  to get better access and dissemination

b.      More young men are accessing and using this

c.       English being the major operating language, English knowing people take better advantage

Impact on Odia literary Magazines

Challenges

a.       Impacting Readership: Young, educated  men and women are moving away as they are getting acess to other language literature. English, being the major operating language, it is enjoying a huge advantage.

b.      Impacting Sales: Sale is down, as people with access to net prefer to read on Internet. And without paying anything for the content.

c.       Impacting Content: Bi-lingual Writers, especially Young writers  prefer to write in English to reach larger group of readers.

d.      Impacting Contact with the writers: Most of our writers are not Internet savvy. They are losing connect with this net-addicted group

e.      One needs net-interested if not net-savvy people to create and maintain website of litetary magazines.

Opprtunities

a.       Worldwide market. Target First Generation Odia diaspora.

b.      Try to teach Odia to second/third generation NR Odia

What we should do

Govt.:

a.       Appreciate the need to be on Internet and to use it.

b.      Use organisations like Sahitya Academy to act like an information portal for Odia literature, litterateurs and also for literary magazines.

c.       Help the literary magazines to come aboard Internet. Provide them a platform. This could be done through Sahitya Academy.   

Literary Magazines

a.       Go aboard Internet. Expand your reach.

b.      Modify content to cater to the taste and need of the youth as they form 60 per cent of the population.

c.       Today’s youth is tech-savvy, who has a whole world of information at his/her tip.

d.      Try to monetise the content. Act as literary agent of the writer. Organise events. Promote writers as brand.

e.      Form an easy payment gate.

Writers

a.       Be Internet savvy. Learn the tool. Use it.

b.      Use Internet to do proper research

c.       Use Internet to translate your writings into other language.

d.      Use softwares and templates to move the content to different forms, e.g. story to screenplay. 

e.      Forge connection with the readers. Social media offers you the opportunity. Without that connect you will not be known, unless you r exceptionally brilliant.

***

The author, a journalist turned media academician is a well known fiction writer and columnist.  He writes in Odia and English. He has published 6 novels, 3 short story collections and 4 ‘table talk’ collection. Many of his novels and short stories have been translated in Hindi, English, Bengali and other languages. Presently he heads the Eastern India campus of Indian Institute of Mass Communications.

Opinions expressed in this article in his own.

Sanchar Marg, Dhenkanal 759 001.

26 July 2014