Internet and Odia Literary Magazines:
Challenges and Opportunities
Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee
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.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment