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College magazines go hi-tech
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College magazines have begun to sport a chic look. What do magazine editors in the city colleges have to say about this image make-over?
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MOST PEOPLE used to keep their college magazines in some remote corner of the bookshelf earlier, but not anymore.
For, these days, college magazines are no longer mere souvenirs kept on the same rack along with old autograph books and faded group photos -- the dusty reminders of college life. The magazines have found a pride of place among the student community thanks to the hip look it has currently begun to sport. The chic look owes itself to the wave of creativity, which is sweeping across the city campuses in the form of campus films and theatre works.
College magazines have, for long, provided campus folks with an opportunity to express their views on issues of social relevance. They have often reflected the campus psyche. Today, these magazines sport a glossy look - courtesy advanced technology and sophisticated equipment. Editing and layout, the two main features in the making of a magazine, have become child's play due to desk top publishing (DTP).
In fact, computers have changed the entire process involved in the making of a magazine. "In the past, all these tasks took a lot of time and effort. Outdated equipment made the work quite monotonous and tedious," says Abraham Joseph, a lecturer with the Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram. Abraham was also the editor of the Mar Ivanios college magazine in 1980.
Now, advanced technology offers magazine editors so many options that magazines are brought out even in the form of compact discs (CDs). The cost of a bringing out a CD magazine is much less in comparison to a printed one. But CD magazines are yet to find a loyal fan base on the campus circles. "These are mere technical gimmicks. Only a few people can access CDs," says Dr. K. Vasudevan Nair, head of the department of Malayalam, University College.
"Moreover, CD magazines do not convey a sense of possession," adds Dr. Vasudevan, who had been the college staff editor for some years.
So, what has prompted the students to give their college magazines a slick makeover?
Probably, it is the awards instituted by various organizations that have brought in a touch of professionalism to magazine production on campuses.
"To be frank, the award had always been at the back of our minds while we worked on our magazine. It helped us come up with a better one," says Abgeoth Varghese, magazine editor, Mar Ivanios College. These awards have also encouraged a healthy competition among the colleges as the students attempt to outdo one another in their effort to bring out impressive magazines.
The Mar Ivanios magazine, `Mamma I am Lost', recently bagged the Malayala Manorama's award for the second best college magazine in the State.
Another positive change is that contribution from well-known writers outside campuses are no more a part of present-day college magazines. The articles, poems, short stories are all penned by the students.
"Why should we seek articles from outside the campuses when the students here have so much to say?" asks M. R. Vishnu Prasad, a regular winner at poetry competitions at the university level. Vishnu was also part of the editorial team at Kariavattom campus, sometime ago. Until a few years ago, these magazines were brought out on a shoestring budget. The sources for advertisements were a few Government organisations and small business enterprises. These days, a reasonably high amount from the annual college budget is set apart for the magazines. This enables the magazine editor and his team to explore state-of-the-art production techniques and experiment with page layouts.
A chunk of space in most college magazines, in the past, was hogged by poems and short stories. At present, one sees a sea change in the content of magazines with students according priority to topics of relevance. But such changes seem to have little or no affect on the magazines brought out by women's colleges in the city. These colleges are yet to catch up with the new trend.
"We have a lot of limitations while bringing out a magazine, and obtaining advertisements is one of them. Ours is a Government college and we have to comply with a lot of formalities before bringing out a magazine," says Sajna Sudheer, magazine editor, Government Women's College, Thiruvananthapuram.
Technological advancement has its flip side too. For instance, it reduces the participation of students. Students tend to depend more on technology and this in turn affects creative thinking. "The sophisticated equipment has surely made things easier, but it should not affect the creativity of the students," says Prof. V. Madhusoodanan Nair, poet, who honed his writing skills through college magazines during his academic life.
Technology and competitiveness is likely to take magazine production to new realms in future. One is likely to witness sparks of creativity on the campuses, which have always been hubs of intellectual activity.
A. V. AADHARSH
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