My first day with FIRST CITY was a pleasant experience although I was greatly alarmed to find myself arriving late in the office. Yet a pleasant smile welcomed me as I waited anxiously in the waiting room. All anxieties quelled, I was immediately taken in to the editorial office/room where I was introduced to an all-female group who would now be my colleagues.
Most of the afternoon was spent in reading the past issues of First City and collecting and constructing impressions of this very dense (and I use the word with much deliberation) magazine. Of course, what I read made me more and more apprehensive than at ease; I was suddenly perplexed as I beheld intense and intricate work that had gone in to constitute each issue. In the evening, the boss laid out a loose structure that usually holds the magazine together and a list of dos and don’ts that further gave me reason to worry.
So here I conjure up all strength and courage to perform this rite of passage: I give you here my impression of the magazine, FIRST CITY – A daunting task but one that needs to be done immediately. First City, in short, is a monthly magazine that informs Delhi about itself. Of course this is only one of its functions. The FC2 section coherently yet concisely lets the reader have a peek into the various cultural functions, be it dance, music, theatre, art et cetera. ‘Listings’ functions like a handy ‘yellow pages’; and to find one related to meditation and yoga was rather unexpected but nevertheless informative. The highlighted boxes usher the more impatient readers to focus on the more interesting events subtly but effectively.
I seem to be constantly echoing myself when I say this: First City is about Delhi and Delhi is a lot of things and by this logic, First City is a magazine about a lot of things. Devdutt Pattanaik, with his erudite articles on myths, religion and legends, Anoushka Shankar’s wistful expressions and her witty chin-puppets (Feb 2008), Amruta Patil’s clever sketches and plots, Nimret Handa’s ‘Beautiful Delhi’, among others, are to be found together within the magazine’s pages. I personally like the section where the magazine interviews the common man, where he/she is presented as an individual and not solely as a representative of his/her class. Similarly, the ‘Minute-Old Migrant’ is unique to First City. These two sections could perhaps be more elaborate although I do understand that doing so may not attract sufficient readership.
The more recent issues strangely have not provided film reviews. I think that section could be revived as I did find some reviews of various films in the older issues of the magazine. The book and music reviews are generally crisp yet enticing and the books and music picked up for reviews are from various genres. I believe, in the most recent issue, there is a section where the summaries of the more popular books are given. This pairing up of the summaries with the reviews works. Also, the various museums and monuments of Delhi could be visited and revisited. The ‘BANDAID’ section could definitely be revived as there are many new upcoming bands with newer sounds and experimental backgrounds.
The main article is the most unexpected in the magazine. From Jaggi Vasudev to Ashish Soni, First City has covered a wide range of topics and people. And this is the magazine’s virtue and luxury as it has no rigid agenda. The articles are usually interesting, well written and at the same time informational. The June 2009 ‘Writers’ Special’ was a rare collection, of writers writing about writers, and an exclusive read.
Another section that I like is ‘Walk’. However, in the last issue, ‘Walk’ did not do justice to Hauz Khas Village. The place is so much more mysterious with its archaic windows and its labyrinth alleys. The monument behind the village seemed to be obfuscated, in the article, by the many shops and boutiques. The photographs, too, were rather amateurish, concealing more and showing uninteresting details. Having said all that, ‘Walk’ as a concept is very potent as it has the capacity to lure the readers from their comforts right into the very gardens, parks et cetera that are written about. At the same time, it makes people aware of the various places that are rarely visited, but should be.
First City is a magazine about Delhi and like the city, the magazine has its many facets, eccentricities seemingly disconnected and yet at some level all the articles, photographs and even the advertisements seem to settle down in some kind of agreement, harmoniously in tune. And perhaps because it is about, around and within the city – a city that is the melting pot of cultures, where people of different races and religions live together in the same buildings, parks and share metro-rides – the magazine naturally allows itself to mirror its muse, Delhi.
Most of the afternoon was spent in reading the past issues of First City and collecting and constructing impressions of this very dense (and I use the word with much deliberation) magazine. Of course, what I read made me more and more apprehensive than at ease; I was suddenly perplexed as I beheld intense and intricate work that had gone in to constitute each issue. In the evening, the boss laid out a loose structure that usually holds the magazine together and a list of dos and don’ts that further gave me reason to worry.
So here I conjure up all strength and courage to perform this rite of passage: I give you here my impression of the magazine, FIRST CITY – A daunting task but one that needs to be done immediately. First City, in short, is a monthly magazine that informs Delhi about itself. Of course this is only one of its functions. The FC2 section coherently yet concisely lets the reader have a peek into the various cultural functions, be it dance, music, theatre, art et cetera. ‘Listings’ functions like a handy ‘yellow pages’; and to find one related to meditation and yoga was rather unexpected but nevertheless informative. The highlighted boxes usher the more impatient readers to focus on the more interesting events subtly but effectively.
I seem to be constantly echoing myself when I say this: First City is about Delhi and Delhi is a lot of things and by this logic, First City is a magazine about a lot of things. Devdutt Pattanaik, with his erudite articles on myths, religion and legends, Anoushka Shankar’s wistful expressions and her witty chin-puppets (Feb 2008), Amruta Patil’s clever sketches and plots, Nimret Handa’s ‘Beautiful Delhi’, among others, are to be found together within the magazine’s pages. I personally like the section where the magazine interviews the common man, where he/she is presented as an individual and not solely as a representative of his/her class. Similarly, the ‘Minute-Old Migrant’ is unique to First City. These two sections could perhaps be more elaborate although I do understand that doing so may not attract sufficient readership.
The more recent issues strangely have not provided film reviews. I think that section could be revived as I did find some reviews of various films in the older issues of the magazine. The book and music reviews are generally crisp yet enticing and the books and music picked up for reviews are from various genres. I believe, in the most recent issue, there is a section where the summaries of the more popular books are given. This pairing up of the summaries with the reviews works. Also, the various museums and monuments of Delhi could be visited and revisited. The ‘BANDAID’ section could definitely be revived as there are many new upcoming bands with newer sounds and experimental backgrounds.
The main article is the most unexpected in the magazine. From Jaggi Vasudev to Ashish Soni, First City has covered a wide range of topics and people. And this is the magazine’s virtue and luxury as it has no rigid agenda. The articles are usually interesting, well written and at the same time informational. The June 2009 ‘Writers’ Special’ was a rare collection, of writers writing about writers, and an exclusive read.
Another section that I like is ‘Walk’. However, in the last issue, ‘Walk’ did not do justice to Hauz Khas Village. The place is so much more mysterious with its archaic windows and its labyrinth alleys. The monument behind the village seemed to be obfuscated, in the article, by the many shops and boutiques. The photographs, too, were rather amateurish, concealing more and showing uninteresting details. Having said all that, ‘Walk’ as a concept is very potent as it has the capacity to lure the readers from their comforts right into the very gardens, parks et cetera that are written about. At the same time, it makes people aware of the various places that are rarely visited, but should be.
First City is a magazine about Delhi and like the city, the magazine has its many facets, eccentricities seemingly disconnected and yet at some level all the articles, photographs and even the advertisements seem to settle down in some kind of agreement, harmoniously in tune. And perhaps because it is about, around and within the city – a city that is the melting pot of cultures, where people of different races and religions live together in the same buildings, parks and share metro-rides – the magazine naturally allows itself to mirror its muse, Delhi.
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