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Determination coupled with hard work is sure to bring success. This seems very true when one takes the life of Shri Bharat Bhushan Chadha, who is bringing out Jahanvi, a socio-cultural women'smagazine since the last 39 years. Since then, he has never looked back and Jahanvi has become his passion. We shared with him his experience of 39 years. Excerpts: Being the editor of a women'smagazine, how do you view the modern Indian woman and her freedom?
Our ideology is to see women being treated as equal to men. If anyone among the two is greater, it is the woman. The concept of separating her from man is dangerous. In our culture, the woman sees the man as god, while the man worships her as a goddess. This is why the society is groping in the dark and there are growing incidences of crime against women.
Which section of the society reads your magazine the most?
Ours is a family magazine, wherein each section of the Indian society, from the women to an ordinary business-men, constitutes our reader. A very encouraging trend among our readers is to gift Jahanvi to their friends and relatives. Recently, one of our readers purchased and gifted 3,000 copies to his acquain-tances.
What is your sales average?
Well, that is a trade secret. But I would say that our sales figure is increasing every month. Once the magazine enters a household, the entire family becomes our regular reader.
How was your journey of 39 years?
The journey was full of many ups and downs. There were days when we worked peacefully, but there were times when we had to face hurdles, work in adverse situations, including not possessing enough means. Actually, I had no experience initially in this field. My motivation was my young spirit, Sangh sanskars and fortitude to counter the anti-Hindu stand followed by various magazines of that time. Now, we are adopting all commercial means to boost our business, like gifting Jahanvi on festive occasions and organising various story- and poetry-writing competitions.
Do you see any change in the society in these 39 years?
I do not see much change in our society since the last 39 years. There are many inherent qualities in our society, which ensure that it always remains constant. But yes, some things have changed indeed. Techn-ology has improved a lot. Competition has increased in the market. Due to the growing influence of television, reading habits among people have declined. Still, I believe that quality literature will always be appreciated. Our sales have not declined due to the changes in the society.
What message do you want to convey to the society through Jahanvi?
Our priorities have always been to encourage high moral education with entertainment, so as to preserve our Indian values and sanskars. I don'tfeel that commercial-oriented magazines are readable for the entire family. Through Jahanvi, to facilitate our aim, we plan to bring out different special issues every year. Like last year we had published special issues on Indian women, culture, family, tourism, health, festivals, which were highly appreciated. ?Preeti
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