Why We Love To Hate <i>Outlook</i>

I have been a loyal rea­der from the very first issue. But after so many years, I’m confused as to whether I love to hate Outlook or I hate to love Outlook. I never did sympathise with the magazine’s political views. They were alw­ays against Hinduism, the RSS and the BJP. But I love Outlook’s crisp style, intelligent and informative writing. I have read some serious writing about cricket, especially when you broke the match-fixing story. But I must admit that the most interesting and loveable column in Outlook is its Letters section. Your diaries, sex and other surveys make news, yes, but editorial integrity keeps the magazine apart. You are never afraid to acknowledge your mistakes.

Sateesh Kulkarni, Ahmadnagar

For too long Outlook has been nothing but a mouthpiece of the Congress and its brand of secularism. Nowadays it has become fashionable to ridicule Hindu faith, rituals and beliefs, but self-flagellation by some Muslims during some of their festivals is alright. In your issue dated December 8, you have dissected the investigation conducted by the nia in the Burdwan blast, but has the magazine ever provided a platform to Sadhvi Pragya to present her side of the story?  It is time Outlook improved its journalistic ethics and presented more balanced viewpoints, keeping aside personal biases/prejudices of the editor. Finally, I am sure that you will find this letter so hard-hitting and questioning your own ethics that chances of it being published is nil, but still I will exercise my right to speak out.

Hemanth Pai, Bangalore

My date with Outlook began 15 years ago. Though many magazines started with much fanfare promising to be different, Outlook’s lucid and down-to-earth app­roach as well as accuracy have set it apart. But, why has the magazine pou­red such venom on the BJP alone, leaving out many other political parties that have been faring badly on many parameters? In the same vein, I wonder why it has suddenly changed its stance now by going soft on the bjp? I love the magazine as much as I hate it sometimes when it fails to maintain its tempo.

Srinivasan Ramaswamy, Secunderabad

As someone who still has more than 100 issues of Outlook from the ’90s, I have only one grouse: its attitude towards cinema. It is difficult for us to understand what exactly Outlook and other publications from the north classify as Indian. India is a diverse country and each reg­ion has a distinct cultural ethos. The notion that only those who make it to Bollywood represent India is misplaced. This again reminds us that India lacks a composite national media. I have rarely seen South Indian legends like Ilayaraja or Yesudas mentioned in any of your ‘Indian’ lists in the last 19 years only because they did not make it to Bollywood. Such parochial views don’t contribute to enlightened journalism. Probably the Outlook team in New Delhi is too young and self-absorbed to see beyond their immediate vicinity.

Baiju Mani, Kanpur

In an increasingly compromised and corporate-owned media landscape where even mild questioning is trolled or attacked with the venom reserved for rabid dogs, Outlook continues to make serious and bold attempts to bring to the reader alternative and unpopular viewpoints vital for a mature democracy to flourish. Yet, there are times I find the magazine too superficial; those trends need to be put a stop to at once.

Lt Col Atamaram Sekhar, Valsad

Outlook invites readers to take part in its 20th anniversary celebrations. Send us your bouquets and, more importantly, your brickbats. E-mail your entry to editor [AT] outlookindia [DOT] com