28, ఆగస్టు 2009, శుక్రవారం

చందమామకు లేఖ

From: SIVARAMAPRASAD KAPPAGANTU
Date: Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 1:46 AM
Subject: VIEWS OF A OLD READER, HIS ANGUISH AND SUGGESTIONS
To: "abhiprayam@chandamama.com"
Dear Sirs,

I have just seen the Telugu Chandamama on your web. In fact, Chandamama was the first ever magazine I had ever read in my life. I am now 52 years young and in my formative years, I was reading Chandamama magazine in TELUGU language right from 1964-65 onwards, starting with my father presenting me the magazine as a Birthday Gift. Those were the days; a father would think appropriate to give Chandamama as a good gift to his Son. My sons , born two decades later were also avid Chandamama fans (the past tense used is deliberate).

I had continued to read Chandamama till 1990s. After Chandamama was resumed after a break, I found Chandamama as a stranger. I felt as if completely unknown person has come in the guise of a person very dear to me. The only thing that was not changed was size and publishing some old stories albeit with unwarranted changes which you may be thinking as decorations.

In the last few years when I have been seeing Chandamama not so frequently but now and then, I am only saddened seeing the so-called changes. It is my considered opinion that you need not try to popularise Chandamama anymore, it has already reached pinnacle of popularity which any magazine can reach.

If you are thinking that Chandamama requires popularising, you are just misguided. You need not try to popularise Chandamama, just start publishing in the same manner as it was done during 1960s and 1970s and all those people who stopped reading Chandamama (thousands of them) like me would flock back to the magazine and you would be surprised to see the circulation figures.

But you have to do that with some ad campaign in the print media (which people in the age group of 40 and above read) and TV (such channels balanced persons see) so that those who stopped reading Chandamama, disappointed with the changes, would come back seeing their much loved Chandamama in its old form. Because of the thoughtless manner in which Chandamama is run now, some "look alike" magazines are trying to grab the existing vast market.

Many sophomores armed with MBA and such other degrees, out of their lack of business sense, business acumen, and minimum common sense but with lots of greediness schemed to get more profits in Lehman brothers. What was the result?? A respected worldwide organisation of more than a century old has crumbled from within. This was not a plot by its competitors, but by its own Employees who thought themselves to be great geniuses and thought too much of themselves.

I pray God that such a thing is not happening to Chandamama and after sometime, we get the unpleasant news that the magazine is being closed. For those employees in Chandamama, especially in the so-called managerial cadre, it may be just temporary inconvenience till they get another job, but such people may not be realising that CHANDAMAMA is part of Indian Culture and Heritage. You may not know what you are handling and by your unplanned and immature plans how many thousands of people you are hurting and making them distanced from Chandamama.

Still there is time and opportunity to make a turn around by just following the footsteps of great people like Shri Chakarapani (the great Founder of Chandamama, in case you do not know) and Shri Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao (for your information, he was the longest working Editor for Chandamama from 1950s to 1980s till his death and in whose period only Chandamama got its esteem) and artists like Vaddadi Papaiah, Chitra and Sankar (who I am informed is still working for Chandamama out of nostalgia) and great serial writer Shri Dasari Subrahmanyam who came out of Chandamama I am sure out of sheer fatigue of changes and presently living in Vijayawada. You can invite all the old timers still working with you and those who left your organisation, irrespective of their cadre in Chandamama and get ideas to bring back the by gone glory.

Only the vision, sincere interest in running a world class magazine, honest desire to continue to reflect Indian tradition/culture are required to bring back the glory of Chandamama. And, not repeat NOT, some immature commercial plans, baseless market studies, unwanted figures and ratios above all lack of interest in what the Readers want and need, when it comes to bringing back the Chandamama’s lost fame.

I hope you understand the anguish of a reader who grew reading the magazine for decades and stopped only because of the changes in Chandamama. Please, Please, Please make sure that Chandamama does not lose its Cultural values and its heritage is not defiled.

The main reason why we “were” reading Chandamama was that it gave full satisfaction to experience the old world charm. We lived for some time in the fantasy of yester years, cherishing those days when virtue was still around to see in people. The only modern things that were visible very, very rarely were spectacles and a cycle and never any thing else. Such reference as to how our ancestors lived depicted by excellent pictures was the main attraction of Chandamama. The excellent narrative style and bringing about moral in almost all stories as an under current was another main reason why the stories were popular. Major attraction was the great pictures by Shri Chitra, Shri Sankar and Shri Vaddadi Papaiah. You would be fortunate if you can get such artists.

I here below give a few of my ideas:

1. Start Paropakari Papanna Kathalu. You need not reprint old stories. Publish a few old stories till Papanna gets married so that the new readers get a hang of the famous character of Papanna and start publishing altogher new stories but in the same mileu. For God's sake do not try to write as if Papanna is living now in 21st Century

2. Likewise Gundu Bheemanna Kathalu and Tatayya Kathalu, just use the format and get altogether new stories but with photo like pictures of Chitra and Sankar fame.

3. Encourage famous Magician Circar to send few new tricks he developed and weave stories around them and publish them with the trick revealed.

4. Encourage Shri Dasari Subrahmanyam (may be he is too old now) to write one more Folk Serial to increase the circulation of Chandamama. If you make a sincere effort and convince him that his serial is for the benefit of the Chandamama, I am sure he would write.

5. Just see the old set of story writers like Burle Nageswara Rao, Bommidi Achcharao, Machiraju kameswara Rao etc. (who published dozens of stories in Chandamama much to the delight of all) to send a few stories.

6. Make a Picture Story using all Sankar's pictures and republish all the mythological stories of Ramayana, Bharatam, Bhagavatam, and Hanuman. To suit for the present day kid, put more pictures and less words but without losing the story line. It can be done.

7. Likewise, start publishing Picture stories of all folk serials like Sidhilalayam, Rakasiloya using Shri Chitra's pictures.

8. Start publishing, "Chandamama in my Memories" duly collecting such memories from senior Chandamama readers.

9. Make the magazine to sell more with fewer advertisements. The idea is to charge more for the less number of advertisements and it will bring same income, provided your sales improve. With more advertisements, it’s an irritant for readers and Circulation comes down and in the same proportion ad. Income. Select only such ads. Which are good not those which will spoil children.

10. For those lovers of old Chandamama issues from 1947 onwards (there are a lot out there) please introduce Print on Demand Scheme or alternatively

11. Introduce a Subscription Scheme by which readers shall be subscribing for old issues either year wise or month wise, which in itself would be a unique scheme that no other magazine in the world would have done so far.

12. There were lovely Serials by Shri Dasari Subrahmanyam like Tokachukka, Makaradevata, Kamchukota, Jwaladeepam, Rakasi Loya, Patala Durgam, Sidhilalayam, Rati Ratham, Yakshaparvatam etc. Please bring them as separate books with reasonable price in the same size as that of Chandamama magazine without deleting a single picture.

13. Bring out an album of all pictures of great Artist Shri Vaddadi Papaiah (the Country should be proud of) on art paper, for which there is sizeable market, which would become Collectors’ item in the years to come.

14. Keep the advertisements only in the first and last few pages and not in between which irritate the reader and will spoil beauty of Chandamama.

15. Do not change the format of Picture Story combination with mathematical precision.

I am sure Chandamama would bounce back to greatness again in the near future and all of us who are ignoring Chandamama now would be attracted back to the great magazine.

Wishing all the Chandamama Team a bright future with Chandamama reaching the zenith of popularity again and shall remain there forever.

Regards,

K.SIVARAMAPRASAD

BANGALORE, INDIA

9 కామెంట్‌లు:

  1. అద్భుతంగా రాశారండీ. మీకు జోహార్లు.

    >> Shri Chakarapani (the great Founder of Chandamama, in case you do not know)

    లాంటి వాక్యాల్లో వ్యంగ్యం అదిరింది. మాచిరాజు కామేశ్వరరావు గారి కథ చివరి సారిగా ఎప్పుడు చదివానో గుర్తుకు లేదుగానీ ఆయన అడపా దడపా ఇప్పటికీ రాస్తున్నారనుకుంటా. 2000 ప్రాంతంలో స్వాతంత్ర్య స్వర్ణోత్సవాలను పురస్కరించుకుని కథలు తగ్గించి ప్రత్యేక వ్యాసాలు ఎక్కువగా వేసినప్పుడు ఆయన "చందమామలో కథలు బొత్తిగా తగ్గించేశారని పాఠకులు గోలపెట్టేస్తున్నారు" అని సంపాదకులకు రాసిన ఉత్తరం తెలుగులోనే గాక ఆంగ్ల చందమామలో కూడా వచ్చింది.

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  2. అందరు చంపిల అభిప్రాయాలు ప్రతిబింబించేటట్లు చాలా చక్కగా వ్రాశారు ప్రసాద్ గారూ.

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  3. శివరామప్రసాద్ గారూ!

    చాలా బావుందండీ మీ లేఖ.

    ‘భల్లూక మాంత్రికుడు’ తర్వాత ధారావాహికలను రాయటం ఆపేసిన దాసరి సుబ్రహ్మణ్యం గారి చేత మరో సీరియల్ రాయిస్తే... అది అద్భుతమే అవుతుంది!

    మీరు రాసిన మిగిలిన అంశాలు కూడా చక్కగా ఉన్నాయి. అభినందనలు!

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  4. THANK YOU ALL. FOR YOUR KIND REMARKS. IN FACT ITS SHRI PHANI (BLAGAGNI) WHO RESUSCITATED MY INTEREST IN CHANDAMAMA BY POSTING THE GREAT SERIALS AND LATER SHRI VENU WHO ENCOURAGED ME AND OUR RAJUGARU WHO IS ALWAYS THERE WITH A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT.

    MY INTENTION OF WRITING THIS TERSE LETTER TO CHANDAMAMA IS NOT TO HURT OR INSULT ANYBODY THERE BUT ONLY TO PROD THEM INTO CORRECT DIRECTION, FOR I KNOW THE PRESENT DIRECTION IS WRONG, FRAUGHT WITH GREAT FAILURE.

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  5. TIVIKRAM GARU,

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LINKING THIS PAGE FROM YOUR BLOG. IT DEFINITELY HELPED FOR MORE LIKE MINDED PEOPLE READ AND WRITE SUITABLE SUGGESTIONS TO CHANDAMAMA. LETS HOPE FOR THE BEST AND PREPARED FOR THE WORST. SO I PREPARED A YAHOO GROUP FOR THE SINGLE MOTTO OF SHARING THE OLD CHANDAMAMAS AMONG CHANDAMAMA PRIYULU. JUST VISIT MY BLOG AND YOU CANSEE THE LINK AT THE TOP MOST PORTION.

    THANKS AGAIN

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  6. sivarama prasad garu

    i thank you for presenting the views of so many 'chandamama' lovers in such a beautiful and expressive way, that they could not be ignored by the people running our 'chandamama'.

    your suggestion for printing serials like 'raakasi loya' in book form is so welcoming (it will be a dream come true for me, holding the book in my hands). hope they care to our feelings.

    thanks
    &
    regards

    naga malleswara rao bandi
    vijayawada

    bnmraobandi@gmail.com

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  7. @Naga Malleswara Rao garoo,

    Thank you for your kind remark. Chandamama is a passion for me. I forget everything if an old issue of Chandamama is in my hands. Despite having almost all the Chandamama issues from 1947 till 1980s there are some missing issues, for which I yearn still.

    Your dream of Chandamama Serials in book form may materialise. Some attempts are being made to approach Chandamama to permit Chandamama Fans to publish the Serials of Shri Dasari in single book form or each serial one book, with all Chitra's pictures. Its for Chandamama to permit since they hold the copy rights.

    I am sure if such a publication comes out all Harry Potters and its ilk will be thrown out of window.

    May be if and when Chandamama consents for publication, all Chandamama fans would be contacted for support, yourself included.

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి
  8. great sir,
    now a days nobody following values,with the help of Ur blog at least they will come2know wat's nature's value.

    రిప్లయితొలగించండి

1. అజ్ఞాతంగా, వివరాలు లేని ప్రొఫైల్ తో వ్రాసే వ్యాఖ్యలు ప్రచురించబడవు.
2. దయచేసి వ్యాఖ్యలు తెలుగులో కాని ఆంగ్లంలో కాని వ్రాయగలరు
3. ఆంగ్ల లిపిలో వ్రాసిన తెలుగు వ్యాఖ్యలు చదవకుండానే తొలగించబడతాయి.
4. వ్యాఖ్యలు వ్యాసానికి సంబంధించి విశ్లేషణాత్మకంగా వ్రాయాలని వినతి.