Monday, August 23, 2010

Economist and EPW

Two magazines I just love to read but barely get the time to !

The Economist is just pleasant reading. So much information packed in that little thing. Of so many countries, cultures and economies. A great deal of research goes into every article. And the most interesting are the titles of the stories. Often wondered why I didnt think of this earlier !The title puts the article and the issue in perspective. 4 to 5 words that symbolise the problem and sometimes offer a solution. Though one could be critical of the "western" centric view of many articles on Asia with generalisations galore, it is difficult to dispute the authenticity of reporting as well as factual accuracy. And the best part is that it captures the essence of it all. Sometimes I wonder that a problem that captivated a nation for months together is encapsulated in half a page of deadly synopsis and how nicely.

Economic and Political Weekly. Grew up with it in college. Skipped many articles in the weekly journal because of the tilt it had to econometrics. Nevertheless loved the ideological tone and rationale of most of the articles. A distinguishing feature of the magazine, and common to the Economist, is the rigour of research that goes into it. Though at times the verbiose content could put a novice off. There is something with all these journals - a language of its own. Paradigmatic, dialectical,intellectual,globalised,critique,democratisation, etc etc. Wonderful reading at times.

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