One of the sights that catches my attention instantly and I tend to examine in greater detail is the magazines lying on the tables in a library or hanging in front of a book store! Picking up a copy of a magazine and reading it in solitude or while travelling have been one of my favourite pastimes.

Packed with information on wide ranging topics such as current affairs, health, travel, science and technology, religion, spirituality, wildlife, fashion, poems and short stories, magazines have been a treasure trove that has enriched my knowledge and widened my mental horizons.

My love affair with magazines started in my boyhood when I used to go to a library near my home and lay my hands on monthly issues of Anandamela, a Bengali magazine for the adolescents. The magazine featured poems, short stories, travel, health, wildlife, comic illustrations and also academic success of students from reputable institutes. Only one or two magazines were kept in the library  – monthly issues arrived and I consumed them quickly and reread them twice or thrice until it was time for the next issue.

My father bought monthly issues of Kishore Gyan Bigyan – a magazine on science for adolescents. Answering the quiz and making my name appear in print in the next issue of the magazine gave me a sense of achievement and pride. Also stories about scientists, scientific inventions and science fictions increased my knowledge beyond my school syllabus and developed in me a keen interest in science.

As I grew up, I read magazines on politics and sports such The Frontline and The Sportstar. Radio and Television and now social media are the faster sources of news and information, but one has to turn the pages of magazines and read the articles for in-depth analyses of the happenings around the world and how they affect us.

Having grown up in a village, I hold environment close to my heart. When I came across magazines, Down to Earth and Sanctuary Asia, I was instinctively drawn to them and engrossed in the articles on environment and wildlife and the serious problems of pollution, climate change and extinction of species. I planted trees and did gardening. I also gifted these magazines to my dear ones for spreading awareness about the environment and our duty towards protecting it from damage and degradation.

Now my engagement with work and the routines of family life have left me with less time to read books. But whenever I have air travels, I pick up copies of Reader’s Digest from the book stores at airports. The humour pieces, articles on kindness, health, adventure and travel are truly life affirming and redirect me towards things that are meaningful and rewarding.