I must admit to a peculiar sense of loss when I read "The missing letters” (Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, December 21, 2022-January 6, 2023) bemoaning the lack of letters to the editor for the iconic "Readers’ Forum” column. Let’s just say another Parsi tradition which had remained unbroken for over half a century is in real danger of becoming extinct.
While at one level it’s a direct reflection on our dwindling numbers, it is no less a comment on the languid state of its members for whom engagement with issues of the faith or the community is fast becoming an anachronism. It would be interesting to know the demographic profile of Parsiana readers in terms of the age groups. It won’t be too much of a conjecture to assume that most letter writers, if not all, will be in their 50s, 60s and 70s. At a universal level, this is of course true of all large media; even the venerable mass media publications in the country struggle with their letters columns these days and some have done away with the concept itself.
There was an interesting point made in the editorial about social media engagement vis-à-vis magazine content, where the former scores higher by comparison. That should not come as a surprise on two counts: one being immediacy of gratification where your response is seen in black and white as soon as you have posted it, and secondly the speed with which your comment can attract an array of responses, which makes for a more compelling two-way dialog. However, most of the times the quality of these responses leaves little food for thought as they are perfunctory by nature.
Pardon me for being a little self-indulgent but the Parsiana editor’s lament on the dreadful absence of communication from its readers obliges me to hark back to the good old days. I remember being a proud contributor to the ‘Letters’ columns of various mainstream publications in my teens and early 20s and I still retain a copy of every letter that I had the joy of seeing in print. There was a time when the printed letter was looked upon with pride and interest by everyone around you. Weeklies and dailies such as The Sunday Observer and The Hindu had very vibrant and interactive letters pages and some regular writers became mini-celebrities of their time. There used to be regular meet-ups which encouraged this rather distinctive community to opine on matters that affected the society. Even amongst vernacular newspapers such as the Surat-based Gujarati daily, Gujarat-Mitra or the Express publication, Samkaleen, the charcha-patra (views and discussion) sections were something to look forward to for sheer literary prowess. Many an enduring friendship started over these mails, when ‘email’ was not a word in the dictionary.
This magazine’s readership is a close knit circle of evolved and involved readers. I therefore hope that this is merely a temporary blip and not something that should be of grave concern to us fortnight after fortnight. One of the true strengths of Parsiana is its classy and balanced coverage on all matters concerning the community, be it mundane or contentious. Its reporters are all stars who have built their reputation on the back of years of hard work. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we would be doing a tremendous disservice to this much-loved and revered publication if the "Readers’ Forum” were to disappear altogether one of these days. As the Parsis of old liked to say, "Ovaaryu (God forbid)!”
VISTASP SAM HODIWALA
Thane
vistasphodiwala@gmail.com