When we left
our full-time jobs in The Sunday Observer and Business India
magazine in 1993 to start Communalism Combat, many friends and
well-wishers believed this was a hasty and unwise step. Why leave the mainline
media to start a niche publication whose reach would necessarily be far more
limited?
But we
believed we were taking the right decision. Working in the mainline media, we
could at best remain full-time journalists where not all of our work would be
limited to the communal question. But with Communalism Combat we could
be journalists-cum-social activists. Not only could we then attempt journalism
of a different kind, we would also have the opportunity to intervene in the
ongoing public discourse on the issue through other means and in other arenas
– mass campaigns, education, advocacy, litigation…
Ten years
later, we are happy we took the decision that we did in 1993. That is what we
think, but what about others?
We thought
that the 10th Anniversary of the publication was an appropriate occasion for
us to subject it to serious external evaluation. Which is why, for this issue,
we approached well-known individuals from diverse professions and with
different priorities – media, politics, law, civil liberties, human rights;
historians, educationists, Dalit intellectuals, women’s rights activists,
religious leaders and grassroots workers – urging their frank assessment of
the role played by CC in the larger battle against creeping fascism.
We are
extremely grateful to all those who so readily responded to our plea and took
time off from their pressing schedules to send us their evaluation. To be
honest, we are overwhelmed by the feedback and hope that we are able to live
up to the high expectations we seem to have raised. The feedback has also
given us a lot of food for thought, as readers will concur.
Regular
readers of CC will have noticed the sharp drop in the even otherwise
meagre advertisement support the magazine enjoyed, since the BJP’s rise to
power at the Centre. Since our need to rely on reader support to sustain the
publication is that much greater today, for the first time in 10 years, we are
compelled to raise our subscription rates.
We remain
committed to continue to bring before you the best that we are capable of. But
we also need your strong support, dear reader.
— EDITORS