December 29, 2007

There’s something about the last issue of Young World this year that makes you look back on days and months gone by. 2007 was an action-packed year — not only for Pakistan but for YW readers, too.

Writers do a lot of work. But, if truth be told, they would be nothing without their readers. Truly, quality readers are what makes a magazine complete along with quality writers. So, right here, right now, I dedicate this article to each and every one of you who read YW, and rock with it!

Tanya Ashraf has been a dedicated Young World reader for over six years. When asked what she thinks of YW’s progress in the year 2007, she is nothing but happy. “I believe Young World has come a long way,” she says, clearly pleased. “There has been a wide range of topics covered this year, from politics and tragedy to humour and laughter. I hope Young World continues to progress like this.”

Nida Anwar, however, has some suggestions to make. “Young World is an amazing magazine, but I feel like it’s not encouraging poets,” she says, a little sadly. “Being interested in poetry myself, I find the Poet’s Corner in a sad state. Young World has a lovely standard for articles and stuff like that, but it doesn’t have much of a standard for poems. I think YW should start poetry and writing competitions to promote aspiring writers. And, the New Year will be the perfect time for it.”

Alvina Paracha shares her opinion on the matter. “In a way, Poet’s Corner is encouraging writers of all age groups. But, yes, I do think the editorial team should be a bit choosier about what is included.”

Fourteen-year-old Afza has started reading YW a couple of months back, and she loves what she sees. “I don’t know about back issues, but all the 2007 issues I’ve read are amazing. I love the creativity; it just seems to pour out of the magazine. Young World never neglects any events of importance: from Ramazan to Eid, from Iqbal’s Day to current happenings. It’s like a box of knowledge.”

Ahsan, an older reader, agrees. “You know how they say there’s always room for improvement? I don’t believe it applies to Young World, and yet it’s improving by the day. I loved 2007’s choice of cover stories. All of them were really meaningful, as were a wide range of other articles. And kudos to the behind-the-scenes team for a job done well!”

A friend of Ahsan’s has similar thoughts. “2007 might not have been the perfect year for our country, but it was definitely one for YW,” he says enthusiastically. “There were some very informative articles in store for all knowledge-lovers. I really loved how it wasn’t all just about movies and music: events that may seem boring to some weren’t ignored. And there were definitely a lot of engaging stories.”

Seventeen-year-old Isha Tariq, a cook, loves the food-for-thought Young World has to offer. The recipes! “I just dig into Young World whenever I’m not sure what to try my hand at in the kitchen. Believe me, YW never failed me. And there were so many amazing recipes in this year’s issues, they just made my weeks.”

Nashmia, an ‘O’ Level student, is equally pleased. “Know what I love about YW? ‘Dear Diary’ and other similar pieces. It’s nice to wander into someone else’s world for a while. There were a lot of great articles this year. The whole year was a treat for a reader.” And there is something that she specially, specially loved this year. “Samina Iqbal’s absolute focus on the environment,” she says with a grin. “2007 was full of it, and it was sheer delight.”

Young World has let down Madri Faraz a little, though. “Have we forgotten Harry Potter?” she wonders out loud. An avid Potter fan, she adds, “Before the last book came out, YW was full of HP. Articles, reviews, that sort of stuff. Then the book comes out and, suddenly, the whole mania disappears. I would love to see it back — we aren’t done with Rowling yet!”

Meet Farah. She has been hooked to Young World for seven years now. “I guess you could call me an old reader,” she laughs. “What I’ve seen over the years is that YW keeps getting better. When something stops changing, it’s dead. That’s the end. But YW always has something new, something quirky ready for us in every issue. I loved this year’s Independence Day issue, and I can say it’s one of the best YW issues ever to reach my doorstep. Summer ’07 saw some brilliant issues, too!”

Another reader, Zarrar Javed, says, “What I loved this year was that Young World was really sensitive to sensitive issues. Peer pressure, smoking, sheesha; I think YW has done a lot to eliminate negativity this year. Well done, guys!”

Elmer Nadeem believes YW went all the way up this year, too, but she still has plenty of suggestions to make. “Involve readers more,” she advices pleasantly. “YW stirred up some really exciting issues this year, but I think it could feature a poet, too. There are non-fiction columns, I know, but YW should definitely have a regular column by a poet alongside it. And maybe a regular feature where you could highlight women who have some really incredible achievements to their credit.”

Tauseen differs. “Young World is perfect just the way it is,” she argues. “There was a little bit of everything this year, and the issues were more balanced than ever before. Time Check was a great addition, and it was especially fun reading the star sign write-ups.”

Vishu, 15, is both a graphics lover and graphics maker — which is exactly why she comments on an aspect of YW not many others take notice of. “The cover pages,” she says delightedly, “were fantastic. YW has come up with splendid covers this whole year, and I’m expecting them to keep up the brilliant work in 2008, too.” She has her own, favourite YW artist, too. “Mr Khalid Anwar is brilliant,” she comments. “Everyone is, really. And they showed some really special skill this year.”

And who else loved this year’s issues? Maira Kazmi thinks everyone. “You just could not have loved them,” she states energetically. “It’s the comics that I read the first thing. One has to admit 2007 was a wonderful year for them. Kami and Archie were great. And introducing Teenlife was a stroke of brilliance!”

Anwar Jeelani is not so pleased, however. “YW has never given up so much space to ads before,” he laments. “This year’s issues were laden with them. I know we can’t completely do away with ads, but there were some issues with up to four pages of advertisements this year. Believe me, they looked like walking billboards.”

Nadia Mehmood thinks on similar lines, but she is more bothered with the stories. “I’d say YW didn’t exactly make the right choices about the stories that were included. YW has always had a standard, and they just let go of it this year. It was all the way downhill for story-time; I expected better.” But, as it is, all is not lost. Nadia has some positive remarks to offer, too. “YW whipped up some amazing, non-fictional articles this year, though. I do think the standard was never higher for them.”

Sidra Khan is extremely glad to be a YW reader, and she flaunts the fact with pride. “2007 was the perfect Young World year,” she says at once. “It had something to offer every kind of reader — tech-savvy, bookworm, fashion-hungry: YW didn’t disappoint anyone. Being a music lover myself, I loved the album and song reviews. It really helped me pick out something new from the CD shops. Young World 2007 was phenomenal.”

“I guess you could call drawing my forte,” Ramzan confides. “The art corner is what I love checking out. The section just kept getting better and better with every passing week, this year. I do have one suggestion to make, however: Start accepting drawings by email, guys.”

But it is Marzia Zafar who finally echoes my own thoughts. “YW 2007 saw some rise, and it saw some fall. You’re asking which way Young World progressed? Both ways. But, when all’s said and done, you can’t deny that this year’s issues were a crate of healthy fun. YW has always provided readers a rich, reading environment, and 2007 was no different in this regard. It was, to say the least, mind-blowing.”

I have to say, I completely agree. And, that aside, it’s fantastic how much the last issue of a year can make you go through — nostalgia, sweetness, memories: the list is as beautiful as it is endless. I don’t doubt that every reader is going to miss the Young World year gone by, but don’t any of you worry. With the new year ahead, I know Young World won’t let us down. Here’s hoping everything good for our magazine. Happy New Year!