JS (magazine)
| Editor | Desmond Doig |
|---|---|
| Categories | Youth culture |
| Frequency | Weekly (later fortnightly) |
| Founder | Alfred Evan Charlton |
| First issue | February 1967 |
| Final issue | August 1977 |
| Company | The Statesman |
| Country | India |
| Based in | Calcutta, West Bengal |
| Language | English |
JS (originally Junior Statesman) was an Indian English-language youth magazine published from Calcutta by The Statesman from February 1967 until August 1977. Edited by Desmond Doig, it began as a weekly and later became a fortnightly.[1][2]
JS is described as India's first youth magazine and as an influential forum for urban Indian youth culture in the late 1960s and 1970s.[3][4] It covered music, fashion, film, campus life, and youth culture.[2][5]
History
[edit]The magazine originated as a project of Alfred Evan Charlton, the last British editor of The Statesman, who wanted a publication that would attract younger readers to the newspaper.[6] Before leaving India in late 1966, Charlton recruited Doig, then an assistant editor at The Statesman, to lead the new magazine.[2][5]
In February 1967, the first issue of the magazine was published with the Beatles on its cover.[5] At that time, it was aimed at readers aged about 10 to 12, in keeping with Charlton's original brief. Within about six months, however, Doig had redirected the magazine toward older readers and the publication evolved from Junior Statesman into the magazine remembered simply as JS.[2]
In 1997, its circulation peaked at 40,000 copies.[3][2] Although it was originally launched as a weekly, but by 1976, due to printing delays, it was forced to become a fortnightly magazine.[2] The magazine closed in August 1977.[3]
In 2016, bound volumes of the magazine were rediscovered in the former Mumbai office of The Statesman and scanned, which helped to preserve a partial archive of issues from 1970 to 1977.[5]
Content
[edit]JS used the strapline "For people who think young".[3] Its editorial mix combined music, fashion, lifestyle and youth-issues reporting with comics, posters, short fiction, crosswords, horoscopes and sports coverage.[5][3][4] It was an early Indian example of youth-oriented "infotainment", and it cultivated an interactive relationship with readers through campus correspondents, reader participation, and advertising specific to its audience.[3]
Among its recurring features were Dubby Bhagat's music column Disc-Cussion, Jug Suraiya's Rear Window, and Kookie Kol, a witty reader-oriented feature associated with the sisters Papiya and Tuk Tuk Ghosh.[5][2] The magazine was also known for its pop-art graphics, illustrated layouts and fold-out posters.[4]
Writers
[edit]- Dubby Bhagat[7]
- Desmond Doig, Anglo-Irish journalist[8]
- Jug Suraiya, former associate editor of the Times of India[7]
- M. J. Akbar, Indian politician[9]
- Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician[9]
- Anurag Mathur, Indian journalist[9]
- Bhaskar "Papa" Menon, writer of Bounder column[10][11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "JS: The iconic magazine which 'invented' the Indian teenager". 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023 – via www.bbc.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bhagat, Dubby (31 May 1999). "The World's Oldest Teenagers". Himal Southasian. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Just In Time". Business Standard. 4 March 1997. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 Tharoor, Shashi (4 February 2007). "This one's for you, JS". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Doulatramani, Chandni (9 December 2021). "The rise and fall of JS, India's 70s cult youth magazine". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
- ↑ Service, Statesman News (24 March 2022). "Nostalgic homage, beautifully executed". The Statesman. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- 1 2 Suraiya, Jug. "JS remembered: A magazine which stopped publication almost 50 years ago lives on in many memories". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023 – via The Economic Times – The Times of India.
- ↑ Suraiya, Jug. "When I got my first job". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Recalling JS". English.Mathrubhumi. 28 March 2022. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ↑ "Calcutta days". Himal Southasian. 31 May 1999. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ↑ "This one's for you, JS". The Times of India. 4 February 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023 – via The Economic Times – The Times of India.
