Inaugural Issue

Dear Readers,

It goes without saying that we take immense pleasure in presenting to you the inaugural issue of Pothiz – Pothi.com’s online magazine. We see Pothiz as a natural extension to our efforts of providing the young and unheard voices a platform where they could engage, be heard, get valuable feedback directly from their readers and flourish into wonderful wordsmiths. While Pothi.com remains an open platform for a variety of publishing endeavors, Pothiz is going to be a more curated collection of creative writings. Our hope is that this collection will encourage readers to delve into and discover the hidden gems in the proverbial “long tail” of writing.

We received close to a hundred entries and selecting a few for your reading pleasure was not an easy task. At Pothi.com, we particularly respect the fact the each individual has his or her own taste in reading and writing. So, apart from the entries that made it to the main issue, we are also going to put up some of the other entries we have received on the website. Do read them and give your praises or constructive feedback to the authors through comments.

Coming to the entries included in the issue, the Featured entry ‘The Soul is a Battery’ delighted us with its interesting and novel take on ghost stories. It entertains, it frightens and it leaves you nodding in agreement with the feelings of the characters. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Amongst other stories, ‘The Matrimonial Clock’ will resonate particularly well with the urban career oriented professionals. It is a story of how they have to cope with the conflicting needs of matrimony and career. ‘Thirteen Hours of Fame’, ‘Practical Lessons’ and ‘The idiot’ are the stories about the opportunism, the hypocrisy, the good and the bad in common people – just like you and me.

While ‘Barberic Times’ and ‘God Promise’ are there to tickle you, ‘Goodbye Mrs. Boa’ is a sweet, but profound tribute to Boa Sr., the last speaker of Bo Language in Andaman islands. She died earlier this year. Other poems ‘City’s seasons’, ‘Elegy’, ‘Divine Sisterhood’, ‘बेटी होना का दर्द’ (The Pain of being a Daughter/Girl, Hindi) and 'सूना बचपन' (Empty Childhood, Hindi) touch on the various stories, pleasures and pains of our human existence. ‘Oops! I made you a Daddy’ is a cute, little autobiography by a day old baby (ghost written by his father).

Finally, as you all battle with the fever of Football, do not forget to read the review for ‘Inverting the Pyramid’ by Jonathan Wilson. The book provides an interesting insight into how the gameplay has evolved over time and how the game is not just about the magical players!

We hope you enjoy the collection. Do send your feedback on the magazine and also on the individual entries. Entries are also invited for the next issue of the magazine. The deadline is July 16, 2010.

Pothi.com Team