So you're a college student wanting advice on cosmetics that are at once pocket-and -pimple friendly? But all you can find are French labels that cost more than an entire year's worth of pocket money!
Perhaps you're 20-something vacillating between two just released flicks, anxious to know what people your age think rather than all the sage criticism from weathered reviewers. Maybe you're a newbie techie who could do with hacking as a hobby or well even a wacky martial art?
A simple Google search may be the panacea to today's collegian but seldom throws up peer reviews by people with similar social and cultural contexts who've been there, done that- or at least doing that.
Pulse72 plus, a digital magazine that dubs itself a ‘youth expressway' has attempted to do just that- churn out content for youth that they are at home with, written and presented by youth on a platter . From everything that is trending on social media to what's hot on the streets, the magazine with a complementary blog and interface to boot is slowly catching up with college goers over the state.
Founded and primarily run by a bunch of second year students from the National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi, the magazine draws contributors and publicity volunteers from premier institutions all over the State including CIT and Amritha, Coimbatore , SRM, Chennai, and the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.
With Deepak Srinivasan at the helm of teams dedicated to marketing, publicity, web development, design, content management, the magazine was an outcome of restlessness and an urge to prove themselves- outside college clubs riveted on tradition and seniority . “We were all bent on doing something remarkable different, but were clueless what it should be,” recollects Deepak. After various ideas including a radio station were mooted, students zeroed in on the e-magazine with its possibilities of reaching out unfettered by publishing constraints had. “We set out to provide youth with a different reading experience, incorporating areas of interest that traditional media fails to pick up. Youth between 16 to 30 years are not merely consumers of content, but producers and selectors too,” says Shoaib, editor. Little wonder why Pulse72 plus juxtaposes reviews of Japanese Manga comics with incredible gadgets, serialized romantic stories with hacking tips and practical college fashion advice. Two columns , one with witty one-liners on current topics by Sarcasan and ‘Toon Tickles' a potpourri of digital art, photos and caricatures add to the novelty.
“The team came together after the production of psychological thriller ‘Retla' in the first year of college,” reminiscences Vivekanandan while his mates exchange hilarious expressions. “Knowing each other's strengths and interests made it easy when Deepak proposed the idea.”
When we wonder aloud at how the e-magazine got its name, “Well the average pulse rate is 72. Being youth and full of beans, our pulse must throb higher and thus the name!,” Srivathsan comes up. The first issue was launched on September 11, a date etched in history- but after pulling through the birthing pains of the first issue, the team are a confident lot. With the sixth issue, a Valentine's Day special in the making, Pulse72plus is still a work in progress. “This is an ongoing experiment. We've scattered convention to the winds, set new rules and broke them too,” he adds.
Working their way around social media
A new feature introduced by the team on Republic Day, ‘Pulse Buzz' ensures the buss around the monthly magazine does not die down a week after publication, which is usually the second week of the month. “The buzz is an interactive feature that allows users to create a profile and rate movies, music, television serials, books and games that are currently making waves. Our pulsometer gauges the youth pulse of popularity,” explains Raonak.
Facebook, symbian and android Apps are also being developed by the team. To increase traffic on the page, Pulse announced a photo contest for its' cover page, with photos garnering the most'likes' emerging as winners.
Acknowledging the limitations, the team is intent on sharpening it's proofreading and editing skills, opening up space for reader's to contribute articles, roping in juniors to sustain the effort and up the aesthetics. With rise in popularity, attracting advertisement to make the initiative economically viable is important, stresses Arun Kishore. Though arguments abound, with a leader who holds the team together, a consensus in not so hard to reach. “He is Mr.Cool. Be it cajoling, coaxing, or bribing, he knows how to get work done,” grins Mathur.
What the Pulse72pus team can defiantly boast of is of lessons that generally come after many more years of learning- shouldering responsibility, handling deadline pressure, making contacts, imbibing new writing styles and best of all to believe in an idea and throw in the passion to give it shape.
The core team
Deepak Srinivasan (Founder)
Editing:
S. Srivathsan
Sohaib Nasim
B. Vivekanandan
Design:
Mohana Sudharshan
Suraj Barthy
Raonak Lakra
Web-Development:
S.Shravan Kumar
Mathur J. Sathya
Shashank Jaiprakash
Content Development and Feedback:
M.Srikrishnan
Nitin D. Ramnath
Marketing:
Arun Kishore R.P.
Karthik V. Moorthi
Publicity:
K.Jagan
Ramprasad
