Monday evenings are worse than Monday mornings. For long Monday mornings have taken the honor of being the dreaded one! But I would today like to give this honor to the Monday evening. Why? You remember the good old Sunday evening with heart full of good memories and you realize that that the whole bloody week is looking at you with vengeance! Makes sense, does it? So with heart full of remorse and thinking of the days ahead, I realize that today needs to be different.
So just for the sake of making my Monday evenings end on a high note (not necessarily yours), I am here to review another product. Due to MS’s sloppiness (they haven’t uploaded my product request), I would review a product which has been done and redone many a times. The product being reviewed is “Readers’ Digest (RD)”.
RD as commonly called, is a monthly magazine which is has an international appeal. RD has been the most subscribed magazine in India for many years and still continues. It is published in English and 20 other languages and has 50 editions worldwide. Since, I understand only one international language which is English and so I can comment on the English edition only and for me it rocks!.
Talking of the content now, RD has a good mix of articles of many genres which still attracts teenagers, young and the old. The articles are simple, understandable and are on various walks of life. RD has different sections like “Life’s like that”, “Humor in uniform” and “Laughter is the best medicine”, which make it all the more a complete magazine.
I have seen umpteen uncles and aunts (all those above the age of 50 for me), reading this magazine with zeal and enjoying every bit of it. Therefore for me, this is one magazine which has a universal appeal.
What more should I tell you about this magazine? It is priced now at Rs50 per edition and is available for subscription for Rs600 per year (12x50) but can be gifted or subscribed at a lesser rate as well. You need to get someone known to put in you name for subscription and they surely get back to you. I have been a subscriber for last 6 years now and still continue being one. The price sometimes shake my resolve of unsubscribing but then the quality of articles and the keep-value makes me continue. For all those you don’t understand the meaning of keep-value it simply means…value of keeping a magazine/book/CD etc not for its material value but for the love of it. I love reading the RD and therefore for me, it has high keep-value.
Not all is goody good with RD. If you decide to get a subscription for yourself, remember one thing. Like all contests which happen in our known territory (!), RD also have some strange contests and even stranger contest criteria’s. But unlike our known territory (!), this one doesn’t declare (unheard of) winners and even if they do, it hardly matters because you haven’t spent your money or time in that contest. The only flip side to it is, once you register for these yearly contests, you get a whole lot of paper…keep shredding them as I do and life would look better.
Talking of articles, RD has one of the best ranges available today. Be it life, sports, medicine or just anything; RD has managed to give us endless articles on these. It is good to read about unknown celebrities who have shown that not everything they do is for money. The articles are informative, humorous, sensitive and original. If the article is being outsourced, the source and the writers are mentioned. Thankfully, if you have any suggestions, different views or errors that the Editor’s have overlooked, you can voice them as well. Many of the contrasting views are published which makes me think it is much more transparent than some other proclaimed reader portals…no hints for guessing!
Now that I have tried to explain all that the RD offers, I expect their readership to grow. I am not looking for any personal gains here but yes…I don’t mind it! As a regular reader, I recommend this magazine to people who like to read. It is not a gossip magazine and definitely not a teenage pot boiler. It is for people who still like the old world of reading but do not mind a pinch of modernity. RD offers you both worlds and I am sure you would enjoy it!
PS: This is to remind fellow MSians about a rather silly survey that RD did in the present issue. It ‘states’ that out of 35 cities of the world, “Mumbai” is the rudest and “New York” is the courteous. Now I am sure, this would raise a few eyebrows…but thankfully, RD has again ‘stated’ that on parameters which they surveyed, Mumbai may lag behind, but the unity and strength that they show in times of adversity, makes Mumbai a city to be proud of! RD still believes in the essence of India and reaffirms our faith too.
Comments are welcome! You can counter me, praise me or ignore me. But do not shut your mouth or let others do it. Speak on and hopefully we can read the unheard versions too! anyone reading between the lines ??? BTW- this was my 50th review-makes me a old granny here :)