An Amazing Relation — The Teenager & I
I have several of my schoolmates with whom my friendship bonds have existed for over fifty years, and it may not be very unique as many elder to me may have even longer such associations, but none can, perhaps, match a relationship between an individual and a magazine that has existed for over 56 years; that has been the length of my relation with The Teenager magazine. Several youth magazines have come and vanished from the market but The Teenager has struggled over all the hard times to remain afloat even after 59 years.
It was the vision of two priests, Fr J. Maurus and Fr Aloysius G. Rego, to bring out a magazine that would help teenagers develop a positive personality.So November 1963 saw the first issue of The Teenager that was half the size of what one sees now of The Teenager Today. The magazine was published by St Paul Publications from Allahabad and was priced at what today may seem to be a ridiculous price of just 35 paise!
Fr Rego was an English teacher at St Joseph’s Collegiate, Allahabad, when I met him for the first time in 1966 on moving from the junior section of the school to sixth standard. He insisted that I read The Teenager, so my association with the magazine began when my age had yet to turn into a double figure. While the magazine carried some articles on various topics, my main interest remained with the page on jokes titled Miles of Smiles; then there were Quotable Quotes and Anecdotes of the Great. The magazine had an international circulation, as well, and a Pen Pals section that extended sometimes from two to three pages wherein there were requests for pen friends from a few Asian countries.
As a student, I had been writing some articles for a column titled Future Calling in the local newspaper, the Northern India Patrika. There were also occasions when I wrote some letters to the editor of the newspaper. These letters also carried the address of the letter writer. I had already joined the Indian Air Force and was at home on leave when I had written a letter on Sir Garfield St Auburn Sobers. Within a few days of the letter appearing in the newspaper, I received a letter from the editor of the magazine asking me to write an article on Sunil Manohar Gavaskar which was supposed to be the cover story in the July 1983 issue of The Teenager.
Fr Alfonso Elengikal, the former Editor of The Teenager, arrived at my residence after a few days and after reading through what I had already written asked me to write a sports article for the magazine every month. Thus began my relationship with the magazine in a totally new capacity. There were times when I joined the magazine staff in their work in ensuring that the magazine was posted out before the fifth of a month, otherwise the postal concession would be lost.
Frequent power cuts in Uttar Pradesh forced the move of the publication from Allahabad to Mumbai. Over the years, the magazine had moved to its present size, and while operating from Mumbai, in the year 1996, Fr Alfonso, the then editor, had the brilliant idea of organising the Teen of the Year contest to provide a platform for the young to showcase their talents and develop their personality. After the first event in 1996 which was held only in Mumbai, the event spread its wings to the four regions of the country, with the final being conducted, comprising of the top three contestants from each region at Mumbai. I had the privilege of conducting the first-ever regional contest in the auditorium of my old school and also the quiz competition of the final contest at Mumbai. The mode of testing was at variance in the regional and the final competitions. This event undoubtedly touched the hearts of numerous teenagers and helped them to grow up as confident and self-reliant adults in life. Unfortunately, the event was suspended in the year 2014 due to unforeseeable difficulties, both financial and personnel, at the publishing house.
Initially, The Teenager had only a coloured cover, and at the very start there were only animals or flowers on the cover, but then it gradually started carrying personalities whose stories were carried inside. Sometime around 2010, the magazine had some registration issues as it had been registered initially at Allahabad but was being printed at Mumbai. So a new registration came about when the name of the magazine had to be changed from The Teenager to The Teenager Today.
The magazine now has all pages in colour, but in an age where reading of printed material is facing a huge financial challenge, our The Teenager Today is no exception. However, its publishers, Better Yourself Books, despite all the hardships, continues to propagate the dream of the founding editors. For me as an individual, the relation with the magazine continues, as in it lives the spirit of my most revered Headmaster, Fr Aloysius G. Rego.
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Gp Capt Achchyut Kumar has been associated with The Teenager Today for more than 50 years as a reader and contributor on varied topics. Having worked in the Indian Air Force and with Forbes & Company Limited, he is now a lawyer in Nainital High Court.