By Aditi Datta
Oh so much has been said about the ills of life on social media, but the one thing we’re eternally grateful for is the breadth and depth of great content out there. The more friends in more parts of the world you have, the better your chances of finding diverse reading material that interests you.
It’s afforded us a literary promiscuity of sorts – no commitment, no responsibility – that we’re only too happy to indulge.
But there’s so much to be said about good old fashioned print as well! Typed words on bound paper tend to make us consume content in an entirely different, less fleeting way than we do online.
That’s why we’re super-duper loving this new venture called Paper Planes, which brings indie magazines from around the world to readers in India.
From a British-based publication devoted to cinema called Little White Lies, to FAT {Finnish Art Today} from Helsinki dedicated to visual culture, and Beirut-based The Outpost bringing stories of optimism from the Arab world, to New York-based gastronomical journal, Gather – these brilliant magazines are now available in all their glorious GSM beauty.
Ex-lawyer and now founder of Paper Planes, Nupur Joshi Thanks tells us how Paper Planes sorts out a couple of common gripes. As a format, magazines fulfil a certain reading pang but don’t demand as much attention as a book – a tasty snack without the guilt, if you will.
The other issue is with our online reading habits – we found ourselves nodding in agreement when Nupur mentioned habitual bookmarking of articles we mean to save for a literary dry day but very often, simply don’t get around to reading. The advantage with a printed piece is that there are no windows to browse or kittens to distract – you flip page after page, like the way it’s meant to be done.
Much of Paper Planes' brilliance comes from the curation of its titles. They painstakingly look all over the world to uncover small, independent publications that are otherwise tough to get your hands on, and they try to never repeat a title.
The fee per month is a bit steep at INR 1000, which gets you a single publication, but we suspect the gorgeous high quality paper alone warrants the cost. With only enough advertisements as can still qualify as fun, the content is richer and worth every penny.
You can also register for a 9-month or 18-month subscription service and be ready to be delighted with just the right read when it’s that time in the week – curled up on your favourite seat in the house with a cup of tea but in your mind, a million miles away.
When registering, you can choose 3 out of 4 magazine stacks that correspond to different areas of interest. If you ask us, we’d like all 4 out of 4 please!
You can also buy back issues of previous publications on their online store, at reduced rates. We have our eyes on The Forecast from Monocle.
If you’ve found yourself wanting to know a bit more about something or somewhere else, now you can make a wish out of Paper Planes.
Notes in our Little Black Book |
For all you readers who’ve claimed voracity, Paper Planes is a subscription-based service that brings independent magazine titles from around the world and delivers right to you.
To see titles and to sign up: Click here
Or check out their Facebook page: Here
Prices: Monthly rolling subscription at INR 1000; 9 months at INR 8550, 18 months at INR 17000. One issue per month.
