Feeling the Moment...Upasana Makati

Over 3 million books have been published in Braille the world over.In India Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Mukesh Ambani launched India's first registered national Braille newspaper in Hindi ( they already had one in Marathi) in association with CNN-IBN's Real Hero Swagat Thorat .It was Real Hero Thorat's dream to print India's first Braille newspaper in Hindi, --'Reliance Drishti' with Thorat as the chief editor,is  lighting up the lives of the blind and giving them their dose of the news. There’s more good news for the 7.8 million visually challenged ( 56-lakh are literate)---recently India’s first Braille lifestyle magazine White Print. was launched in Mumbai by 24-year-old Upasana Makati. Printed at the National Association for the Blind in Mumbai, this monthlymagazine consists of 64 pages and will provide the readers a slice of varied topics that one would wish to read in their free time

Sudha Hariharan chats upfront with the enterprising founder & publisher:

Tell us a little about yourself : ie  early education,graduation, work experiences.

I  did my schooling from Bombay Cambridge School in Andheri, pursued Bachelors of Mass Media with a specialization in Journalism from Jai Hind College post which I was awarded a scholarship to study communications in University of Ottawa, Canada for two semesters. After returning to India, I worked with a PR agency in Mumbai for one year and finally quit once White Print was born in my mind. 

What really triggered this desire to launch a Braille magazine?

The seed to this tree that I intend to nurture was born out of a thought about reading options available for the sighted population. Five minutes into the thought and I could easily take more than 50 names of publications belonging to different areas of interest. However, when I actually thought about the same with reference to the visually impaired community, I was surprised to not be able to even think of even one. I instantly shared this thought with a few friends and then began research. Three months into the research I was convinced about the fact that I must take the idea forward. This made me quit my job and dedicate myself to the venture. 

What were the hurdles you faced in getting the title approved?

Verifying a title and declaring it took 7 months with continuous rounds of the court since I did not go through an advocate which would cost me handsome amount of money. I was unable to get the title in two attempts which lasted two and a half months each. I got lucky the third time around and was given the first preference in this attempt. The RNI ( Registrar of Newspapers for India)  website allows one to check for the availability of the title, however it is not  foolproof and that resulted in the three repeated attempts. Declaration of the title is what followed the verification. 

Have you solely financed the project?

White Print is a personal venture and individually financed. There is no organization backing us. The initial expenses were borne by me. My family certainly helped me. 

Our revenue model includes subscription cost (Rs.30 per issue and Rs. 300 for all the 12 issues) and advertising revenue. In terms of the initial investment Rs. 80,000 (this includes printing, circulation, legal aspects (Sales Tax No) and other administrative expenses)

Who are the contributors of the  contents? Will you accept contributions  from the visually impaired also?

We are a small team of 5-6 friends all belonging to the media background who double up as writers for the magazine. Apart from that we also have columnists and freelancers who are willing to contribute content for the magazine without being compensated monetarily for it. 

There is a section specially dedicated to the readers of White Print. They are welcome to contribute poems, articles, opinion pieces or anything else that interests them in this section. 

 This project has to be financially feasible....what are your  plans?

Well, as mentioned, advertising revenue for us is  most crucial. Braille advertising is something that brands have not done in India since there was no Braille publication to do so. This makes it a step forward in the field of advertising too.

We have approached many companies to advertise with us and Raymond was the first one to be  a part of White Print. The first issue of the magazine has content sponsored by the company in the fashion and lifestyle section. It includes  information about their Spring Summer Collection'13.

We hope other companies also take a step towards this direction and reach out to this community through our venture. 

What were the other difficulties you had to face before White Print saw daylight?

Challenges began from the very first day when I decided to take the project forward. Being a 24 year-  old, it was a tough decision to quit a job and take a risk since this was something that was not  tried before in the country.  Not having disclosed my idea to many, a lot of people would question and wonder why I was at home for almost a year. I unveiled the idea to everyone only after I received the approval of the title from RNI. 

The magazine , apart from being a boon to the impaired  will also be a sure -fire hit with those partially impaired... what is the feedback you are getting?

                                                                                                                                                           

The feedback has been overwhelming. The community is excited, eager and extremely delighted about finally having a magazine to read in their leisure time. A major aspect that has been acknowledged and  appreciated by most is the fact that White Print is not a charity venture. The community is tired of being sympathized with and do not ask for it any longer.