Why do people read newspapers? The news is the easy answer, but what keeps the paper endearing are the longer stories about the people behind the news, about the humorous everyday experiences we all have, or the closer look at someone and the unexpected surprises we get from them.
Features are what keep people coming back. N. Meera Raghavendra Rao, a prolific freelance writer of features for newspapers and magazines has written Feature Writing, a book to inspire would-be feature writers. She gives a good overview of the different kinds of features that appear in newspapers, such as the variety of profiles and travelogues. She includes examples of each, from her own collection of writing, including an interview she had with MS Swaminathan. The book is short and concise, but covers a lot of ground, and she recommends a number of other good books for a feature writer to continue learning their craft. Rao launched the book on June 18 at Landmark in Nungambakkam. Sreekumar Menon, Dean of Studies and Faculty at the Asian College of Journalism talked about the importance of features in journalism, and newspapers in general. MS Swaminathan was the chief guest at the event, giving the ceremonial first book to Bina Raju, editor of Eve’s Touch.
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