The name, Stentorian, meaning loud and powerful, should say it all. They want to be heard — this group of 16 individuals from varied backgrounds have the passion to write. This led to the creation of the online magazine, Stentorian, in November 2010. The magazine has something for everyone, it claims. Ranging from entrepreneurship, wildlife, relationships, food, sports to business, poetry and short stories, the group’s aim was to create a different platform for working professionals like them and provide a respite from hectic careers. “We’re all part of the corporate world and we’ve seen frustrated and lost people. This is an attempt at brightening all those lives,” says Krishna Narasimhan, a team member.
The response has been quite incredible. From a 1,000 readers, all around the world, on their first day to a whopping 13,400 readers today, it has been quite an achievement. With a team that’s spread out over the globe, they communicate online and put together this e-magazine by the 15th of every month. “No one has talked about monetary benefits. We love being a part of something like this. But the challenging part is to keep the team together, motivate, run around and keep producing a unique issue every month,” says Madhura Raju, the founder.
Besides Raju, the core team comprises Arwa Shahzad, Vinod Kumar, Abirami Chandramohan, Abdul Aziz, Rosalind Dee, Chiranjib Bhattacharya, Vivek Raghunathan, Sindhu Vudayagiri, Arvind Ranganathan, Krishna Narasimhan, Prabhakaran R and Haricharan V.
One can subscribe to the magazine at www.thestentorian.com. What you will see is a young, upbeat and fresh perspective on issues surrounding us. They encourage budding writers, photographers, and even have a 16-year-old who doles out recipes every month.
Their investment has been minimal, incurring costs only for website creation and logistics, which come out of their pockets and amounts to Rs 1,500. They still haven’t made profits but hopes to get few advertisers on board soon. Aimed at people who are 15+, the team realises it will take a lot of time for them to get recognition. But with this kind of enthusiasm, they can go a long way in making a name for themselves and Stentorian.
Social networking has clearly helped them, but their work and the snazzy look of the magazine, courtesy designer Prabhagaran R, keep pushing the numbers. “To take an idea and carry it to completion, you need to have perseverance and you can’t persevere without passion,” says Raju.
They share a great camaraderie in the team and seem extremely supportive of each other. Their families too, encourage and support this initiative. They want the magazine to make money eventually. But this is a long term goal. Right now they are focused on building their readership and bringing out quality stories.
— preethi@newindianexpress.com