THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala’s first-ever psychological magazine ‘Psycho’ will hit the shelves again in August. This half-a-century-old Malayalam magazine is helmed by Chelavur Venu, a many of many talents. It exclusively handled articles on psychological issues, matters relating to love, raising children, learning disorders and more.
Despite the age-related problems, 79-year-old Venu decided to restart the magazine’s publication as it still enjoys a dedicated fanbase. “I still receive letters from old readers. Eventually, it prompted me to restart the magazine,” Venu told TNIE. Of late, several articles published in the old issues of Psycho were released in book formats. This helped sustain interest among the magazine’s readers.
The first Psycho issue was published in 1969 and donned a picture shot by the ace photographer Punalur Rajan on its cover page. It was the second magazine to dwell on psychological topics. American magazine Psychology Today, published in 1967, was the first.
“I don’t know why I started Psycho magazine. No writers at the time handled topics like human behaviour and psychology. I used it as an avenue to discover new writers. Once, noted writer Paul Zacharia’s article was published as the cover story. The former head of the psychology department at Kerala University, Dr George Mathew, also helped by contributing articles,” Venu said.
Though each issue was published with borrowed money, Psycho magazine was an instant hit. Its publication was disrupted when Venu’s attention diverted to his other interests, especially parallel films, termed so for its departure from norms that were consistent with mainstream cinema.
Venu started a film society called Aswani, which, too, has been well over 50 years since its establishment. He is also the only person still at the helm of the Federation of Film Societies of India. However, Venu has decided to step down from the role of its office bearer in July.
Psycho’s office was frequented by journalists and parallel filmmakers back then. Soon, he started ‘Search Light’, a political weekly, and ‘Roopakala’, a women’s magazine. Eventually, Pyscho’s printing ceased for good as financial difficulties took their toll. Though Venu’s friends were able to revive the magazine, it was only for a brief period. During this time, the registration for the title Psycho was also lost. The magazine was last seen in book stalls and stores in 2015.
“With so many years that passed, the readers, too, have changed. We need to adopt our content style accordingly. There’s also the challenge of discovering new writers,” Venu said.