Oh, for us to roll with the punches

The Avadh Punch, the Urdu satirical weekly magazine published from Lucknow from 1877 to 1937, had the motto in English, 'Life is Pleasure', later replaced by the Urdu 'Zindagi zinda-dili ka naam hai' - Life is the very name of a living heart. The similar-sounding Panchjanya, launched in 1948 also from Lucknow and named after Krishna's conch, is not a satirical magazine but a serious publication. So serious that even by not being its readers, the people of this country get to know about its contents via other media. That kind of zinda dil is, honestly, a matter of envy for all other publications, including this one. Panchjanya's latest edition has called Amazon 'East India Company 2.0'. It becomes national news. A few weeks ago, it said something about Infosys and its founder N R Narayana Murthy. That became national news. How the rest of us yearn for such influence and stature. Sigh.

The Avadh Punch - like its role model, the British weekly Punch, or The London Charivari ('charivari' being a mock parade) - sought influence by mocking British rule and its many desi supporters. Panchjanya doesn't even have to go to that length, breadth or depth. It is free media at its free-est - saying what it wants, swimmingly, without worry or warts. For mainstream as well as tributary media, it stands out as a zinda dil in a cardiac-mediated world.