A quarter of a century has gone by since I became a mother. This thought registers with me as I celebrate my boys’ twenty-fifth birthday with them. My babies have grown up to become young men and yet the love I feel for them remains just as intense, just as visceral. Some things don’t change.
India Currents (IC) was also born the same year. From a small-time newsletter, we became a robust magazine published across California. Today we reach over 125,000 readers every month through our print and digital editions.
It is true that we have changed our look in ways we couldn’t have imagined 25 years ago. Yet, we did imagine the deep roots we have cultivated with the community that surrounds us and supports us. We remain true to our core values of being a voice of the community. Some things don’t change.
As the world around us changed, India Currents evolved to keep up with the needs of the rapidly changing community. New technologies emerged, the world came closer, paper was declared a “dead” medium. Many publications closed shop, and even print media giants boarded their doors. We changed our look and reinvested in our “free to the user” business model. We survived.
In that time, the Indian American community grew to 2.8 million; a growing number of them second generation. The US born children of our original readers now read AND write the stories in India Currents. Even as I look for innovative ways to stay connected to my sons’ lives, India Currents has found creative ways to stay relevant to this demographic.
In 2012 as I celebrate my sons’ 25th birthday, I also celebrate IC’s 25th birthday. This could not have been possible without you—our readers, advertisers, and supporters. Join us in a unique celebration the weekend of Jun 8-10, 2012.
Vandana Kumar
Publisher, India Currents