[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Online Voice is 20 years old now! Special Thanks to all the readers who have made it possible. Now I reckon how a magazine can make your life full of chance encounters! Over these seventeen years, my experience has grown manifold. It has not only made me a writer, but also a columnist, an editor, an author, an academician and a curriculum developer!!! What more can one expect for?
I would not be doing any justice to this Magazine, unless I discuss the wonderful success path it has been taking me through.
In 2001 October, as a fresh degree and a diploma holder in a writing course and with a three year old son to take care of, I was wondering how and where to break the ice!
With the explosive growth of the Internet, Web Page Designing gave me a red carpet welcome to explore my writing and that provided the green signal for me to start an online magazine.
The red carpet welcome began when I took classes at STEC in Web Page Designing and when my friend Shivakami suggested that I start my own E- Magazine.
I must admit that I was naïve then about the direction, but never nervous!!!
So, for fun and as a hobby, I decided to start a magazine ‘Chettinad International’. At that time, it was only a collection of a few articles. I never thought it would metamorphose into an international magazine featuring world leader’s interviews and articles on various subjects.
The magazine in no time started to bloom with interviews of politicians, journalists, scholars, health articles from renowned doctors, and new recipes targeting all age group.
The well known Journalist, ‘Maalan Narayanan’ my all time favourite writer, suggested that I start a magazine with a professional look, to reach more readers.
Thanks to his advice in 2003, I engaged a professional designer to design the site and I focused on the writing. It was then the magazine was formalized. It was decided that it would be a magazine for Indian expatriates of all age groups, which will be published once in three months. The name got changed to ‘Online Voice’. The first issue of the ‘Online Voice’ was very well received by the readers as it already had the interviews of Mr P. Chidambaram, the Home Minister, Dr Kalaingar Karunanidhi, the ex-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr Chandhrababu Naidu, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
This is the genesis of this magazine.
To quickly summarize the other opportunities that this magazine has got me is that it laid a platform to do my Masters in Communication Management from South Australian University; I was in the EXCO of STWA (Singapore Tamil Writer’s Assocaiation) from 2003 to 2009; I was the first Editor of the magazine ‘Singai Nagarathar Malar’, Nagarathar Assocaition, Singapore. To determine its success it is into its fitten year now; I was invited by many organisers to cover their events in the magazine.
In my view, If being a writer is hard, being a freelance writer is even harder. Getting your work published in main stream Magazines and News Papers will make you get on your nerves. But in my case, the magazine served as a good platform and Tamil Murasu, Singai Chudar, Kumudam Theeranadhi and other publications have all been very kind to me in featuring my interviews and articles.
This magazine now is published once in a month.
I am the author of four books now I sit on the Committees of GOPIO (Global Organisation for the people of Indian Origin) and IPAC (Indian Programme advisory committee, MDA). I taught at NUS; I have also developed my own curriculum.
This magazine is circulated for free. Any articles pertaining to India and its progenies are welcome. As I do not generate any revenue, I am not in a position to reimburse. Jokes, quotes, jifs and photos are taken from the circulated E-Mails and different sources. If there are any copyright issues, the concerned authority, please give us a note and it will be removed immediately.
I seek your continued support and feedback to the magazine. Once again THANK YOU readers and others for making me into what I am today![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”582″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow” css_animation=”right-to-left”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
