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What is Mehraab?
As the first issue of monthly Mehraab reaches your hands, we are proud to say
that it culminates an ambition that we have been cherishing for
quite some time. Which is to publish a news magazine for the expatriate
Indo-Pakistani community of North America that would focus in a
global context on South Asian art, culture, film, history, Urdu
language and literature, music and contemporary social issues. Though
Mehraab will be based in North Carolina, it is not a local or regional
magazine, but will endeavor to cover literary and cultural arts
events wherever we can find them. Because we are located in NC,
we will naturally cover any such events that happen locally, but
will do our best to build means to cover such events and happenings
nationwide. Mehraab is an independent non-partisan magazine. It
will try to stay free of clichés, explore alternative art forms,
and not shy away from provocative or controversial topics. However,
it will not focus on politics, religion, national and ethnic issues
because these are amply covered elsewhere. High quality standard
and excellence will be Mehraab's policy and we will strive to maintain
the principles and ethics of journalism. Its opinion pages will
try to acquire vigor and prestige besides an eclectic quality. The
magazine will seek to attract the most outstanding contributors
and columnists and also introduce new writers. These writers with
variety of skills and specialties will offer the readers a tremendous
diversity of themes and subjects to choose from. Mehraab has also
recruited talented women writers and journalists to make their mark
as editors and writers of feature pages and reports. Mehraab is
at a transitional threshold and will evolve with time into taking
a distinct shape of its own. This continuing changing process will
revamp and diversify its contents and redesign its layout. Mehraab
will expand into other areas of interest such as business, health,
immigration, and information technology. Some readers want to see
a more variegated mix of topics and subjects, especially stronger
entertainment sections. We have agreed that Mehraab's repertoire
should be suitably extended to acknowledge the tastes of these readers.
Naturally, the preferences of the readers of this new century will
increasingly exert an impact on the thinking and actions of the
editors and publishers of the present-day. Yes, we would be open
to new ideas and respond to valid and necessary demands for change.
In our opinion we need a magazine like Mehraab because it is an
excellent way for the Indians and Pakistanis to stay in touch with
one another and build a bond. We need something that is short and
more personable. Other magazines and newsletters are too much like
an "organization" publication. This will be more personable, more
close to home for everyday people, more enlightening, more of something
that people can pick up and enjoy. We need something that we can
all relate to better. This magazine will give people with untapped
talents an opportunity to come out and hopefully blossom and grow
further with it. It is another way for us to keep our roots alive
and hopefully maintain people's interest in Urdu before it's dead
and gone. We need a small-scale avenue that's educational and will
motivate people to either become actively involved or just support
it. Most of all, we don't have a news magazine like this in this
country and there's definitely a need for it.
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