Zoom India - Phone Magazine
Editor & Presenter : P.R.Harikumar
Technology
becomes an inevitable part of our life even though we may
not aware of its intricacies behind the situation. In our
tranquility, electronic gadgets like mobile phone start to
act as a friend, guide and philosopher. At this juncture,
we should think about the possibility of turning it into a
cultural tool by adding our own traditional and cultural
expressions. Now onwards, I think, the mobile screen will
be the main space where our cultural actions will be
displayed properly.
Like my earlier attempts 'Mobile
Ramayanam', 'Phone novel' and 'Pocket film' this is also
a new step in our cultural context. I am very happy in
bringing out the first edition of ZoomIndia-India's first
Phone Magazine- on the eve of India's 60th anniversary of
Independence. For the same reason this issue is dedicated
with pleasure to a particular cause ie. India @60.
The human value, which enforced
and encouraged our creativity all the time is the concept
of freedom, for which all the major revolutions took place
in human history. The story of Indian independence under
the great leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our
nation, got much importance in world history because it
gave way to originate the largest democratic country in
the world. With all its limitations we are still in the
channel of democracy, which represents the supreme state
of human freedom. So through the first issue of this
Phone Magazine I salute all the freedom fighters within
India and abroad for their unforgettable contributions in
realizing freedom as we experience it today. Here you can
read special studies on world famous freedom fighters like
Mahatma Gandhi (India), Martin Luther King Jr. (U.S.A),
Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Ken Saro Wiwa (Nigeria) and
Aung San Sui Kyi (Burma). Besides, other things like
Editorial, Current Affairs, Mobile Phone Technology, Book
View and Gadget's Review are also included in the
magazine. A lot of pictures showing the memorable events
in our freedom struggle have also been included in it.
I intend to publish
this phone magazine as a half yearly
publication. This magazine gives the content like in a
print magazine in the form of a Jar file with a size of
450 KB suitable for reading in mobile phones. That means
you get a single issue of this Magazine as a single file
from the net. It can be stored forever on your mobile and
can be read as you please. It is applicable in any Java
enabled phone, which has enough space to install the
file.
For a wider readership and
variety I prepared this magazine in English. On the eve of
our Independence Day celebrations, I think, it is more
suitable to bring out a magazine in English. English
language has been working in our country as a linking
language by which we could fight against the British as
one entity. Today in an age of globalization the same
thing is proved again and again.By this edition I wish to
bring the spirit of our freedom struggle in our youth, who
are the main users of mobile phone technology. Through the
presentation of this magazine, Mahatma Gandhi has also
entered into Mobile Phone- the new generation digital
tool. To some extent, this also fulfils my aim for a
change in the fourth screen (Mobile screen) as a cultural
space.
I think ZoomIndia is the first
of its kind from India or abroad. When I searched in the
Internet for such a Phone Magazine originated in India or
abroad, to be frank, no such file was found. I found only
some websites-not Magazines- with the name of Phone Mag or
Phone Magazine. But I am conscious about one kind of
service available in today's phones called "Mobizine".
News items from BBC and CNN are available in so called 'Mobizine'.
This has no nature of a magazine as we know today. When
you renew the current edition of a Mobizine, the earlier
edition will automatically disappear. Actually 'Mobizine'
is a news portal working online in GPRS enabled phones. It
cannot be called as a Phone Magazine. A real Phone
Magazine is a magazine prepared as an independent file to
be read only on mobile screen. And if it is a separate
file it can be downloaded and transferred freely in many
ways like a book. ZoomIndia is such an application file/
magazine made for the mobile phones.

