Turn back to the cover for a moment, will you?
In Ranveer Singh’s handwritten message to HT Brunch, certain letters have serif characteristics, others do not. (Serif is the thinner line at the end of each stroke that forms a letter.) What does this say about the person—the #MillennialMegastar in this case—who has written it?
Plenty, say handwriting experts, who then ask: Have you thought about the heart with the loop? The double-nosed smiley with no eyes? Two dots at the bottom of a signature shows an exaggerated sense of self, says one expert. And a right-to-left stroke that joins the last letter of your name to the line that underlines it shows you don’t let go of regrets.
Phew! Autographs were famous for a reason, and no passing craze for show-off selfies will ever replace them.
I use this analogy to point to the uniqueness of stories in HT Brunch. Every piece is entertaining to read, but the perspective you catch by reading between the lines says so much. A story that fits into HT Brunch will never fit into another magazine, we say, and a story that fits elsewhere will never be right for HT Brunch.
In 2020, when our focus went millennial with a vengeance, many were perturbed. Your main readership consists of those in their 40s and 50s, they said. Today, we receive feedback from Baby Boomers (those almost 60 years and older), who keep in step with the times by reading Brunch.
{{/usCountry}}In 2020, when our focus went millennial with a vengeance, many were perturbed. Your main readership consists of those in their 40s and 50s, they said. Today, we receive feedback from Baby Boomers (those almost 60 years and older), who keep in step with the times by reading Brunch.
{{/usCountry}}As the only mainstream magazine that acknowledges and encourages the young new media stars who feature on our covers, in our columns and form a strong part of the narrative of the new world we live in, we’re equally proud to ensure that the best of times gone by (autographs, you say?) merge here with the promise of the future.
As this unique, much-loved, always-ahead-of-the-curve publication turns 18 years old with this issue, I realise I’ve been a fanboy far longer than I’ve been its editor.
In the months to come, we will continue to give you stories with a unique POV across platforms and devices to engage your senses and make your weekends special in ways we never thought were possible before.
Once again, please join Ranveer Singh and me in wishing HT Brunch a very happy 18th birthday. Then go back to looking at the five-pointed star painstakingly drawn below the actor’s signature on the cover and wonder what that stands for…!
Jamal Shaikh
National Editor
Brunch & New Media Initiatives, Hindustan Times
Follow @jamalshaikh on Instagram and Twitter
From HT Brunch, February 27, 2022
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