Feb 16, 2003 10:32 PM
8690 Views
(Updated Feb 16, 2003 10:32 PM)
It isn’t one yeomanic task to describe how an Indian fan is, because he is a cut away from the rest of his global partners .With powerful passion boiled within him/her, the Indian Sports fan would go ways out to cheer his/her team. He/She would at no means be the least insincere to his/her players, and would believe in evry player, every prayer, every sentiment,every chant for the success of his/her team. If you agree that I have conceived the Indian Cricket fan in an accurate manner,then I am sure you would endorse my opinion that The Sportstar is the best magazine to suit the Indian Cricket fan.
Without any doubt, The Sportstar (English Weekly-a sister publication of The Hindu) is tailor made for the Indian Sports Fan. It gives its readers exactly what they need, how they need and when they need?
Anything in India, from pin to pumpkin, from garden plant to industrial plant, has to be economically viable. The colourful Sportstar priced at a nominal rate of Rs.10 was a satisfactory buy even for the most miserable fan.
The easy thing about the Indian Cricket Fan is the predominance of cricket in his scheme of things. The Sportstar therefore gives India’s top sport the top slot. The coverage of cricket is indeed excellent, as The Sportstar brings every ODI played into the weekly magazine. Apart from the match reports, the guest columns “Hitting Hard” by Harsha Bhogle, ”Over The Top” by Srikkanth are really worth many reads. The writings dwell in on all major aspects of cricket, also dwell on the fan in these celebrities. Sunil Gavaskar, Navjot Sidhu, Amrit Mathur and Ted Corbett also pen down their thoughts. The best column is that of veteran Raju Bharatan who has a pretty unique style of presenting the current issues with a mock at all national trends.The journalists of The Sportstar always get the best answers in their star interviews. For the scorekeepers, Mohandas Menons Statitical Highlights are a threat. It has all the ingredients to keep the cricket fans happy.
Though each event in each sport would get the attention it requires, Tennis follows Cricket in the normal issues. The tennis coverage would augur well with the tennis fans. Apart from the news, Ramesh Krishnan’s “Verbal Volleys” and Paul Fein’s “Juicy Quotes” are always a readers delight.
All the news items in various fields are given in a presentable manner with good photos and interviews. All the information are provided with the national and international perspectives.It is really magical that the 96 page A4 Size weekly would cover all the sports action of the week, providing good number of ads too. The design team should be credited for their news design, and also for design of the cover and the free Star Poster (a craze among Kids). Their creativity also unfolds during their catchy advertisements.
The English in the Sportstar is simply great. The parents in South do not bother buying their children The Sportstar because they know that the English of children would grow with the magazine. And I will assure you of my vocabulary improvement because of The Sportstar and The Hindu. The Sportstar is also highly traditional and dosent encourages some absurd snaps in the disguise of sports.
The Caricatures, Quiz ,Letters to Editor, Comic Strips that teach Golf and Tennis are for the lighter side,and they do live up to the high standards of the magazine.
It is a thoroughly enjoyable experience going through The Sportstar. And I would suggest you to read their special issues, even if not the regulars.
The caption of The Sportstar is “For a ringside view of the World of Sports”. However I would love to call it “For a birds eye view of The World of Sports”.
