Welcome to “Future Talks” by RTF, where we delve deep into the world of design and the captivating stories that bring it to life. In this captivating series, we have the privilege of engaging with some of the industry’s most influential and creative minds, those who are the true pioneers in their fields.
Our guest today, Soumya Mukerji, is no exception to this rule. With an impressive career spanning over 15 years, she has served in key editorial roles for globally recognized digital design and art platforms like STIR and Platform Magazine. Soumya’s dedication to convergent and counter cultures, global literature, multidisciplinary arts, design, and her insight into creative lifestyle, human experience, and social issues, has set her apart as a journalist of exceptional caliber.
Her written work has graced the pages of esteemed publications such as The Guardian, The Hindu Literary and Sunday Magazine, Hindustan Times, NDTV, and the Times of India. In recognition of her remarkable contributions, she has received accolades, including the Young Journalist’s Award, conferred by the Government of India.
Not limited to her journalistic prowess, Soumya Mukerji has been a guiding force in literary and new media journalism, conducting sessions with prominent institutions like Christ University, Delhi University, and Amity University. Furthermore, her involvement as Guest Editor and Advisor to The Remnant Archive, an independent journal of literature, history, and culture, underscores her commitment to preserving and promoting intellectual and artistic heritage.
We are delighted to have Soumya Mukerji as our guest today, as she shares her insights, experiences, and her unique perspective on the world of design and art. You can also follow her on social media, where she goes by the handle @soumyamukerji. Join us as we explore the boundless realms of creativity and design with a true visionary in the field.
RTF: How did your journey begin as a narrative journalist?
Soumya: A beautiful thing was happening as I was growing up. The Indian landscape and its industries were changing with globalisation, cultures were on the cusp of converging, I was travelling every two years during my school years owing to our life in the defence, and I was engaging with different people and stories that touched me deeply as a sensitive person. I think that is where my journey in journalism began. What catalysed this was a deep love for language that I developed along the way – not the intellectual kind but one at an essential, evocative and human level – with the great reading that came my way, whether in syllabi, through the books on our shelf or the libraries we spent hours in. The pulse of our times was changing, and the most relevant way to responsibly channel penwork as a profession seemed to be journalism. I jumped in to begin this great adventure.
RTF: Your recent interview with the first Architect to win the Pulitzer Prize, Alison Killing was an enlightening one. So, what are some challenges that these interviews and general exchanges with architects present?
Soumya: Every interview presents its own challenge, but more importantly, presents a unique opportunity to observe and understand a different perspective to life, work, and ways of being. The outer achievements of one’s interview subjects are only a small glimpse of a richer inner life that the person leads, and it important to meet this person inwardly to articulate them powerfully. It is this journey of evolution that would inspire your reader the most and help them trust their own potential, reflect more gently upon their humanness and fallibilities, and perhaps find their own purpose. Every person that one meets is different in their own regard, and I believe one must trust their instinct – believe more in intuitive intelligence than artificial intelligence – in coming up with an apt inquiry. An interview, I have noticed, turns out best as a conversation, when the question and answer are merely a means to explore and reveal more wealth of wisdom than one originally imagined. I am drawn to unusual subjects, and Alison came across as one such critical agent of change. As visionaries, creators and builders, architects and designers have immense power to shape and influence the world. Serving time at STIR, I relearned the concept of space as a dimension of openness and possibility, of collaboration and community, of connecting rather than constructing. I had the chance to engage with some of the most important contemporary voices in the industry both young and established, and to deconstruct and decode for the reader their philosophies and processes, sometimes through my own pieces but most often through that of the wonderful young edit team’s. To put it simply, much like a radio, it’s about tuning into the right frequency, and the music will flow – as delightfully for the interviewee as to the interviewer. That is the pleasure of a good piece.
RTF: What do you think about the media landscape today, and what is the route for magazines and publications going to look like in the times to come?
Soumya: There has never been a better time for independent, irreverent and in-depth storytelling, even as censorship and social squabbles go on. Having seen and worked on ground-up digital transformations and converging media ecosystems during some of my stints at The Times of India and NDTV, I can say that the landscape today is brimming with great technology, opportunity and most importantly, a much-evolved reader who enjoys challenging narratives, new perspectives and surprises. Marshall McLuhan said that the medium is the message – and we live in a world where every click is an opportunity for a story well told, a job as much for the writer as the editor by curating, critiquing, carving, and trimming the tassels. The magazine is the most effective medium – it is a book but it is not imposing, it is an online publication but not frivolous, it is visual but not fleeting, it is in writ and yet dynamic and conversational. It is the perfect creative playground to usher and reflect change in today’s fast-evolving media landscape, and it is metamorphosing powerfully into a futuristic creature that has embraced transmedia storytelling techniques and digital business strategies that will make sure it maintains its place as a timeless classic in the continuum.
RTF: What is the striking factor in the chunk of content that comes your way, how do you look at the content and decide on working towards that? What is the process like?
Soumya: The trends I have noted of late are a clear responsibility toward climate and the planet that most creators seem to feel while working on projects and initiatives, as with a sense of human connection, an effort to work for community, inclusivity, holistic well-being and refuge. As opposed to a profusion of pride in going by the book, there’s a deviance and clear disregard for intellectual snobbery in most of the new work that comes my way, even as there is an endearing humility. There’s a fluidity, a flexibility and a fierceness of opinion and purpose, a resonance with the evolving culture of our times, a symbiotic relationship with nature and a bigger vision beyond the Anthropocene. There is no more the glass ceiling approach, and it is this interventional, disruptive material that is fun to work with. The process is organic and simple. What makes you jump out of your chair or sink right back in concern or contemplation? What is the astonishment, the possibility of change, the challenge to status quo, or positive impact? What defining philosophy of a design renders it extraordinary? What spark of imagination or inspiration is manifested in a magical work of new-media art? What moves you makes the essence of the story, and it is important to start from there as the rest of the structure builds itself around the core, the soul of the creation, whatever it may be. Keep details that are important, eliminate the extraneous, save the extravaganza of enormous words. Once you keep this in frame, the rest usually flows in easy strokes rather than in bricked structure. However, everyone has a different process and must work with what seems most stimulating and comfortable. Patience is the most important ingredient of the process, as pressing as deadlines may seem.
RTF: After around 15 years as a narrative journalist, how rewarding do you find your job to be?
Soumya: The reward of this job is the satisfaction of the work at hand. All else is paraphernalia. As a journalist, they say you are only as good as your last story but I believe you are only as good as you felt while at it. Just as an artist’s lingering experience of creation is often more fulfilling than the act of seeing their work “out there”, it’s the occurrence, the unfolding of your work which is rewarding in itself – attach no reward to its “success” which is always elusive – it is not always the numbers that decide how powerful your story is, sometimes it may be mapped better sheerly by how much it moved one person or how far it went in inspiring change! Along the way, meeting young talent, established professionals, creative mavericks, discussing, co-creating and editing, becoming one with other’s voices as keeping your own, is the prize of the process.
Journalism is a wonderful fabric made of a thousand threads supported by one another, and it is this collective strength that gives meaning to the profession.
The money, of course, is not the best, as your family and friends would have warned you well in advance – but if you have reached as far as to read this story, chances are that you have already decided on a life of passions beyond just the paycheck. However, new media is a far more globalized and lucrative playfield, and the good part is that almost every day is different, it’s never the same writing code, the same stock charts or client conversation! If you can keep that in perspective beyond the day-to-day rigours, you will find this an adventurous, rewarding road to take. I have no regrets.
RTF: Magazines have a unique relationship with advertisers. How do you maintain editorial independence and integrity while working with advertisers and sponsors?
Soumya: Advertising is no more a linear model of revenue for contemporary publications. It is a nuanced, layered and intuitive aspect where the advertiser is more of a collaborator by way of partnering in the edit offering. I will explain this with a simple example. At Platform Magazine, we worked on the extensive visual essay as a substantive, curated section with a photographic chronicle of interesting themes as say, ‘rule-breaking women in the arts’, where the journal’s creative sensibilities found support in sponsorship by a long-standing advertiser, a global Italian fashion giant, whose collections clothed the stunning subjects – authors, filmmakers, art professionals, designers. This, I believe, is an effective way to strike the right balance – a job that editors must take seriously in a world of less credibility and commercialisation galore. It is possible to maintain ethic and integrity while choosing advertising partners, creating clear policies and abiding by them unflinchingly, demarcating sponsored sections without misleading the audience and keeping a reality check instead of losing the publishing industry to idealism. Another relevant example might also be collaborative events, such as the Hindustan Times Campus festivals, which I had the opportunity to oversee along with the marketing team at the publication. Revenue and Edit are two sides of the same coin – one cannot exist without the other, nor is one opposed to the other as long as editorial discretion is upheld where it matters. The smart advertiser wants a stake in the narrative discourse, often jumping in to present series, events, special projects, contests and initiatives as opposed to traditional models.
RTF: We would like to get your idea of a good pitch and how you differentiate between a ‘positive’ and a ‘negative’ approach from the writers and architects. What are your views on an ideal number of follow-ups?
Soumya: Clear, concise communication. The core / aim of the proposed story, the desired approach and detailed aspects well summarised and illustrated visually with any supporting information that may be necessary to understand and examine the subject.
In an objective pitch review, there is nothing such as a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ approach. It is important to be completely present to the matter at hand and see it for what it is, open a further discussion where there is the need and allow for a transparent exchange of thoughts and expectations. If there is authenticity of intent and commitment, minor differences if any may be ironed out along the conversation. It is important here to walk along where needed, and offer space where it is much required. While the story is in its nascent stages, a writer may need more clarity / guidance or liberty that could require two-three rounds of discussion. Once aligned, two follow-ups are usually enough for credible contributors to make a submission smoothly. I have been fortunate to work with some great professionals across all stages of their career, and often had to tailor my talk to understand their frames of reference and their vastly different ideas of creativity, their diverse knowledge and experience.
RTF: What is your idea of a perfect media kit for designers? If you could elaborate on this for our readers, what should it contain?
Soumya: Go crazy, experiment! Most editors are bored with what goes by the book. An interesting media kit offers more intrigue than the usual press note, high resolution images / video, achievements, stakeholder statements and detailed information on the project / outfit / person.
RTF: What are the other paths that you stroll on when not working?
Soumya: I travel widely to understand different countries and cultures. I also have a fondness for forest trails in the foothills of Kumaon, where I may get lost in the infinite beauty of nature and find abundant solitariness to read, write, reflect, and recalibrate. These expansive impressions help regain equanimity and allow for quiet learning.
RTF: How does your off-the-table life shape your professional life?
Soumya: It’s the same life on and off the desk, and everything converges, adds up and unifies to make it a total sum of parts that one brings to the table. And though it can be intense unlike other professions where one can (and must) switch on and off, ours is a continuum that is extremely enriching – we are surrounded by culture, design, architecture, creativity, art, technology and lifestyle no matter where we go or what we do. That’s the curse and the blessing of this choice, and I will quote one of my favourite writers, Alice Munro, who says in one of her books –because this is not a story, only life!
RTF: How would you advise aspiring magazine editors who are eager to break into the field and advance their careers?
Soumya: When I was 19 and forcing the craft to come to me before its time, I pinned up this quote by Thoreau to my first work desk: How can you sit down to write when you have not stood up to live?
The most important learnings are often not sayable, so my only suggestion is to trust the journey and trust yourself more than anyone’s advice. Acknowledge and appreciate your own true disposition, nature, strengths, weaknesses, and embrace each challenge as an important step. Take chances, and the best of opportunities and mentors will come your way if only you accept these with grace and total faith. The journey of journalism is one of endurance, uncertainty and exhaustion, but each day is different, and every story is a revelation if you dive deep enough. Love the questions, and you will live your way into the answers! Finally, honour the true spirit of journalism. In a world of “content”, good “editorial” is still king!
