Oriya Puja magazines at a book kiosk in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 4: For enthusiasts of Oriya literature, autumn is the best time of the year with a lot of vernacular magazines appearing in bookstores, especially during Dussehra.

This year is no different and these magazines are selling well. Several publishers have come up with eclectic assortments of poems, novels and short stories for their readers. The number of vernacular publications that have come up with special Puja editions this year is 20. Amrutayana Samaroho, Ishtahaar, Aaina, Apurba, and Chirasamartha are a few of the popular ones. The price of these vernacular magazine ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 100.

“I am a bookworm and love Oriya literature. The puja editions publish quite a few good articles of some of the well-known Oriya writers. These magazines are definitely a good read,” said Shruti Mohanty, an architect. Special editions of puja magazines have been in vogue since the fifties. However, it was only after the eighties that the publishers gave them a facelift. Colourful front covers and a good collection of articles shot up the sale of these editions. Nabarati and Asanta Kali were among the favourite magazines of that era. Over the years, these magazines have become an intrinsic part of the festivity. Renowned writers and poets such as Bibhuti Pattanaik, Pratibha Roy, Pratibha Satpathy have been contributing for these publications for years.

“I have been contributing write-ups for the past 30 years. Puja editions are widely read and I love writing for these special issues. This year my poems will be published in Paschima, Nabaniti, Amrutayan, Sahitya Prithibi and an essay in Aanya magazine. I somehow feel connected with god while writing for the puja editions,” said author Pratibha Satpathy.

Editor of Sahitya Pruthvi, Sunil Kumar Prusty, who has launched the magazine last year, is optimistic about the sale of this year’ edition. The magazine sold around 20,000 copies last year and we are expecting double that number this year. The magazine includes articles of authors such as, Manoj Das, Ramchandra Behura, Durga Prasad Panda along with young writers like Manahari Das.

Tapan Bookstores’ owner Tapan Mishra said: “For the past five years, these magazines have been publishing some very good articles by eminent writers. This has increased the sale of these special editions. The publishers have made efforts to give a complete look to these magazines to capture a good readership.”