THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Blogs may have lost some of their loyalists to Twitter and Facebook. But Malayalee bloggers have not shed their enthusiasm completely. The first-of-its-kind blog souvenir, ‘e-ezhuthu’, which has more than 300 creative writings by bloggers across the world, is a testimony to this. That it was made possible by 25 bloggers who are stationed in various places, majority of whom have not seen each other, earns it more brownie points. Bloggers in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, USA and many parts of India, including Bangalore, Kochi and Haryana, got together online and used the possibilities of the e-world to bring out the souvenir. The souvenir offers a treat for those who love to read the literature born out of unknown minds in a virtual world, but possessing the charm and quality of refined writing. It has poems, stories, cartoons, articles, travelogues, funny episodes, blog tips, photo blogs, cookery blogs, children’s literature and much more. They have been spread out in 250 pages, of which 50 are glossy pages matching high quality printing and publishing. Appu (blog name), who is the brain behind the ‘aadyakshari’ blog, which initiated hundreds of people into Malayalam blogging, mails in to us from UAE to share the details. ‘’It was a small wish to produce a product that proclaims the creativity and strength of blogging. Choosing the works to be included in the souvenir was a tough job. We had many hurdles, but overcoming all that, we have brought out the souvenir, which has clicked among the bloggers,’’ writes in Appu. Renjith Chemmad, also based in Dubai, was the first to pounce on the idea. He shared it with people/bloggers he knew; most of them were upbeat about it and the process began. The first thing they did was to form an editorial board, which had 25 members. Then they formed a group mailing ID, an exclusive blog to dump the shortlisted creative works and to carry out discussions. ‘’We interacted through posting comments. It took more than one-and-a-half months to zero in on the works which were to be included in the souvenir. Then we started collecting money, which was sent to a common account,’’ recalls Harikumar, a blogger based in Kochi. (He is one of the people behind Maths blog, which is a hit among school students and teachers). The souvenir has been dedicated to the memories of bloggers like Jyonavan, Remya Antony and Uncle (blog name), who had logged out of their lives in between. Though they wanted it to be distributed at the blog meet in April, only a copy could be got printed. So, while the official release was done, bloggers had to wait for some more weeks to get their copies. Even now, many in the editorial board are yet to get a copy in their hands. But they are happy to make a wish come true. The team of e-ezhuthu has opened a gmail ID to which one can send request for a copy: [email protected]. Or read it at www.blogmagazine.in.
Comments
0 comment