do, re, mi, fa, so, LA, ti, do…
Even the musical scale needs the magic of LA to truly come alive.
A Melody without Rhythm is incomplete—two halves of a soulful expression, one complementing the other. And by that same logic, स्वAR (Swar) without Taal is just noise. Together, they become music. Together, along with the Lounge, they shape LA.
As the wind turns the pages of a book faster than our eyes can follow, Malhar unfolds in much the same way. And Taal, the Malhar magazine, is the human force that pauses those pages, highlights the stories, and tries to capture every bit of emotion that's slipping away with every fleeting second.
"A legacy of printed memories," a sentiment beautifully articulated by LA Organizer-in-Charge Pia Oza, is what Taal is to Literary Arts; what Taal is to Malhar.
Every year, Taal is interpreted in different ways by the Literary Arts OC and OGs for that edition of Malhar, each bringing to light a new perspective while sharing the same aim: to set the standard a notch higher than before.
Taal OGs Bhadra Menon and Kevin George, two individuals with an impeccable way with words—both in retaining the essence of humour and in capturing the intricacies of human emotion—truly flipped the script, looking beyond the conventional format for the latest release of the magazine.
From giving GDs together to now working on this magazine as co-writers and editors, they've watched vague thoughts transform into concrete ideas. And now, as the magazine goes to print, they have a tangible outcome of countless late-night meetings, debates, and months of hard work.
What began as Sparking Connections, and almost became A Road to Connection, gradually evolved into a theme that is more structured, more distinctive…
* drumroll, please *
Uncharted Narratives!
Uncharted Narratives is about the conversations that surround Malhar. It looks beyond the Core, bringing to light the anecdotes of participants, volunteers, audience members, and countless others whose stories often get lost in the flurry of the fest.
"We wanted to capture the perspectives of people outside of Malhar—not just organizers—and document the little moments that make the festival what it is: chance encounters in the hallways, familiar faces, and everyday conversations. That's how the theme came to be. The magazine is built around four original sections: Message in a Bottle, featuring Literary Arts volunteers; The Other Side, with perspectives from past participants; The Pioneers, celebrating the people who make Malhar what it is; and Where Few Wander, a satirical investigative piece exploring the overlooked corners of the campus."— Bhadra Menon, LA–Taal OG, 2026
Unlike previous editions, where articles often stood independently, this year's magazine is woven together by an intelligent narrative thread. Guiding readers through it all is a Taal-specific mascot, journeying from one story to the next and uncovering each article along the way.
"My ideas at the start were crazy ambitious—I wanted to reinvent the magazine from the ground up. Eventually, those plans led to Uncharted Narratives: stories that hit close to home, yet often go unnoticed. We wanted something different, yet familiar. Every article is deeply human, rooted in personal experiences and subjectivity. People connect with stories even more when they're complemented by comics and graphics, which is why I insisted on having a mascot."— Kevin George, LA–Taal OG, 2026
However, Taal would never have come to life without Creatives. Designing the magazine required two departments to reach a shared vision and to let their creative juices flow in the same rhythm. Yet, Creatives and Literary Arts made the collaboration look effortless.
"This is my first time working on Taal, and from everything I'd heard from my predecessors, it had always been as daunting as it was exciting, especially with the creative differences between Literary Arts and Creatives. So, the fact that I can sit here and talk about Taal with a smile on my face is absolutely crazy. It's been an amazing process because everyone's been so open to each other's ideas. From a design perspective, we're doing something really fresh this year. While previous editions have been neat and professional, we wanted to have more fun with it. We're embracing a maximalist aesthetic—using vibrant colours, bold patterns, playful layouts, and designs that go beyond the conventional college magazine. It's true to the theme, but it's also true to us: a blend of all our personal styles and a myriad of different expressions. It's colourful, early-2000s-magazine-inspired, and I'm so excited for everyone to see it."— Paridhi Sharma, Creatives OC, 2026
One of the most exciting aspects of Malhar is that every department gets a chance to shine—not only through its events, but through its pre-event, where the first glimpse of its vision comes alive.
Literary Arts began with a long list of names, contacts, and concepts for whom they wanted to approach, until one idea stood above the rest: a conversation on the growing gap between physical and digital publications. The aim was to host a discussion that was insightful, engaging, and, above all, true to the spirit of Literary Arts.
On 14th July, The Cover Story: Beyond the Gloss exceeded every expectation, bringing together two renowned names in the industry—Sadaf Shaikh, Senior Features Editor at Vogue India, and Chloe Chou, Fashion Editor at The Nod. A true fire-and-ice combination, their contrasting personalities made for an engaging conversation that sparked countless The Devil Wears Prada references, playful jabs at the classic black top and baggy jeans, and invaluable advice for anyone hoping to build a career in culture and lifestyle journalism.
It has become a tradition for the Literary Arts' pre-event to coincide with the Taal Cover Launch—a day marked by nervous excitement, as months of work finally take shape before an audience. And you truly had to be there to understand what it meant to the people behind this piece of Malhar, as one of them choked up while presenting it to a room full of people.
"What we loved about the process was that, right from the very beginning, Layouts were allowed to let our creativity run unbridled. LA came to us with a theme and a vision, but we really appreciated how they never defined a visual identity. We believe that's what made all the difference. Seeing the cover launch as part of a full-fledged event with panellists was such an emotional experience. Sitting in the audience and watching people look at the magazine with wonder made every bit of effort worth it. We were both smiling like Cheshire cats throughout. This entire magazine has truly been a labour of love from all of us."— Asmi Mital and Mia Coutinho, Creatives–Layout OGs, 2026
During the main days of Malhar, here's an earnest request: step away from the chaos of the crowd and into the safe haven that is the LA Lounge. Pick up a copy of Taal. Flip through its pages. Read the department profiles, unravel the stories, and meet the people who make Malhar what it is.
"LA is perhaps the only bunch of people that can look at something with such depth and observation, and I think this magazine proves that through its theme. We're shifting the gaze—to the volunteers, the participants, and the conversations happening all around us. Taal zooms into moments that only an LA eye would observe. The OGs have done that brilliantly. I don't want to take any credit for it—I just wanted to enjoy reading their pieces and editing their work, and I am having a brilliant time doing that."— Pia Oza, LA OC, 2026
As a former LA–Taal OG herself, Pia has worked on this facet of Malhar and believes that, through the setting and exploration of the fest, it reveals a great deal about life in general, along with relationships and the people around us.
Taal is a repository of memories, thoughts, and ideas captured by people in the here and now. A few years down the line, Taal may look completely different. And that is exactly why it is so important to put it down in print, rather than in any other form.
At the end of the day, Taal is more than just a magazine.
It's LA’s love letter to Malhar, and Malhar's love letter to you.