स्वAR

With Networking winning the Treasure Hunt (and bragging rights) on Monday, the Taal cover is officially released. It was an arduous process, the bags under the eyes of the editors are proof enough. Curious for a sneak peek of what went down behind the scenes? Here’s a glimpse into the process.

Malhar is an exhilarating celebration of creativity. Taal is a chronicle of Malhar; it captures the pulse of the festival for posterity. With the anticipation of a storm brewing, Taal presents the Theatre of Organized Chaos. The team behind Taal consists of LA OGs Kanish Panchal and Radheye Thakker, with LA OC Anushka Arora. Despite being the “Brain Baby” of LA, as Kanish puts it, the team strived to embrace diverse voices. Its mission this year is to ensure that everyone is heard and no one is left behind. Even the cover, which was produced in conjunction with FnD OG Om Patil, encapsulates this guiding ethos. It may have been conceived by a small group of people, but don’t let that fool you — the range of perspectives and expertise they brought to the table ensured that the result would be something that caters to every taste. *cue heated debates*

The cover this year is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Although the magazine has been a place for LA to be expressive, the team this year adopted a unique approach: to give FnD a chance to display their artistry too. Anushka explains that “fests are restrictive from a photography POV, they’re natural shots with minimal editing.” The concept was more experimental. Radheye points out that the theme lies at the heart of it. “The blurriness and movement in the background depicts the storm, while the stability of the eyes in the foreground denotes the calm.”

Om expands on this, explaining how FnD added their own touch, proposing color grading, and details such as mirror scratches. “We suggested adding a vignette to give the background a cool look.” The two departments were constantly in discussion, their WhatsApp group flooded with hundreds of messages. Om firmly states that the output is “reflective of what Malhar wants to convey this year.”

Executing this concept proved more challenging than expected. Another cover was produced the first time around, but the three were at loggerheads over it, eventually returning to the drawing board. Kanish and Radheye agreed on something “clean and crisp, with a professional look.” “Since a copy will be handed to judges, the magazine should have a level of maturity,” Radheye clarified. “We wanted to rein it back a little. No clutter, and a cohesive theme and take-away for readers were our top priority,” Kanish elaborated. 

Striking the balance between Malhar and Taal was just as important. Although the two are deeply intertwined, they are not the same. The trio emphasizes that Taal has an identity beyond being a by-product of Malhar. “We tried, failed and learned through the first cover. The subject should serve as the medium for the message of the Eye of the Storm,” Anushka adds. 

One thing is clear: the process was riddled with challenges. Radheye immediately brought up that “consolidating our unique viewpoints into one without anyone feeling unrepresented was the biggest hurdle.” Friendly disagreements and amusing debates were a constant, but no one felt personally offended. “We recognised our own weaknesses and the others’ strengths, playing into who was most qualified on what,” Kanish noted. Just as I’m about to move onto the next question, Anushka interjects, “Honestly, we had to collaborate because doing it alone was just too much work.” Too much work is the motto of Malhar, of course.

The clichéd question of who was the calm and who was the chaos led Kanish and Anushka to jump and emphatically point at each other, making it abundantly clear which two were the chaos. Radheye’s tired eyes betrayed her role as the peacemaker.

With each page, Taal strives to echo the heartbeat of Malhar, igniting passion in all those who lay eyes upon its pages. With only the cover out and the rest of the magazine set to release later, rest assured…Picture, abhi baaki hai mere dost.