As we mark our 13th year, I feel it’s only right to begin with a note I often sign off with: Thank you for keeping the faith.
These are turbulent times, and the challenges facing the media industry are more real than ever before. For some of us, the struggle is not just words on this page — it’s staring us in the face, in our offices and in our daily lives. It’s about survival.
Yes, survival.
But here’s the paradox: there has never been a better time for the media to prove its worth. There is a pressing need for honest, unflinching journalism to survive, thrive and continue doing what it was meant to do — hold up a mirror to society and to those in power.
At MxMIndia, we’ve faced our share of financial pressures, but despite them, we’ve held firm. We continue to practise the kind of journalism we believe in.
Let me give you an example. A well-known conglomerate once offered us monies to write a feature on them. We declined. We lost the business. Then, others suggested we exploit the challenges we face to gain sympathy. Again, we didn’t.
We’ve also been told to stay away from critical stories — to focus only on positive ones. But that’s not who we are. That’s not why we set up MxMIndia on September 9, 2011 — Onam Day.
From that day to this one, it has been an incredible journey. And I am immensely grateful to all who have walked this path with me.
To the MxM team — past and present, our columnists, industry professionals, readers, advertisers, and shareholders — thank you for your continued support.
Of course, revenues matter. But our primary allegiance will always be to our readers. Only when we produce high-quality, credible content, will everything else follow.
Over the years, I’ve made a few promises in my annual anniversary notes — I’ll admit, not all of them have panned out. But we’ve made progress. We revamped the look of our website, and for that (and standing by me over the last 13 years), a heartfelt thanks to Manish Dhingra and his incredible team at Mediology Software.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank Rafiq Barak, Kishor Kate, and our CA Nishant Soni, Shripal Kavad, and their teams, who keep the gears of this organisation running smoothly every single day. And to my friend, Prashant Basrur, for showing me the light whenever needed.
And finally, a special thank you to my family. Over these 13 years, they deserved better materially, but they’ve stood by my belief in what MxMIndia should be and the value of independent journalism, especially in the B2B space, where quid pro quos are most often not frowned upon.
To all of you who’ve been with us on this journey — thank you once again. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Best,
Pradyuman Maheshwari