Going down the drain, to the dogs. Review on Reader's Digest

Readers digest used to be one of best magazines until a few years back. Especially since we have had this magazine for the past 20 years in our household, right from those Uttam Digest subscriptions in hindi. The names De Witt Wallace and Lila Acheson Wallace were drilled in my brain like some deifies.

But sadly, over these years things have changed, with so many upheavals in the RD family, passing it over to times group, global fall of sales in the magazine, and infact only the india department among a few who still do well. RD has become more of advertisement and money oriented than being consumer friendly, with the editions thinning every year, more and more advertisements replacing pages and useful content.

One of the greatest blow I believe was when the sacred last page reserved for famous painitings was given over a suiting company, advertising its range of fabrics, increasing my intellectual content to unbound levels, and so too my temper.

I dont understand why they are doing this to such a lovely peice of work, that too with a reputation withstanding decades, they themseleves are proud of. The jokes seem repeated, the content bore, and now it just freaks you out with its ''lose 30 kilos in 30 seconds'' kind of columns. I think people have had enough of losing weight these 3 years. 1 more habit of RD is ''blowing up'' of popular myths by studies from so and so university by such-n-such professor. Looks like I am reading a statistics magazine, than a magazine which has been known for its beautiful content.

Sadly the magazine is becoming boring day by day and issue by issue, the sad truth being that there is no other alternative to replace it. I hear there have been repeated complaints from other subscribers too, but all to no avail. Its hard to lose a trusted friend, after 10 years. I hope I am not the only one mourning this demise.