Marketing Sudhā (1927–41)

Chapter 2 provides an introduction and discussion of Sudhā’s peritext as well as of Gaṅgā Pustak Mālā and Sudhā’s contributors, objectives, customer care, and marketing strategies. It begins with a horizontal reading of the periodical, showing how it consisted of two major parts that disseminated knowledge through the essay and through poetry and fiction offering a blend of ‘education’ and ‘entertainment’ (Part I) and through a diversity of more practically oriented columns, one of which was a readers’ digest and a lengthy editorial, which also offered a blend of entertaining and educational knowledge (Part II). It considers the periodical’s visual layout as central to understanding its positioning as modern while also being rooted in Vaishnava tradition and devotion towards Rama and Krishna in particular. The visuals are also indicative of new conceptualizations of women in liminal spaces and their relationship to the publishing world in the Hindi public sphere.