Penang's Magazines Preserve The Past and Shape the Future

In early 1989, Ganesh Kolandaveloo, a Form 5 student at St. Xavier’s Institution, would visit his grand-uncle’s newsstand on Prangin Road after school. Located at a bustling intersection, it was here that he first encountered a new publication. The magazine featured a simple design with three artfully taken photographs of youths in traditional costumes against a light brown background. The title was equally unpretentious and to the point, Pulau Pinang. The subtitle, “A Guide to the Local Way of Life & Culture of Penang,” hinted at its content. The titles of the articles had a theatrical ring to them—“Bangsawan, the People’s Opera”, “A Yoke of the Peacock Feathers”, “Temple on the Knoll”, and “Heritage Special—Marriage, Baba-Nyonya Style”.