Editorial: Sunil Sharma

The August issue is before you.

The Duotrope-listed bilingual literary and cultural  journal Setu has already registered a whopping 934, 520 till now and will soon register a phenomenal one million views in its current fourth year of regular and consistent production from Pittsburgh, USA---thanks to its editor-in- chief and publisher Anurag Sharma; the entire editorial team, the writers and readers alike.

An impressive record already---these hits so far!

It could happen due to the love and support of all the people involved in the continual process of reading, writing and editing of the cultural artifacts that can both give delight and directions for the willing seekers for a better world via words and visuals---that is, in other words, aesthetic production, participation and consumption in a world changing so fast and at such a dizzying pace.

Writers across the varied geographies try to make sense of the place and time, the value of the individual in a changing context and the politics of the economics and economics of the political systems across the nations via writings in their chosen media and languages.

And thus show the way ahead.

The rise of the forces of the Rght; the massive march for freedom in Hong Kong and  the local articulations of this universal human desire in other locations, visible or underground; the abiding quest for dignity, value and equal human rights in a post-socialist world dominated by the trans-national capital and its mounting greed for super profits; the migration and the reception/reaction to the new exodus; the climate change affecting the populations and climates; the raging Amazon fires---these pressing issue of epic dimensions unite disparate communities and movements in a single bond---informed by objective and hard-hitting journalism and fine writing that interrogates the status-quoist forces inimical to human development and equitable growth of all the sectors and sections of society---in every era, including the New Millennium, mainly tech-dominant age of evolution.

The bilingual Setu is doing its own bit in creating a constantly rich and evolving global dialogue and intellectual environment by its sharp-edged editorials and careful selections of young and established authors, artists, editors and critics---and bringing them together on a common platform.

It is both art and activism.

We will continue to strive hard to serve you your monthly menu of quality food for soul that can detox both the mind and body of the market-driven excessive consumption of spurious culture, inducing conformism, accommodation, angst and amnesia---and de-radicalization in the long run.

By revealing the real face behind the layers of a grim reality sugar-coated by the media culture of an unequal system that tends to divide and create disharmony among humans through questionable ideologies of governance and domination---by debunking the given “normal”.

Meanwhile, proposals for guest editing are invited from serious writers and academics, on themes outlined above or, beyond, for an alert and contemporary interdisciplinary conversation. Reading of the trends and unveiling truths through writings.

You can send well-argued and brief presentations for consideration by the editors at the official address: setuedit@gmail.com.

We will get back in a month or so, in case the ideas are appealing for their social relevance and impact.

Also, do write in, please. Your feedback is important for us---and so is your engagement with ideas.

Meanwhile, savour this edition and its multiple flavours. A lot of things packed in here, in Setu, now, a continually-expanding space of exploration.

So many talents to enliven your long evenings!

Welcome aboard!

Sunil Sharma, 

Editor, Setu (English)
Kalyan, Mumbai Metropolitan Region,
Maharashtra, India.
August 31, 2019

Setu, August 2019