[Sam Kapasi]

I do not disrespect or disregard your observation there Hussain. As an advertiser in both these magazines I have an equal and opposite argument to offer.

It is wrong to use an anniversary issue (any magazine) as a benchmark to draw a conclusion. Anniversary issues are a big deal to any magazine and the staff are instructed to generate as much revenue as possible for this once in a year issue.

The magazine, per se, is absolutely full of ads as you rightly pointed out - but there is also a lot of content (DVDs, pull outs calenders and what not) that you get free with it.

While these too may be sponsored, they are a source of entertainment and education too for the reader.

Auto magazines and lifestyle magazines and gadget magazines have one thing in common. It can be fun to see the ads. It is as much fun to see an Audi ad in autocar, as it is to see a loius vuitton ad in Verve or Elle or an Apple ad in T3.
These are themed magazines with a narrow spectrum of readers with a common interest.

The same cannot be said of an atta ad in India Today. There is no theme.

Lastly - you pay 1$ for an Autocar in India. Somebody has to pay for the cost of printing the magazine, the distribution, the salaries of the staff, the petrol for the research and the other million things that go into bringing the magazine to you.

Would you be willing to pay 10$ for an auto magazine like the rest of the world does?

Again, I'd like to add that I respect your observation, but there is always another side to the story.