Decades ago a handful of professionals did
something extraordinary. Bound by a common vision, they conceived and evolved
the idea of a Journal for Chartered Accountants. Those committed volunteers,
embarked on an uncharted journey to bring knowledge – which was scarce in those
days – to the desks of their fellow professionals. That journey of the Bombay
Chartered Accountant Journal – is entering its 50th Volume this month. I
feel honoured to extend my delightful thanks to you – the reader – our
consistent focus, motivation and inspiration on this journey.
BCAJ demonstrates what independent
volunteers connected by a common vision can accomplish to serve a larger
professional community. So many professionals have
contributed to make the BCAJ what it is today. The innumerable writers,
contributors, poets, cartoonists, well wishers, our publishers and the editors
have given their time – a part of their lives – for a cause larger than
themselves. BCAJ will remain ever so grateful
to all of them.
The journal over the years has been a part
of many a professionals’ journey. BCAJ has strived to present depth and breadth
of themes and topics to a Chartered Accountant. What started off with giving
economic news and then tribunal judgments is now covering a broad spectrum of
topics to make complete professional reading every month. Despite the wave of
‘specialisation’, BCAJ has remained relevant due to the quality of its content
and detailed analysis by experienced practitioners. In an interlocked world,
every professional will need to read about developments that could influence
his domain. Today, no area of practice can remain an island which cannot be
approached without crossing the waters of other spheres of influence.
The early years of the BCAJ, were times of
scarcity and restrictions. Today things have swung to the other extreme – we
are surrounded by a deluge of information seeking our attention – from a lack
of access to clutter of excess.
However, a professional is still faced with the same fundamental
problem – how to find a dependable, comprehensive and balanced source of
professional reading? This problem and its solution are expressed in this
verse:
Endless
is the material to read; Time is short and difficulties many.
One
should therefore absorb the essence,
like
a swan who discerns between water and milk.
The BCAJ, then and now, strives to answer
that question. I wish and pray that BCAJ will serve its readers by curating the
essence and giving them balanced, succinct, comprehensive and dependable
technical reading every month. The reader is and always will be at the heart of
the BCAJ.
Over the years, the BCAJ has evolved its website
www.bcajonline.org which contains digitised issues of last 17 years. Many
subscribers read the digital version of BCAJ in flipbook format. We would like
more engagement, feedback and conversation with the subscribers to allow the
contributors to enhance their offering. Reader expectations matter the most,
especially now. Do write to us at journal_feedback@bcasonline.org.
The 50th Volume, starting this
month, will contain Golden Contents – pages with special articles, interviews,
musings, nostalgia, and more. This issue covers all of these to make it a
special one. The rest of the 50th Volume will continue to have such
Golden Contents. The usual monthly features and articles will of course
continue. I hope, you the discerning reader will relish this labour of love and
catch the essence.
Every journey
has milestones and a destination. And every milestone and destination stirs you
to take another journey. The journey of the journal is one such journey, where
every milestone inspires us to reach higher and every destination will open up
a new vista to look farther.
