From a single photo essay on Chennai's mural artists to a monthly digital edition with a dedicated readership across three metros, the journey has been steady and hands-on.
We published our first issue in March, a 40-page PDF on Madras's independent bookstores. To launch it, we hosted a one-night exhibition at a friend's studio in George Town, printing 200 zines by hand. The response from local designers and writers told us there was an appetite for this kind of storytelling.
After two years of print experiments, we moved fully online. This let us publish longer photo essays and reach readers in Bengaluru and Mumbai without worrying about distribution costs. Our first digital cover story, on the revival of hand-block printing in Bagru, was read by over 12,000 people in the first week.
We committed to a fixed monthly publishing schedule, with each issue built around a single theme. The themes have ranged from "Neighborhood Kitchens" to "The New Collectors." This consistency helped us grow a loyal newsletter audience, and we started paying contributors a small fee for every published piece.
We launched our city guide series, starting with a 60-page guide to Indiranagar's creative corners. The editorial team now includes four regular writers and two photographers, all based in different Indian cities. We also began hosting quarterly meetups for readers and contributors in Chennai and Bengaluru.
This year, we opened up our full archive of past issues, making every feature, interview, and photo essay freely accessible. It felt like the right step for an independent magazine that has always relied on community support. We are now planning our first printed anthology, a selection of the best stories from the last six years.
The studios, galleries, and independent labels that make each issue possible. We work with people who care about craft, context, and the stories behind the work.
Ceramic studio in Jaipur, featured in our craft issue and regular contributor to our home decor stories.
Thrift and vintage clothing group in Bengaluru, co-hosts our street style photo walks.
Independent gallery space in Mumbai, partners on artist interviews and exhibition previews.
Small-batch zine publisher from Pune, collaborates on limited print editions of our city guides.
Annual design festival, shares our editorial coverage and hosts panel discussions with our contributors.
2019 - The first issue was assembled from a single camera, a borrowed laptop, and a list of twelve artists nobody else was covering. We printed forty copies and handed them out at a Chennai flea market.
2021 - After two years of irregular publishing, we moved to a monthly rhythm. The shift forced us to plan stories further ahead and commit to a small but steady network of freelance writers and photographers.
2023 - Our city guide series took shape. Instead of ranking cafés and galleries, we started documenting the people behind them - the ceramicist who fires her own kiln, the tailor who reworks deadstock fabric, the bookshop owner who hosts poetry nights.
2025 - We now publish long-form photo essays and artist interviews every month, with a readership spread across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune. The editorial team remains small, but the network of contributors keeps growing.
The magazine started with a simple frustration: too many good stories about Indian urban culture were being ignored. No major outlet was covering the independent ceramic studios in Jaipur, the street style of Indiranagar, or the hidden art cafés of Mumbai. So we decided to document them ourselves, one issue at a time.
Lokeezi is run by a small team of writers, photographers and designers who spend their days in the neighborhoods they cover. We are not a newsroom in the traditional sense; we are a group of people who believe that the best stories about Indian cities are found in the details, not in the headlines.
Kartik started Lokeezi in 2019 after a decade of covering mainstream design events that rarely reflected the streets he grew up in. He now oversees the magazine's long-form photo essays and city guides, and still writes the occasional piece on independent typography and sign painting.
Swati handles artist interviews and the street style series. She spent five years as a fashion correspondent before joining Lokeezi, and brings a sharp eye for how people actually dress, not how brands want them to. Her Sunday photo walks in Bengaluru have become a regular feature.
Aadil shoots most of the magazine's photo essays, from ceramic studios in Jaipur to hidden cafés in Mumbai. He prefers natural light and unposed moments, and often spends a full day with a subject before taking a single frame. His work has been exhibited in two group shows in Chennai.
Sid shapes the magazine's visual identity, from the asymmetric grid layouts to the warm ivory palette you see on every page. He also edits the city guides, making sure each recommendation is practical, current and worth the detour. He joined the team in 2021 after a stint in book design.