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Musings on News Papers

  

My father was subscribing to The Hindu news paper ever since I can remember. My first attempt at reading news papers probably started in early 60s when I attempted reading satirist Art Buchwald column which used to be humour based. My father's lawyer friend Sri B.C.Sarma kindled my interest in that weekly column.  

Buchwald's piece on "Retirement being Twice as Much Husband on Half as Much Money" is one article that I remember best. Jack Fingleton's cricket column was another attraction.

Know Your English is a regular feature in The Hindu which helps in polishing one's

English writing and speaking abilities. As for the news appearing in it, I have never found it presenting the latest happenings in its columns. The paper never dares to take any stand on govt policies, programs, politicians or public activity. It makes always bland neutral observations. You always hear elders advising yougsters to bolster their English by reading The Hindu regularly as if it is an online learning tool. No one ever wants you to read it for getting latest news. So, it looked as if The Hindu was meant for retired people sitting on an easy chair, inhaling snuff powder (dry tobacco powder called నస్యం in Telugu) and sipping filter coffee.

When I moved to Bangalore for college, I shifted to Deccan Herald. My cousin was the Chief Sub Editor. I had the previlege of visiting his office and the news paper printing press. Those days, the printing process was conventional letterpress printing, a process by which many copies are produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. 

When I went to Guntur in 1972, I used to read Indian Express published from Vijayawada. Being a bachelor living singly with a touring job (usually I was away from Guntur on tour for about 15 days in a month) I was not subscribing for news paper on monthly basis. I was purchasing my news paper from the news paper stall every morning. Being a news paper buff addicted to reading news paper first thing in the morning, one morning, I was going back home with the paper in my hands, reading the headlines while walking on the road. Suddenly a car stopped next to me and a very senior doctor (Dr.Vadapalli Venkateswara Rao) from inside the car called out to me saying "ప్రపంచ మేం మునిగిపోలేదు ఇంటికెళ్లి నిదానంగా పేపర్ చదువు. చూడకుండా అడుగేశావంటె పక్కనున్న కాల్వలో పడి పోగలవు జాగ్రత్త" (world is not drowning in the sea......go home and read it leisurely or with a misstep, you may fall in the drain next to you)

I liked Indian Express very much for many reasons. We were getting the late city edition in Guntur (the last edition printed at their Vijayawada center) The paper always took a firm stand on matters it presented. Firm stand in opposing Emergency endeared it to me. Articles and Editorials by writers like Arun Shourie, Kuldip Nayar, Sekhar Gupta etc. were very educative, exclusive and powerful. I remained with Indian Express even when I moved to Eluru in December 1983. My loyalty continued even when I came to Hyderabad in end 1986.

I had to switch over to The Hindu in 1988 since my brother-in-law came to live with us in Hyderabad (He came on transfer from JNTU Kakinada where he was the Principal of the Engineering College) In difference to his liking for The Hindu, I switched over to it. Anyway, news papers were slowly losing their importance as the primary source of News with the advent of Television Era. Now they just serve as advertising medium informing you about products, deals and offers. I have shifted to Times of India since 2015.

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