I started reading newspapers when I was in the High School.
We formed a Students’ Association, collected a small amount from each student
every month and with that money, subscribed to the leading newspaper of the
State and to a few children’s magazines.
My reading English papers started when I joined the College.
I was staying in the hostel. The papers came in the morning and were kept in
the Hostel Common Room. Morning was the time for study and so I used to read
the papers after returning from the Classes in the afternoons. By that time,
the sheets would have been separated and would be lying on different spots and
different tables. So my first task would be look for my favourite English
paper, The Statesman, collect its different sheets from different tables,
arrange them neatly, straiten the crumples and then proceed reading them. Since
studies were to be resumed in the evening, I got limited time to read the
papers. But the practice of arranging the sheets became a habit and has stayed
with me.
Now we get 4 newspapers at home. I have chosen these not
only for their news-presentation but for their features as well. My early
mornings are spent in the garden. So, by the time I get to the papers, the wife
would have grabbed 3 of them, except the financial paper (Although at home, her
position is akin to that of the Expenditure Secretary, Ministry of Finance,
Govt. of India, she shuns the financial paper.), read them hurriedly before
going to the kitchen for preparing the breakfast. So when my turn comes, my
first task becomes to go back to the early habit and arrange each paper neatly.
I don’t feel comfortable unless the paper is more or less in the same condition
when the hawker delivers them.
The reading goes on intermittently the whole day and sometimes,
spills over to the evening and even sometimes to the next or the subsequent
day. For me, a newspaper becomes old only after I have read it .
The front pages say what is new and the editorial page
containing the editorials, the lead article and the letters to the editor say what the news means. Yes, some letters
are really enlightening. Among the features I like reading, are the Middles and
the Sunday Supplements. The third editorials, by the editorial staff and by
other contributors, are mostly in lighter vain and make excellent reading.
My habit of reading papers in detail became intensified soon
after I finished my Post-Graduate studies and started preparing for various
Competitive Examinations. At that time I was subscribing to 2 newspapers, one
vernacular and the other, English. Since I had more or less ample time, I used
to read the papers, particularly the English one, in detail, from the masthead
at the top of the first page to the name of the editor at the bottom of the
last page, of course excluding the advertisements other than those relating to
employment. I was doing this more for polishing my knowledge of the English
language and improving my vocabulary. When I came across new words, sometimes I
used to consult a dictionary and at other times I could get the meaning from
the context. However, I invariably used to consult a dictionary when using a
new word, to make sure that I was using it correctly. This habit also has
stayed with me.
Of course, now I do not read every bit of the news. Every
news is not useful. A glance at the headline tells one whether to read the
details that follow. Pocket cartoons by the late R K Laxman published in The
Times of India were great treats. So were the cartoons of the late Mario
Miranda in The Economic Times. The comic strips in The Times of India,
particularly the travels of Archie, Veronica, Betty & Co. make great
viewing. And who can resist the temptation of going through the antics of the darling ‘Denis, The
Menace’? Also, I always look for the cartoons
under ‘Blinkers Off’ by Salaam in The Economic Times. Amul ads occasionally reproduced in The
Economic Times in the form of pocket cartoons (www.amul.com )are witty commentaries on contemporary happenings. I view
these ads daily in the internet.
Newspapers and magazines serve me well in utilizing my time.
Whenever I go somewhere (particularly accompanying the wife when she goes for
buying sarees) I carry with me my unread newspaper. Whenever I have to wait, I
utilize this time by reading my newspaper or magazine. Even when I visit a
hair-cutting saloon or a doctor, I carry my unread newspaper and read it
instead of going through the reading material provided there for ‘time-pass’
which are really ‘time-kill’.
Press reporters are advised to report only what is unusual.
Elaborating on this, one Editor gave an example to a young reporter: 'When a dog
bites a man, it is not news; however, when a man bites a dog, it is news'.
Reporters are also advised to be brief in their reports, so that maximum news
is covered in the available space of a newspaper. Taking this to heart, one Correspondent
filed a report: ‘A man opened the tank
of his bike to see if there was enough petrol. It was dark. He lit his
cigarette-lighter. Age 26 years.'
A retired person is typically pictured as reclining in a
chair, face hidden behind an open newspaper and a bald pate prominently in
view. I read my newspapers, sitting in my comfortable rocking chair. Luckily,
my top has still a good crop of dark hair, although not as dense as it was in
yesteryears.
TAIL PIECE:
To understand the whole thing, we are advised to read
between the lines of reports. And sometimes it is fun joining the lines of
newspapers. Some headlines read as ‘House-wife Murdered’ and the next line, in
smaller prints, would be ‘By Our Staff Reporter’ or ‘By Our Correspondent’. Try
joining the two lines! Or take another example. One headline screams, ‘One Kg
Heroin Powder Seized’ and the following line in smaller print reads, ‘From Our
Correspondent’. Poor correspondent! Luckily, I have not come across a headline like, 'School-girl kidnapped and raped' followed by 'By Our.....'
A QUERY:
