Handling the Newspaper | Reflections
5th June 1996
#memoriesfromdiaries
Well, my tryst with the Indian Express dates back to a few decades ago!
[Yes! Up until 1999, it was known as Indian Express all across India. But from 13th August 1999, the northern editions retained the Indian Express tag, while the southern editions started sporting the new moniker – The New Indian Express!]
This past diary entry that dates back to 27 years ago in time, is the real prompt for jogging my memory bigtime, and helping me recall some of those nostalgic days when the newspaper was our daily delight!
| Pages from my past diary entries, 5th June 1996 |
We used to have those monthly subscriptions for the Indian Express and The Hindu that came with an added delivery charge of Re.1/- per month.
First thing in the morning, there would be a real big sibling-fight for the day’s newspaper, almost every other day!
An added contender for the newspaper of the day, was a young lecturer named Mani, who happened to be our neighbour, as well!
You see, the newspaper man used to keep the day’s newspaper wedged to the grill bar of the main gate, and then giving a quick ‘cling cling’ bell from off his Atlas bicycle, he used to dart across to the adjacent localities.
Mr. Mani hence, made it a point to quietly hover around the main gate for that precious little ‘some time’, and quickly grabbed it the moment it was wedged, and then, gently turning towards me gave off that added gladded glee! 😊
‘In five minutes I shall give it to you, Rufus’, he used to assure me, pacifying my frayed spirits!
I quite didn’t mind even if it was fifteen or fifty minutes.
But what bothered me the most was that, he used to chaotically flip through the broadsheet, and then, removing the pages from its neat arrangement, he used to file them up in separate sections and parts and fold them with such crumples and wrinkles all over! ☹
This is something that really daunts and dampens my spirits you see!
As for me, the newspaper should, by all means, be read in the exact order in which it is arranged when it comes out of the press.
This has always been one of my innate idiosyncrasies as regards handling a book or a newspaper, all of the time!
Added reason for my greatest admiration for Dr. Nirmal Selvamony, Dr. Ganesh (my kindred spirit) and Dr. Daniel David for the way in which they so beautifully handle their books!
| Our students with Dr. Nirmal and his treasure trove of books |
Dr. Ganesh and Dr. Daniel David have always ensured that, they laminate the cover of each and every book before proceeding to read them!
That’s one of the most elegant ‘readerly’ qualities that you find in the noblest and gentlest of readers all of the time, ain’t it?
Coming back,
Yes! I really don’t like it when a person flips through a book or a newspaper, in haste, leaving behind trails and trails of crumples, creases and crinkles on them in the process.
It’s like - you enter a beautiful garden, and then leave behind a trail of damage, devastation and destruction behind while exiting it!
I really do observe a person by the way they flip through the pages of their book – be it a note book or a text book!
I also observe a person based on the way they preserve, cherish and stack a book at home!
If the book is unkempt, ill-maintained, with dog-ears all over, it sure tells!
Yes! I do judge a book – not by its cover!
But by its owner! 😉
