I think I must move to a newspaper-loving place like India! Ink-stained wretch here, veteran of, God help me, four newspapers over 30 years. A few years ago I went to have breakfast at a restaurant and saw they had stacks of newspapers for people to read while waiting for their meal. I was struck by how RELAXING it was not to read from a phone or a screen, but to go through, page by page, a real newspaper. Thanks for bringing back memories!
Used to enjoy reading the newspaper. But our local rag shrank, to no more than a magazine in size. Most of it was advertisements. With the advent of the internet, the news was better covered, more timely and relevant there. They even moved their offices from Pensacola to Mobile, about 50 miles away. They went the way of the dinosaur here in the U.S. for the most part. I miss a good newspaper. And the paper was so useful for composting after reading it.
That is sad. The decline of so many local newspapers is hard. True, here newspapers are used for serving food in at street stalls, and as napkins :-), and of course recycled. Good share, Dale. Thanks.
Nice post. I have been thinking a lot about offline reading these days, dont read as much as I want to. This tradition is one that I saw growing up in my household just like it’s outlined in this post. But now when I visit India, I see my father-in-law still holding true to this tradition with his newspaper in hand, busy reading over a hot cup of cardamom tea. It’s a ritual, a useful addiction. Meanwhile, my father has moved on to WhatsApp and X for his source of information. This saddens me because he used to read a lot, used to scan and email the important articles to his sons, and also used to write a lot. Since the pandemic he has gotten more tech savvy at the expense of his offline reading and writing. I wonder if I can pickup from where he left off.
Thanks Raj. Ah, cardamom tea! Nice. Many WhatsApp videos are a scourge in India right now - without sources, filled with memes and someone's opinion passing as news. Digital e-papers are popular and the same version as the print though in India. But rest of digital media is filled with ads.
I love how thoroughly people read newspapers here. Hawkers and shopkeepers have the papers on them the whole day. And during breaks they read the whole thing, religiously, unlike people like me who just scan for headlines for a minute and maybe read an editorial or a news item or two. I've always found that the newspaper reader seems much more well-informed and keen on analysis than his digital media consuming counterpart. He might not get his news instantly, but he gets the gist of the previous day distilled in his morning paper, with (usually) no rhetoric or irrelevant items to distract him. Makes for cool, deep reading. Breaking news is unfortunately mostly distraction now--isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
I prefer the broadsheet format, but I can't think of any papers that still offer that size. I LOVE reading a paper in a coffee shop, but I confess that most newspapers these days are little more than advertising with ONE story on each page to keep up the illusion of having "news" to read. It saddens me, but I usually read news on a screen, these days.
I agree on the broadsheet format, had to adjust the smaller versions London started to publish when I lived there. Coffee shop reads were my ritual too. Agree that digital content is higher quality now - one story - ouch! Here, it is the opposite, digital 'free' is just ads. Paid is the printed newspaper in duplicated as an e-paper version.
Agree. I used to read more often until last year. But I unsubscribed from them all. I skim the first page for 50 word highlights, occasionally. I dislike the clickbait titles. The constant negativity. The bar is so low these days.
I subscribe and have fur over 36 years to my local paper and while it’s gotten thinner over the years I enjoy reading it with my coffee every morning before my walk. When I get back after 5 miles o then have the joy of doing the 2 crosswords while I eat usually lemon yogurt. I do read stories from other papers online if I could afford I’d have 3 papers delivered everyday that’s how I grew up. And in spite of my friends urging me to go tablet for my books I refuse there is nothing as good as holding a book and feeling the pages as you turn them. lol I’m old fashioned I suppose but I wi t give up on my books or newspaper!
My kind of morning - crosswords are my favorite part too. I agree that there is something comforting about sitting with a book or paper physically to read at home, or at a cafe. Adding runs and healthy yoghurt is icing! what a wonderful scene you shared. I do read digital, though I agree that nothing beats the slow read. Thanks!
So very comparable and relatable to what you'll see in Kenya. People will read these as they discuss the latest politics. Newspapers are normally published in in English and Kiswahili, so not as many languages as in India. Glad to see that this newspaper ritual is cherished in other nations too. Thanks for this relatable story, Jayshree.
Great share, Patrick. Discussions also take place here, in a similar way. Cool to learn about Kenya. Visiting is on my bucket list - one day! Thanks for the feedback.
As a former newspaper journalist, it is heart warming to know that in India, newspapers are thriving. In Malaysia, unfortunately, our newspapers are gasping to stay alive. This is partly due to the digital revolution, but also due to the huge fall in trust most Malaysians had in newspapers as they were mostly controlled by political parties. Fortunately, there is independent media, but they are mostly digital.
When I used to have a jet-setting life as a journalist, I would make a point to read and collect the newspapers of the country I was in. I looked forward to the free paper I'd get when boarding the plane, for one!
I particularly enjoyed the newspapers in England. Going through The Telegraph and Guardian was my greatest delight. And when I'm in the US, the Washington Post and the Grey Lady herself, New York Times.
It's a very different story now. The standard of journalism has fallen so much, and I no longer trust reading them. Sigh.
I think I must move to a newspaper-loving place like India! Ink-stained wretch here, veteran of, God help me, four newspapers over 30 years. A few years ago I went to have breakfast at a restaurant and saw they had stacks of newspapers for people to read while waiting for their meal. I was struck by how RELAXING it was not to read from a phone or a screen, but to go through, page by page, a real newspaper. Thanks for bringing back memories!
Loved your comment. I too like a leisurely coffee read, no personalized ads, no clickbait, no screen.
Used to enjoy reading the newspaper. But our local rag shrank, to no more than a magazine in size. Most of it was advertisements. With the advent of the internet, the news was better covered, more timely and relevant there. They even moved their offices from Pensacola to Mobile, about 50 miles away. They went the way of the dinosaur here in the U.S. for the most part. I miss a good newspaper. And the paper was so useful for composting after reading it.
That is sad. The decline of so many local newspapers is hard. True, here newspapers are used for serving food in at street stalls, and as napkins :-), and of course recycled. Good share, Dale. Thanks.
Nice post. I have been thinking a lot about offline reading these days, dont read as much as I want to. This tradition is one that I saw growing up in my household just like it’s outlined in this post. But now when I visit India, I see my father-in-law still holding true to this tradition with his newspaper in hand, busy reading over a hot cup of cardamom tea. It’s a ritual, a useful addiction. Meanwhile, my father has moved on to WhatsApp and X for his source of information. This saddens me because he used to read a lot, used to scan and email the important articles to his sons, and also used to write a lot. Since the pandemic he has gotten more tech savvy at the expense of his offline reading and writing. I wonder if I can pickup from where he left off.
Thanks Raj. Ah, cardamom tea! Nice. Many WhatsApp videos are a scourge in India right now - without sources, filled with memes and someone's opinion passing as news. Digital e-papers are popular and the same version as the print though in India. But rest of digital media is filled with ads.
I love how thoroughly people read newspapers here. Hawkers and shopkeepers have the papers on them the whole day. And during breaks they read the whole thing, religiously, unlike people like me who just scan for headlines for a minute and maybe read an editorial or a news item or two. I've always found that the newspaper reader seems much more well-informed and keen on analysis than his digital media consuming counterpart. He might not get his news instantly, but he gets the gist of the previous day distilled in his morning paper, with (usually) no rhetoric or irrelevant items to distract him. Makes for cool, deep reading. Breaking news is unfortunately mostly distraction now--isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
lol, that is true Malay. Good share, thanks!
I prefer the broadsheet format, but I can't think of any papers that still offer that size. I LOVE reading a paper in a coffee shop, but I confess that most newspapers these days are little more than advertising with ONE story on each page to keep up the illusion of having "news" to read. It saddens me, but I usually read news on a screen, these days.
I agree on the broadsheet format, had to adjust the smaller versions London started to publish when I lived there. Coffee shop reads were my ritual too. Agree that digital content is higher quality now - one story - ouch! Here, it is the opposite, digital 'free' is just ads. Paid is the printed newspaper in duplicated as an e-paper version.
Unfortunately, so few newspapers, analog or digital, are worth the money. Alas.
Agree. I used to read more often until last year. But I unsubscribed from them all. I skim the first page for 50 word highlights, occasionally. I dislike the clickbait titles. The constant negativity. The bar is so low these days.
Jayshree, I enjoy how you share your culture - I would never had known about the newspaper ritual or the shoe repair shops. D
Thanks Dave, appreciate it. Sometimes in the noise of a billion people, have to discover the ordinary daily life.
I have had some fellow writers submit pictures of the markets in India.
Yes, those can be fun too. I wrote a piece once about markets - if I find it ...
I subscribe and have fur over 36 years to my local paper and while it’s gotten thinner over the years I enjoy reading it with my coffee every morning before my walk. When I get back after 5 miles o then have the joy of doing the 2 crosswords while I eat usually lemon yogurt. I do read stories from other papers online if I could afford I’d have 3 papers delivered everyday that’s how I grew up. And in spite of my friends urging me to go tablet for my books I refuse there is nothing as good as holding a book and feeling the pages as you turn them. lol I’m old fashioned I suppose but I wi t give up on my books or newspaper!
My kind of morning - crosswords are my favorite part too. I agree that there is something comforting about sitting with a book or paper physically to read at home, or at a cafe. Adding runs and healthy yoghurt is icing! what a wonderful scene you shared. I do read digital, though I agree that nothing beats the slow read. Thanks!
So very comparable and relatable to what you'll see in Kenya. People will read these as they discuss the latest politics. Newspapers are normally published in in English and Kiswahili, so not as many languages as in India. Glad to see that this newspaper ritual is cherished in other nations too. Thanks for this relatable story, Jayshree.
Great share, Patrick. Discussions also take place here, in a similar way. Cool to learn about Kenya. Visiting is on my bucket list - one day! Thanks for the feedback.
As a former newspaper journalist, it is heart warming to know that in India, newspapers are thriving. In Malaysia, unfortunately, our newspapers are gasping to stay alive. This is partly due to the digital revolution, but also due to the huge fall in trust most Malaysians had in newspapers as they were mostly controlled by political parties. Fortunately, there is independent media, but they are mostly digital.
When I used to have a jet-setting life as a journalist, I would make a point to read and collect the newspapers of the country I was in. I looked forward to the free paper I'd get when boarding the plane, for one!
I particularly enjoyed the newspapers in England. Going through The Telegraph and Guardian was my greatest delight. And when I'm in the US, the Washington Post and the Grey Lady herself, New York Times.
It's a very different story now. The standard of journalism has fallen so much, and I no longer trust reading them. Sigh.