Confessions of a newspaper addict : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Confessions of a newspaper addict

I can do without my morning cuppa, I can do without my morning bath or even prayers, but for God’s sake, do not deny me my newspaper! The spiritual mortification felt is akin to what perhaps an addict might experience without his morning fix.

Confessions of a newspaper addict


Rajnish Wattas

I can do without my morning cuppa, I can do without my morning bath or even prayers, but for God’s sake, do not deny me my newspaper! The spiritual mortification felt is akin to what perhaps an addict might experience without his morning fix.

The recent Independence Day holiday, one of the few availed by papers, drove home the absence agonisingly,  and the everyday ritual of waking up to a new day felt like a damp squib. On the given day, however, I got up as usual and paced up and down the driveway, waiting anxiously for the akhbarwala to arrive astride his bicycle, hurtle the bundle with the precision of a Bofors gun, crashing with a loud thud in the veranda. And the one for the first-floor residents, launched like a Chandrayaan landing perfectly on the balcony of the still snoring neighbours.

But with the newspaper no-show, the disappointment was similar to what perhaps a Bear Grylls of the Discovery Channel  might have felt, all geared up for the PM’s shoot, when suddenly informed that alas it was the worthy’s chhuti!  

‘But why are you so addicted to newspapers?’ has been the refrain of my wife and friends. ‘Haven’t you already heard the news on the TV the night before?’ It’s hard for such neophytes to appreciate the subtle beauty of ink on paper printed on broadsheets, unfurling headlines like works of art…the front page with its earth-shaking banner headlines, the middle pages with coverage of the regions and the local pullout letting you know how a stray dog had so traumatised a senior citizen that the elder had landed in hospital with high blood pressure!

But it’s the Edit and Oped pages that are quite the aristocrats of the paper. Editorials written with gravitas and grandstanding hold forth advice on how to ‘unleash the animal spirits’ of the economy, manage the floods and uphold the freedom of expression enjoined in the Constitution. And advice for the Opposition Benches — desist from running to the well every two minutes and disrupt the proceedings of the august House. 

During monsoon, there are days when either there is no delivery or you get soggy newspapers. Opening a wet newspaper is like holding delicate porcelain — you never know when the whole thing will just crumble in your hands. How I envy Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle from PG Wodehouse books, where the butler always presents the morning papers on a silver tray. 

But the worst is to visit my daughter in New York who reads all her news on the cellphone. ‘But where is the place to stack a pile of papers in my tiny apartment?’ she quips, on my admonishment for their absence.

But never to miss on my morning copy, I quietly go and pick one from the nearest corner store, even if it’s not exactly The Tribune.

Top News

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi, backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine public trust in judiciary

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi

Backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine publi...

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Bhatt, who was sacked from the force in 2015, is already beh...


Cities

View All