College Level

I have a passion for reading my daily newspaper. Every morning I wait for it eagerly and read it avidly over a cup of tea. Why do I love reading newspapers so much? Do I seek information, the satisfaction of curiosity, of the basic human hunger for news, I partly do so, but an important reason why I am fond of newspapers is that they provide a variety of reading material and do not demand concentration upon a particular subject which is apt to be strenuous. You are free to read whatever you like and skip whatever you dislike, what you find prosaic or complicated.

Indeed, reading newspapers is an art. Since, after all, you cannot read everything in a newspaper, you have to select certain items which are useful or interesting to you. I, for one, do not attach much importance to editorials which are usually written in a heavy, pedantic style. However, I do follow, with keen interest, the political developments in India and abroad. I only glance at the speeches of Ministers, satisfying myself that they contain clichés like ‘national integration’ and 'communal harmony’. While I peruse many of the 'Letters to the Editor’, I hardly miss a news item of human interest. I scan even the matrimonial advertisements and am often amply rewarded by gems such as “wanted a tall, handsome, educated, domesticated girl”.

One can enrich one's pleasure in reading newspapers by attending to their style. Once there was a minor earthquake in Mumbai which caused no graver mischief than upsetting a few pots in the house wife's kitchen. But a newspaper reported the incident in the sensational headline: “Mumbai Rocks On

Earthquake.” No doubt it would be exciting to read such a headline; but how far would it be true? In their eagerness to be interesting and colourful, journalists tend to exaggerate and sacrifice truth. Nevertheless, I love newspapers. I especially love my newspaper when it comes crisp and fresh from the press early in the morning and resent sharing it with others.