E-Paper
For a newspaper addict, going digital is not great
Mornings were not the same after the Covid-19 lockdown without the newspaper
The newspaper has always been a part of my routine. I remember, even as a child, watching my father pacing up and down as he waited anxiously for it in the morning. Like a guided missile, the rolled up newspaper used to land in our balcony with a thud. The day the target was missed, the army, comprising my younger brother, sister and I, was deployed for search operations.
Father initiated us into reading newspapers at an early age; slowly it became a habit and then turned into an addiction.
Unlike the techno-savvy generation of today that prefers to checks the news on mobile phones, I don’t enjoy checking out Google for my dose of news as I miss the insightful editorials, the crisp middles and many other features in a newspaper. For a technically challenged person like me, reading news digitally is a hassle; and I’m not comfortable with an e-paper. Besides, flipping the pages has a joy of its own that cannot be felt digitally.
In the age of ‘infodemics’ when there is explosion of information without verification in social media, I bank upon traditional media. My inbox may be flooded with all sorts of forwarded messages, but I tend to rely upon print media which I expect to be more responsible and reliable.
The coronavirus onslaught and the resultant lockdown has turned life topsy-turvy. The supply of essentials got disrupted initially, but was restored within a couple of days. However, as the newspaper was not delivered for quite some time, my husband and I, holed up at home, started missing it badly. Our mornings were not the same and the morning cup of tea had lost its charm.
After a week or so, however, I was in for a pleasant surprise. My eyes lit up to see a bundle of newspapers lying in the verandah. Excitedly, I rushed out to grab them, but hesitated for a moment as all those apprehensions of catching an infection crowded my mind.
Then, I got an idea. Picking up the newspapers I marched towards the ironing table, ironed the outer exposed pages with a hot iron and washed my hands thoroughly (full 20 seconds with soap and water). Newspaper and hands sanitised, with much glee, I sat down to enjoy the morning, a steaming cup of tea and my crisp copy in hand!
Not that there is much to cheer about these days, as coronavirus is everywhere. However, with the newspaper back in the morning, a semblance of normalcy has been restored in our lives.
rama_1177@yahoo.co.in
(The writer is a retired associate professor of MCMDAV College, Chandigarh)
