We, the
traditional readers of ‘The Hindu’, always feel sorry to
those who follow other dailies – We never even consider those dailies as competitors to ‘The Hindu’. ‘The Hindu’, as we know, is always a class apart. Reading it is like learning classical art form. It
is tough to get into those vibes. But once there, the ardent readers realize, it
is a different journey altogether. With almost all local language
newspapers in Kerala degrading to mediocrity and touching the borders of
tabloid journalism, we never felt worried - for we have ‘The Hindu’.
It was then, we,
the traditionalists, were served with this unexpected shock. On 1st of
July the entire look of ‘The Hindu’
came out with a make-over. What will a father feel if his daughter, whom he had
seen for years in her traditional attire, on a fine morning, presents herself
in trendy costumes? It was a similar sort of uneasy feeling we had looking at
the modernized looks. How come the classic and sturdy looks of our own daily
has degraded itself into that immature and temporal ways of other dailies?! What prompted ‘The Hindu’ for this change? Is
it an attempt to catch up with the competitive world of Press? Is it an attempt
to bring the attention of young readers? The core philosophy, insists the
newspaper, has not changed. Yet, for the old like us this mere change in looks
is enough to raise our apprehension.
Agreed,
everything around us does change. May be
we traditionalists are not keeping with the pace of this world taken over by
the facebook and twitter. But one aspect of human psychology is to respect,
revere and hold on to something which remains intact irrespective of the time
and circumstances – like the idols in the temple. That is the level of regard
we have for ‘The Hindu’ as well.
Because, for us,
‘The Hindu’ is not just any newspaper.
It is a trusted relationship, a tradition, a culture passed from one
generation to another. It is the part of
our living family. ‘The Hindu’
demands and deserves respect at our households and it in fact is the guide to
the children in our family. With so much at stake, we cannot imagine in our
wildest dreams any change to its traditional mannerisms – even if it is just in
the matter of the look and feel.
(Written on behalf of the traditional readers
of ‘The Hindu’ at Kodungallur, Thrissur, Kerala)
