The Swan Song of the Newspaper Stacks ❤️

The Swan Song for the Daily Newspaper Stacks in Office

4th January 2007 | Memories | When newspapers were part of the ICA in my classes :-)

#reflections #newspaperinlearning

Well, today marked the swan song for the newspaper stacks in my office.

First, for a quick flashback! Well, for quite a few years now, I had made it a daily habit to purchase a minimum of fifty copies of the day’s English newspapers - specifically, The Hindu and The Times of India - and keep them in the office for students to take freely and make use of.

Whenever a student reached out for the newspaper, my heart would flutter with happiness. Watching students drop in from their respective departments (mostly Political Science, History, English and Economics), I would always sport a cheerful smile, silently acknowledging their passion for reading. In those moments, I felt that all the effort put into sourcing those daily papers had finally been rewarded.

And it was quite an effort! As some of you may know, this routine took an extra thirty minutes every morning. It meant hopping between three different vendors, gathering fifty copies, bagging them up, and hauling them all the way to my office! 😊

Just last week, during a Q&A session in my II MA English class, a student named Ebenezer asked me about the inspiration behind providing these free newspapers. I told him that it stemmed from my own memories.

When we were in school and college, I remember cycling for at least three kilometres just to get myself a copy of The Hindu or The Indian Express (yes, back then, it was simply The Indian Express). 😊

I recollected those good ol’ days when we used to stand in long queues just to read the newspapers in the library because papers were in such tremendous demand among students. Reading the daily newspaper was a habituated action, a default part and parcel of our everyday routine. Remembering the logistical hurdles we faced during our own college days, I thought it would be a nice gesture to make these resources easily accessible for today’s students on a daily basis.

However, as the days went by, the footfalls for reading the newspaper began to dwindle. Eventually, only about fifteen students came regularly to pick up their free copy. And last week, only five turned up.

So today, as part of my monthly assessment and review, I visited my regular newspaper vendors and broke the news: from the 1st of September, I won’t be buying extra copies of the day’s newspaper.

The vendors - who had by now become such good friends 😊were indeed slightly shocked!

Why, sir, they asked.

I think they’re just idling away in my office all day for want of readers. I don’t think it is serving its purpose, I blurted out, sensing a noticeable tinge of sadness that was flitting me by! 😊

Although I have stopped purchasing bulk copies starting today, I personally feel that reading per se hasn’t died out in the avid reader.

However, inculcating the habit of reading is a seed (that I personally feel) should be planted early. Introducing it in secondary school is one of the most effective approaches to imparting this lovely skill to students. In fact, catching them young normalises the newspaper as a daily tool for discovery, ensuring that the habit becomes deeply ingrained in their hearts and minds forever!

On a genuinely heartwarming note, a Professor from Theni [Theni Kammavar Sangam College Of Arts and Science]  had shared some wonderful news with me just this evening.

He mentioned that he has been regularly displaying clippings from ‘Education Plus’ on all his Department notice boards every Monday.

Most touchingly, he credited our established practices here at MCC as a partial inspiration for this initiative. I was deeply moved to hear how our routines can motivate and influence others in such positive ways.

A heartfelt thank you to Professor Sundhar for sharing this and for your commendable efforts! May all your noble efforts bear fruit!

P.S. For those of you who love to explore the true value of the daily newspaper - and how profoundly it shapes our language and real-world skills - you may want to gently scroll down to our past posts [HERE].