I started reading newspapers seriously at College and ‘sold my soul’ to the ‘old’ Indian Express –for its fiery, sensational & ‘shourie’ reporting, when I landed my first job at NLC, Neyveli, in the 1980s.  I found the HINDU too tedious & dreary for catching-up on daily news, compared to the Indian Express, which was awfully exciting and an epitome of all that a ‘daily’ should be. You realize the value of The HINDU only at the end of the month while disposing off ‘old newspapers’. The HINDU ‘paper’ was of a ‘better quality’ and commanded more weight per kilogram compared to the flimsy low quality Indian Express paper.  Fact is, I would ‘steal’ some ‘hard ‘HINDU newspapers from my neighbor for the quarterly ritual of changing the ‘shelf layer/cover’ of the cemented kitchen shelves in the ‘NLC provided Staff Quarters’.  I even fought bitter battles with my wife over buying ‘shelf-value’ newspapers!

When I moved to Hyderabad at the end of the 1990’s, I briefly flirted with the Deccan Chronicle but expressly move back to the Indian.  I then fell down South once again but ‘got up’, each morning, with the Indian Express, in Bangalore. Times changed and the Indian Express gradually lost steam and began crawling at passenger train levels.  A new life at Mumbai, in the 2000’s, brought me to the Times Of India – to which, I guess, I am presently stuck with. The ‘New’ Indian Express or the DNA in my blood could not impress me any longer -I am now at Gurgaon and am ‘quite faithful’ to the TOI.

I have watched, with amazement, the ‘packaging ‘of the Times Of India. They love pretty girls and  hour glass ‘figures’ for sure and never lose an opportunity to ‘bare & breast beat’ all, especially those tops & revealing slits! A Helen-of-Troy face, launching a thousand glances is a sure on the very first page, followed by her ‘equally beautiful sisters’ (did she have any?) spread liberally in almost every alternate page. They never let you down if you are the bird watching kind. The Times Global section goes ‘around the world’ to pick the best least dressed beauties! Oh!  What creation! They have found ingenious ways of beautifying the Sports Page devoting lovely space to those awesome girlfriends of the Sports Super Stars displaying their most valuable assets. Wonder why they ‘should not perform’ on the field!  I recall that a particular edition on a fresh Monday morning, in Mumbai, had Karishma Kapoor  with her daughter, watching her husband Sanjay, playing polo, in splitting times  –on the very first page. HEADLINE NEWS!

I now glance at the Helen-of- Troy on  page one and rush to the global section,  quickly seize  up the ‘figures’ in the in-between-sheets and settle down to playing on the sports section. I definitely have a game plan. Oh! It’s one hell of a daily journey and I think I enjoy it! Ha! Ha! Happy New Year All of You! Enjoy the beauty of Life and love your times!