How Indians Read – as in what do Indians, that is, most of us, read and why so.
Nowadays, the reading culture across the world is almost the same. It was not so sometime time back. Books available to the western world were not available to us and neither were our books available to them. There was a gap, a disparity. However, the scene has changed now. India is an upcoming market for the latest books in any genre. Material is available out there, we need to take an effort to choose, buy and start reading.
Caveat: Every part of the world needs to be qualified. It need not be every nook, corner and the gaps, but understandably every city or county where books are available, published, circulated, borrowed and discussed.
Now that is not exactly what I am here to discuss. What I wanted to say is that in India in general, take the small or big cities, towns or villages, books or any form of printed material or paper is widely available and used a variety of forms. The uses of the printed word available in the paper form is many and unbelievable at times. Reading forms the first choice, the primary purpose for the printing it. Thereafter, it takes the form and shape of so many utilities.
Let’s take the example of the newspaper: We read it, stack it for a month or a year and sell it off to a vendor in exchange of money. Newspaper then is a “goods” that is bartered, therefore, it becomes “currency.” From the vendor, it changes hands to either the recycling factory to become paper cups, plates, spoons & bags, (the famous FabIndia ones) at one side. On the other hand, it makes its way into the shops – to become the wrapping material for the customers to carry back home — it can re-enter our hands and home when we buy vada pav, or roasted groundnuts or vegetables in different shapes or shapeless forms depending on the wrapping abilities of the seller. Sometimes, it’s on purpose used to couch our purchases of sanitary pads and liquor bottles (I really have no answer to such a surreptitious practice!) It becomes blotting papers to suck out the oil from hot tasty pakodas deep fried right from the wok when in the kitchen… becomes napkins when nothing else is available to wipe our dirty hands on… or polish shoes, or made into hats when the sun is shining in his brightest…
Some even exchange paper for kitchen utensils and clothes..
So many uses and unique ways of reusing something like the printed paper and unlimited uses…. sometimes, it may also end up being used for purposes its makers never thought of…
Go ahead, list your thoughts on this, and the uses you see of the paper if you use or see it around…
Good day, happy Sunday and wishing you a great week ahead…
First… .:)
We actually use paper i for so many purpose… In fact personally i use it more for other things than for reading… It could be making paper boats or rockets in free time or tearing it to pieces when I’m very angry…
In our house mom uses the newspaper for wrapping rotties for the tiffin and whatever papers are left at the month my dad gives them to a temple for distributing prashad….
I try not to print anything and use iPAD for reading.
have you read about recycling newspapers..They are used to make storage boxes and you wudnt believe they are news paper..try in google…it wud b a pleasant surprise…btw does this ribbn still hold for your first commenter? just asking cos most of ur post have the first comment that they are Firsttttt.. he he
good you reminded about the ribbon i am sure to have won a few times by now he he he he he
We Indians invented recycling way before it became a word!! What about the plastic containers for takeaway?
My mom used to line her kitchen shelves with newspaper:) Here, I don’t use newspapers at all. All my news comes from electronic media
makes it all so boring na:)
mum would use newspapaer to put of shelf’s and also use it for cleaning GLASS.
These days no newspapers , I pick one if there are coupons etc in it
yeah cheapo me …
Like smitha’s mom i too use newspaper on the shelfs,use them instead of plates and sometimes to soak oil from the fried food when i don’t have tissue papers..
when i see paper all i could think of is origami and quilling and all the paper crafts that could do with it
I’ve never given much thought about the newspaper being used in so many ways by us. Indeed news paper comes very handy and it is not just for reading and keeping aside but its very true that we use the same printed paper for various purposes like you’ve mentioned. Very well written post about the printed paper and its uses in different forms.
actually a thought provoking post..multi-utility newspaper…
I remember to use them for cupboards, oil-soaking purpose, carry them during train journeys…to roll breads etc…
we just sell it at the end of the month and the money goes into a piggy bank!