Some neglected aspects of print media in India…..

According to a report (published a few years ago), everyday across the entire world, in various languages about forty thousand new books are introduced on different subjects by numerous authors; some of them are novice , some established properly in the field. These books may pertain to every walk of life, be it fiction, story, poetry ,prose, palmistry, science and other related subjects and so on. This may help to paint an image of creative scenario of books on daily basis. Apart from this every nation in consonance to its size, population and inclination is in the habit to publish multitude of daily newspapers, weekly, fortnightly and monthly magazines. If we imagine the scenario in respect to India, apart from the Hindi and English languages used majorly and the other languages scheduled in the list of the Constitution of India, the circulation of numbers in these languages on daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly basis will freak us out. And not only scheduled languages( which are approximately 18 in number), other vernacular supported by dialect too are numerous in numbers and the circulation of numbers of issues of print media in this kind of varieties too should be kept in considering the data. This scenario pertains to national, province or regional level, now come to District level print media.

There is a sub-category of local newspapers that exist with its tattered modus operandi in every district of India. There in every district is a “District Information Authority” which issue the licence for publication of such one or two page cheap tabloids. The ” operation” of these miniature newspapers prop upon two basic principles of business, First– mini tabloids in fact get printed at some old fashioned printing press at low cost and merely one hundred -two hundred copies come out of the printing press,( though fake record about number of printed copies of issues, maintained by the editor -office of the paper raise to thousands). These limited number of copies are distributed on priority basis ; on the top of the list being the office of “District Information Authority,” then the office of other executive officers of district, some public libraries (so may some readers remember the name of tabloid) and then circulation of “mini” tabloid is targeted to the office of real “clientele” i. e. office of some corruptible officer of any particular government department, regard whose malpractice, the headlines of the tabloid run. Such news of malpractice and corruption of the officer concerned always have had a pattern. Half news get published shrouded in mystery and ended with the caption- “contd…for next issue.” It simply works as an “Intimidating gesture”to the officer indulged in the ill practice to send some share of ill gained money of bribe to the editor of the newspaper ( In fact same practice in observed by every “province” or “national” level newspapers at a different scale.)

secondly- if these “mini” newspapers if succeed to continue as such for a prescribed period of three years, they would become entitle to get “government’s advertisement” which are paid handsomely ( not long back there also prevailed a policy under which after a given prescribed time these local newspapers tend to become entitle to get a ration quota of print papers at a heavy concessional rate, which they were in practice to sell off to some ‘stationer’ on good margin of profits.) On the occasion of National days like “Republic day”, “Independence day” etc the bonanza of advertisement is but must to all these newspapers.

Now come to the numbers of the readership. Your own personal experience about “mini newspapers” or “tabloids” in itself be evident of their tattered existence regard readership, and if we talk about the readership of printed books as such; they are adjusted in shelves of government run libraries generally by paying a heavy commission by the publisher, there without going through the hands of any reader enwrapped in thick layer of dust, they expire with time along with the name of self magnanimous author.

If we talk of renowned writers and authors, they once settled in the field ably survive by persistent efforts. But as on today, the battlefield is arrayed with different means of electronic media, even after, print media is exerting vigorously to sustain its existence and hopefully it seems that ” papers in shape of books’ will ably survive. Penned by– Vinay Pharasi.