Coffee is something which has to be eclectic hand picked and decided whether it has the right taste, strength and aroma to fill your senses and mind for the day. I started having my first filter coffee 25 years back and Coffee and The Hindu have been married to me in a typical Hindu tradition of values, virtues and wisdom.
My first Hindu was a borrowed one at the stroke of Morning 6 from the Bicycle Vendor, the copy meant for our Tenant upstairs who would not mind waiting till 6.30 for his first read because I had a barter to lend him My Sportstar which was the Magazine I loved like my Cricket Bat. When I look back, the 25 years of my Journey with The Hindu and Filter Coffee, not much has changed with the VVW but both have become more contemporary (Coffee Day ) and the new look Hindu since 2005.
Pure and pristine Hindu-My filter
I hate chicory in coffee the same way the blasphemy, brashness and bias in Newspapers and that is where The Hindu stands out epochal to all sundries and mundane of Newspapers. The times guys pushed me to change on couple of times offering free TOI for a week and it tuned out to be POI with some good news buried like white on black.
The next compulsion was Deccan Chronicle and it was due to Diversified classifieds on Sundays and it would be better to read it as a debonair Chronicle with those 20 plus oomph pics on Sundays.
A good filter coffee can only be nourished by its Taste, Strength and Aroma and my Hindu is a winner in all three ingredients.
Taste-Lingering for the day.
The Design Guru Dr Mario Garcia who worked on restyling the Hindu which was published in a great new contemporary style claims that any Newspaper is like a scanner which has to grab the attention of a reader in 10 secs to make him read further, just the same way your rev gets scanned by a reader on MS which is tough on any Newspaper like us who write. The style of the Hindu has been so well planned and designed that it grabs the attention of the reader instantly.
It also stems from the fact that it has something for every kind of reader, young or old, Politics or Sport, Art or Science, Town or Metro, Local or World, Religious or Rationalist in well spread out Outlook to information.
Strength-Its Contents
You can read quality in every page of The Hindu with clean and vocal information based on only facts and not fiasco.
The Front page marks a standpoint with factual news on the previous days’ headlines
The page 3 is not straight out of Bhandarkar’s movie like other dailies but very relevant information on Local City. The same follows with Page 4 & 5 with Focus on the state and then the regional N E W S
The best parts of The Hindu are the two Central pages Editorial and the OP-ED articles which is a connoisseur’s delight. If you have time, you can digest the entire world news in the neutral striking articles from esteemed writers like Paul Krugnan and Narayanan. For lesser mortals, the Central Cartoons of Keshav or Surendra sums it up for the split second that you spend on this page ensuring one smile from you with a thought unlike many smiles and thoughts from Santo’s revs.
Spend the next two pages learning more on the happenings in the Nation and go on world tour before you bounce on the economics and Business of money making.
My love for the Hindu began from back to front when I was kid because I loved the sports columns. Nothing has changed my opinion that The Hindu offers the best SPORTS NEWS though I read from front to back now as my cells yearn for more mature and grey matter. What can you expect from Nirmal Shekhar as Sports Editor- as magical as summers and as eloquent as Tendulkar of MS. Ram Mahesh and Rohit Brijnath literally take you to the cauldron of Sport while Peter Roebuck and Makarand Waingankar pour their analytical insights.
The last page of The Hindu is a must read because you get to know more of people like Steve Irwin and Kikos and White Tigers on Newscape.
Extras-Exceptional Value
If you want to rewind back 50 years of news on This day that age, you have it from the Century old Newspaper and more, My drive home for lunch is filled with Sudoku the number game and on Holidays, what more to fill the Crossword or ask explanation on Religion from the oldies at Home and not forget the daily weather update.
Special-something special everyday
The Metro Plus on all weekdays fills the air with youth and freshness, food and thought, celebrities and events without being so raunchy about it.
Education Plus gives both opportunities as well as lot of guidelines on Universities and higher studies on Monday. The Business review on Monday brings hot Buzi News mostly on Auto and IT Industry.
The Book review on Tuesday brings you the latest Book updates and not to forget the wonderful spell and Language Bee called “Know your English” from Upendran
The Hindu not only provides Job Opportunities on Wednesdays but also conducts Workshops and Conferences across South for new jobs.
My pick is The Science and Technology on Thursdays and My Kids’ Young World on Fridays. For the movie buffs, never to miss on the Friday review which throws light on the latest Holly, Bolly, Kolly or Tolly wooden action as well as on Culture, Music and TV.
If you want to get a good sleep on Sundays, spend a good Hour on The Sunday Magazine digesting all the goodie stuff which can stimulate your mind from the front page to the literary reviews ending up with Travelogues as fascinating and picturesque as Niks’ on MS.
Aroma fills the nostrils and Mind
The quality of paper for a meager Rs 1/- is the best that any Newspaper can boast of in this country which does not look like picked from garb stuff like the DC and does not smell like any other. For above nostrils, There is more to the Hindu-stylish, colour, verve, bullets, font, print and navigation. In all she is soothing to the eyes and colourful and beautiful glowing with maturity, wisdom and social responsibility.
e Hindu-The future of Newspapers online
It has gone a step ahead of the rest in reproducing the exact Newspaper online (https://epaper.thehindu.com/) for our friends abroad, may it be NV, Munir, Sarvesh, Niks or Anton unlike other Newspapers for more on India in length and breadth. If you wonder what The Hindu carries, do register for 90 days free trial.
When it comes to cost, A good Filter coffee costs 7-8 bucks and when made at Home it costs 2.50 bucks and My Hindu is value for money and mind for Rs 1/- only. In the end, a Hindu will be a Hindu for his life.(This is for those who think The Hindu is a religious Newspaper, its only in the name)
The Hindu is running for the 129th year as a Newspaper- a phenomenal History and Test of Time and space
Thanks for reading my coffee with The Hindu.
(Readers do let me know which Newspaper you like most and why?)