Many students attempting the civil services examinations are said to owe much of their success to being ardent readers of The Hindu . Therefore, one can well imagine its impact. I hope that the daily is able to encourage youngsters to continue reading especially as they form nearly 65 per cent of the population. I have accompanied The Hindu on its journey, silently and for half its age, and look forward to seeing it reach a circulation figure of 2 million shortly!
P.M. Gopalan,
Mumbai
As an avid reader for the past 60-odd years, I share the honour of being a part of The Hindu through thick and thin. Despite having my own reservations about the Emergency (1975-1977), when the newspaper willingly or otherwise toed the line of establishment, I am still bound to appreciate its resilience.
Kulasai Yaman,
Tuticorin
I have been an ardent reader for the past 50 years, right from school. Every page is presented in a unique way. The ‘Open Page’ in particular is interesting. The Friday supplement too is a delight for art and music aficionados. The newspaper should continue to be a tool for students to improve their language skills.
M. Subbiah,
Chennai
I came to Chennai on August 26, 1989, and was lost. I didn’t know Tamil and was keen to have access to a newspaper that covered the local and national news well. My boss recommended The Hindu . I soon gained confidence in my language skills. Whenever I travel back home in Gujarat, I feel lost without the paper as reading it has become a habit.
Ramesh G. Patel,
Chennai
I am 78, and thanks to my father, have been reading the daily for close to 70 years. In our joint family of four brothers, the paper has been an integral part of the household. Reading it has been a habit for five generations. Whenever time permits, I read sections of the paper to my visually impaired friend over the phone.
S. Kanakasabapathy,
Chennai
I have been a reader of the paper for the past three and a half decades. My primary education was in Tamil medium. I started reading at 12. As I was keen to learn English, my father put me in an English medium school. I didn’t find it difficult to take dictation of the editorial columns in shorthand every day, which made me proficient in higher grade stenography and secure a first class in post-graduation.
N. Anuradha Srinivas,
Coimbatore
Even in this age of digital news, it is amazing that the paper has been able to retain its strong print base. It is one of the few to have a full-fledged Readers’ Editor. Reading the editorials helped strengthen my grasp of the English language in school. My evenings in the U.S. are incomplete unless I have read the online edition.
Varad Seshadri,
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
I remember the time when the paper published letters written by personalities such as
Subramania Bharati. Such was its greatness. I hopes this continues.
S.V. Venugopalan,
Chennai
It is no exaggeration to say that my generation improved its grasp and hold over the English language after reading the paper meticulously. In the 1960s, my father used to make me read aloud and write down the editorials — for a period of eight years. All through my career, this helped me score over my colleagues and competitors in the battle for survival in the executive jungle. In the eyes of my father and his ilk, Wren and Martin’s English Grammar and Composition and The Hindu complemented each other. If news was reported in The Hindu , the dictum was that it “must be true and reliable”.
Bellur S. Dattatri,
Bengaluru
