My congratulations to The Hindu on recording a 20% growth in circulation this year and consolidating its position as south India’s largest-selling English newspaper (Page 1, “Numbers don’t lie”, November 28). I am running 77 and am unflinchingly habituated to reading this daily — a habit which began since my school days in the 1950s. There is no doubt that its growth will continue to flourish every year as readers can look forward to quality and variety.
R.M. Manoharan,
Chennai
A 20% growth in circulation over six months is a remarkable achievement. I have been a devoted reader for well over 70 years. We were living in a nondescript village, Mannuthy, about 6 km from Thrissur, Kerala, and looked forward to the paperboy “throwing” the paper into our courtyard shouting the words, “Indu paperu”. He would have collected the dak edition of the previous day from Thrissur railway station. Many years later, as an adult, I was in Hong Kong for two years on an Army-sponsored course. I used to collect a copy of the daily from the Indian Consulate. In the early 1980s, I was posted at a Corps HQ in the east. On a routine visit, while crossing the snow-bound Sela Pass, I spent time with a detachment of the Madras Regiment. Over a cup of coffee, I asked a young officer whether he wanted anything from the Corps HQ. His reply: “Please sir, get us a copy of The Hindu .”
There was also a time when I was not receiving my copy in Chandranagar, Palakkad, as the agent couldn’t care less. I complained online to the Editor. The next day, the Regional Manager of the daily’s Kozhikode office assured me that it would be delivered to any grocery shop of my choice. That’s customer care, I think.
C.V. Venugopalan,
Palakkad, Kerala
That there is credible data to show that The Hindu is steadily growing and also expanding is heartening. It is a pleasure for many readers to be a part of this success story.
G.T. Sampathkumarachar,
Mysuru
The daily is widely popular in eastern India as well. Being a Patna-ite and a regular reader, I can vouch for this. The paper is held in high esteem by youngsters, especially students. It is rich in facts, with unbiased editorials, helping them get a good perspective of life around them.
I am a second year English Honours student and have been reading The Hindu for a little over a year, based on the recommendation of my father who has been an avid reader since his college days. It has helped improve my vocabulary, writing skills and fluency in the English language.
Tushar Anand,
Danapur, Bihar
