Reading is injurious to health.

"IS YOUR NEWSPAPER MAKING YOU DUMB?"This may be one of the lines used in The Hindu's advertisement campaign, but each one of us must ask ourselves the same question. With the emergence of facilities like online news, sms alerts, etc the print media, once considered the most prominent source of news, faces tough competition. A few years back the race was between news channels and the print media. Owing to the self-degrading tactics used by news channels to increase the TRP, the print media was never really under any kind of threat.

The scenario is quite different now. There are many factors which must be taken into account.The ease with which a common man can now get news by sms alerts, emails or by simply surfing the net. Thanks to some enthusiasts even social networking has become a major source of providing news. But these are all minor factors. The major factor is the degrading standard of newspapers and tabloids. One may correctly assume that when facing stiff competition the print media might focus on improving its standards in order to maintain its circulation. On the contrary the standard keeps on going downhill.

When I was a kid I had formed a notion that The Hindu is a newspaper for scholars, Hindustan Times is for kids, and The Times of India is for people like me who like some spice along with the news. I won't be exaggerating in saying that TOI was my favourite newspaper. It may sound childish now but the newspaper had some good articles in addition to the celebrity gossip, the usual "masala" news and two pages of cricket columns.
I would like to list out a few noteworthy columns at this point.:-

Mindsport by Mukul Sharma: a treat for anyone who craves for mental stimulation
Erratica by Bachi Karkaria: one column which I religiously followed
Jug-al-bandi by Jug Suraiya: a very witty column
Jugular vein once again by Jug Suraiya
Speaking Tree
Geek-speak
Apart from these, occasional articles by Chetan Bhagat, Shobha De and Shashi Tharoor were also appreciable.

Some of the above columns have been stopped altogether, while some appear only in Sunday Times and that too not on a regular basis. Another factor that jumps to my mind is that World News column now comprises only half a page while the local news of the state occupies 4 pages. Even that half page has news about broken relationships of Hollywood actors, extra-marital affairs of foreign diplomats, or any other scandalous data. The sports column focuses on cricket even more, now that India has won the world cup. TOI was once a newspaper which had bit of masala but now it is a masala paper with just a pinch of news.

Other newspapers like, Telegraph, Deccan Herald, Indian Express, etc are no better than TOI. The only newspaper that stands out is The Hindu. The only drawback is its limited availability especially in small towns, where either you can't get it or you get it 2 days late.
I personally love reading a newspaper early morning, rather than getting news from any other media and I wish that either TOI improves its standard or The Hindu increases its circulation. Because reading TOI these days is injurious to health!

Candle of light.

You are like a candle of light,
A candle which with its glow,
Brightens up my dark night,
Each and every time I feel low.

How I wish that this light
Stays with me day and night,
The candle may flicker out of sight,
But in my heart,it burns bright.

Regret...

Three months of fun,

And lots of laughter,

Classes were great fun,

Exams were a disaster.

The early morning chat,

Laughing at a poor joke,

Are all things of the past,

Lost in a cloud of smoke.

Now I am left all alone,

Lost in this wilderness,

With no one to talk to,

Wandering along in darkness.

How I wish I could go back,

To the life I had before,

And get rid of this boredom,

I don't want this anymore.

Farewell!

It has only been a few months,
But it feels like its been years,
A journey filled with laughter,
Might even end in tears.

No more poor jokes to hear,
No more gossip in the hall,
No one to pull my chair,
No one to catch me when I fall.

I am really going to miss,
Those funny chats in canteen,
I am going to miss the fun,
In scaring a photocopy machine.

I'll cherish the memories,
Of the times we spent together,
It was only for a while,
But I wish it had lasted forever.

There is nothing I can do,
But say my goodbye to you all,
And give you all my wishes,
I wish success for you all.

I hope that as time passes,
It would lessen the pain,
So that I'm in high spirits,
When I meet you all again.

You don't even know me..

There are so many things
Which you don't know.
All that you can see,
Is the careless look I show.

You only see the sarcasm,
And the happy-go-lucky attitude,
What you cannot see is,
The pain that marks my solitude,

You too believe the illusion,
Deceived by the joyful look,
You do not know the sorrow,
That is the story of my book.

You don't know that I am scared,
That I am haunted by my fears,
You cannot see past the facade,
You are unaware of my tears.

You think you can understand me,
You think you are my friend,
But you don't even know the beginning,
Forget about staying till the end.

Happiness

 Happiness is an elusive treasure,
Hidden beneath a sea of tears,
It can be found within minutes,
Or elude you for many years.
Even when it is finally found,
It is not very easy to keep,
And once it is lost again,
You'll never be able to sleep.
Spending your time searching,
For the unattainable treasure,
Foregoing all sense of time,
And enduring pain beyond measure.
What you need to understand is,
That happiness is a state of mind,
It can be found in small things,
Happiness of a different kind...

I miss you..

You made me laugh,
You made me cry,
I cannot forget you,
Even if I try............

Every time I looked ,
At your innocent face,
My heart started singing,
And dancing with grace...

You were so loving,
You were so sweet,
Everyday I pray,
That somehow we meet....

Now that you are gone,
There is a hole in my heart,
I wish we were together,
And not so far apart..........

I want to meet you,
I want to talk to you,
I want to tell you,
That darling 'I miss you'!