Meera Rao

Merry-go-round by Nigel A  JAMES

 A Pressing Reaction

Writing from India, Meera Rao paints us a very vivid and lively picture of Indian newspaper reading; one of the most important and  fascinating aspects of Indian daily life.

And, everyone does it!  Everywhere you look, everyone has a paper in their hands. Life, on the entire sub-continent would be unimaginable without print. And, what’s happening in the Indian newspaper world is exactly the opposite of that which is taking place in Europe.  And the facts are amazing!

Circulation of Indian newspapers grew by an enormous 8,23% in 2011/12, and, quoting the Indian Express, Meera Rao tells us that there are 14,508 newspapers in India, of which, 11,775 are owned by individuals.  And, when it comes to circulation, the figures are just as amazing.

The Times of India leads the pack with a breathtakingly daily print-run of no fewer than 37,46,929 copies; the number of actual readers can only be guessed at!  Unfortunately, Meera Rao doesn’t provide statistics concerning India’s other papers, but, they too, I imagine, must be of a healthy nature. 

This is a very positive report about the fortunes of newspapers, and, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if the Europeans were to take a glance eastwards to see what the Indians are doing right!

Meera Rao’s blog can be found at the following address,-    

http://www.artbymeera.blogspot.com