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A very interesting article has appeared in our Pakistani press from an Indian columnist Aakar Patel (The News May 10) on the subject where he tells how many dozens daily newspapers are merely in one city Mumbai and how each Daily has 20 to 40 million at an average circulation merely in that city. He says Indian newspapers comprising huge number of sheets hardly cost Indian Rs. 1 to Rs. 2/-. Further he adds that even some families after selling the mother’s collection as “raddi” gets back their monthly newspaper subscription.

I was long ago then resident in a Gulf country. Pakistani newspapers then used to reach there same evening 6 days a week except for one day when there was flight problem. The cost of the Pakistani newspapers there was Rs. 1.50 (in that local current – we Pakistanis Indians there used to call that currency Rupees). The price increased to Rs. 2/- and then to Rs. 2.50. With this first Pakistani newspapers started coming thrice a week and then twice a week.

Once I talked with the Agent an Indian national who was a big businessman. He told me that he was really sorry for increasing sale price but even at that price he was selling at a little loss. I had a little personal relation with him so I frankly commented that every businessman weeps that he was running the business on loss.

To this he told me that their grandfather established an Indian General Stores Shop there sometime in 1940. This shop sold mainly Indian Pakistani pulses, spices, sub-continents kitchen items like “Ishapgol, Kalwanjee, Methray, Dentonik powder, Rooh Afza, Achaar” etc namely all types of sub continent’s things which in the local market otherwise were either not known or available. The advantage of this shop was that Pakistani Indians could come and easily speak their requirement in the Urdu Punjabi language. On Friday holidays this shop got thousands of customers as from far flung areas customers came. Due to this high business the owners business spread and later they spread their wings to other neighboring Gulf countries. The owner/agent that that today they had the biggest business in Dubai and a mega empire in India but their forefathers had advised them not to leave that initial small General Stores in that country originally they came. He said that when their grandfather opened it both Pakistanis and Indian customers patronized them hence it is advise of their elders not to let Pakistani customers ignore just for little profit. As such they still keep all type of Pakistani products and to facilitate Pakistani readers sell newspapers even on a little loss though that loss is recovered elsewhere. In order to control the cost frequency of arrival has been reduced so that it may not become totally unbearable for Paksitanis.

How it was loss, he opened my eyes. He stated that if in one sharing room there live four Indians, three of them buy their own newspapers even they may be on meager salary. Thus each Indian Daily is imported in thousands which off sets the cost enabling to sell at Rs. 1/-. In case of Pakistan, he stated the largest volume coming was Daily Jang (Karachi and Lahore mixed) total 150 pieces. He surprised me that only one copy of Daily The News specially arranged for me was coming. My head went down when he told me that there was four subscribers of daily DAWN namely one a reader who went back to Pakistan. The other three buyers were Pakistan Embassy, Habib Bank and Pakistan Club who have by now discontinued for austerity. What a shame it was hearing that even our Embassy and Bank do not patronize the Pakistani newspapers. He added that in case of Pakistanis, one buys a newspaper, 20 people read it, it goes from one shop to another for 10-20 minutes turn by turn.

During my long stay I observed that the Indians publish their newspapers, school books and magazines on ordinary cheap paper to keep its cost low so maximum possible people could afford buying. In our case we publish on quality paper only to show high quality of printing industry with the result it has become unreachable. I do remember reading that a lady a few years back dropped out of her car at Pak American Book House Karachi and asked the sales man to put some books in her car having big volumes and beautiful bounds covers. Many years back “Shahabnama” I purchased at Rs. 125/-. The last I saw it was at Rs. 750/- which I can not even think of touching.