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Good morning! Our day is half over
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Our days don't begin without a newspaper. But do we ever spare a thought for those who deliver newspapers to us before the crack of dawn?
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BEATING THAT DEADLINE: A newspaper boy speeding on his rounds. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
HOW WE all yearn for those extra few minutes under our warm, snug blankets! After the alarm clock is rudely silenced, sleep, sweet sleep, beckons us once more. And just when you are slipping back to sleep that a voice cries out: "Paper!" "Aaaaaarrgggghh!" you scream silently. You heave yourself out of bed, and then wonder: how early does the day begin for these newspaper boys?
It's 6 a.m. when I make my way to Cox Town Circle. Every morning newspapers are sorted out here, to be delivered in the adjoining areas. "Sir, ask me what you want to quickly... I don't have much time left," snaps Venkatesh, a 19-year-old, as he busily arranges the newspapers he has to deliver that chilly morning. He has to finish his work and rush back home to chaperone his sister to college, he tells me. "I studied at Alphonsus School... but dropped out after my tenth standard." But why? "My father passed away nine years ago, I simply could not afford to continue studies. My mother does run a petty shop, but the income is insufficient."
Venkatesh delivers papers to 120 houses each day, and then heads for work at a leather goods factory in Kacharkanahalli. "Driving is my passion. If I ever get the chance to become a driver, I'll be very happy." He adds that he will study further if the situation at home improves.
Murthy, a 17-year-old newspaper boy, says: "There are five members in my family. Due to financial problems I was forced to quit my studies after my eighth standard." He says he is thankful to God that he has two jobs on hand today. "I work as a mechanic, apart from delivering newspapers in Thomas Town and Cooke Town in the morning." The burden of responsibility sits heavy on young Murthy's shoulders: "I have to get my two sisters married. That's why I skip a meal everyday. There's no other way I can save money. I don't mind delivering papers to another 50 houses if given the opportunity." His ailing parents add to his worries. Murthy has been delivering newspapers for the past four years.
"I want to become a newspaper agent one day!" exclaims Mohammed Zakir, a 12-year-old in the same profession. The sprightly lad studies in fifth standard at a school in Benson Town. Zakir says that he always stands first in his class. "My parents are very encouraging. They tell me to give my 100 percent in whatever I do."
Young Vadivelan too has a similar tale to narrate: "My family moved to Bangalore five years ago. We hail from Vizhupuram in Tamil Nadu. Extreme hardship brought us to the City." Back home, he says, they lived a hand-to-mouth existence. But he is quick to add that things are gradually looking up. "I'm grateful to my newspaper agent for giving me a job," he says. Vadivelan is 13 years old.
But not all tales that newspaper delivery boys tell are as disheartening. Take, for instance, S.M. Adam, who is now an agent. "I became a newspaper agent by sheer hard work... It is my 26th year in this profession." Starting off as a delivery boy at the age of 10, Adam left school on completing his SSLC. "St. Germains School instilled great values in me. I received the Self-Help Prize for my hard work while at school," beams Adam. "Every time a young boy approaches me for a job, I make sure I do not turn him away. I see a part of me in him. I'm merely doing my bit to help these youngsters."
Today, seven boys work for S.M. Adam News Agency in Frazer Town.
In all, there are 64 such newsagents in Frazer Town and Cox Town. And in the Indiranagar, Ulsoor, Benson Town areas, the figure is around 50.
What is it that the agents and delivery boys dread? Obviously, rains. Kishore, an agent in Cantonment area, says: "Come monsoon, the newspapers get soggy. Customers complain that we ought to do something about it, but what can we do?" His brother Shankaran, who assists him, says: "We do our best to provide good service. The rainy season is a difficult one for us as many of our delivery boys fail to come to work. They fall ill, leaving us in a fix."
Saravana, a delivery boy in Shivajinagar, complains: "Sir, it's tough being in this line... We work hard and yet some customers yell at us. They expect us to hand over the newspapers personally to them. Failing which, they complain to our agent. They do not understand that we're strapped for time."
Says Adam: "We have to make allowances. I always tell my boys that the customer is king. We will have to close shop but for them. On the other hand, the customers should realise that an odd paper thrown into a puddle is not deliberate."
ANAND BALAJI
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