It has been over 20 days since N. Parameswaran has held a newspaper in his hands. And, no amount of prodding or cajoling by his family and friends could get him to read the e-paper. Parameswaran lives in a gated community. The Association has decided to ban newspapers, a decision born out of fear that COVID-19 spreads through newspapers.
It has been over 20 days since N. Parameswaran has held a newspaper in his hands. And, no amount of prodding or cajoling by his family and friends could get him to read the e-paper. Parameswaran lives in a gated community. The Association has decided to ban newspapers, a decision born out of fear that COVID-19 spreads through newspapers.
Well ! this is not about the many Parameswarans who yearn to touch and feel the crisp newspaper in their hands. This is about their newspaper agents and paper delivery boys.
Newsagent, V. Karthikeyan, used to distribute more than 1,500 newspapers in Ramanathapuram, Race Course, and parts of Avinashi Road. This was before the imposition of lockdown. Today, the number has come down to 600. As many as 300 newspapers that he was distributing to offices have stopped. From the remaining 900, only 600 houses are willing to receive the newspaper.
“From March 24 we realised the public was gripped by the fear that newspapers are easy carriers of the virus. Large apartment complex security personnel asked our boys not to deliver newspapers. Many living in independent houses also asked us to stop delivering newspapers,” says Karthikeyan.
This was the case with almost 600 newsagents in Coimbatore. They found themselves in a situation where they had stacks of newspapers, but no offices and very few houses to deliver. There was not much change even after the Government and print media houses created awareness about newspapers being safe. Between all this, some still wanted to read the newspaper but could not defy the rules of the community they were living in. Some people in independent houses and smaller flats read the paper from outside and threw them away. The papers were not taken inside the houses.
K. Selvam, a newsagent of R.S. Puram, who has been in the paper delivery business for 33 years, says he has never seen such a difficult situation. He used to deliver 8,000 newspapers every day through a 50-member network of sub-agents and delivery boys. His 18-member extended family was also involved in this work. After the imposition of the lockdown, almost 3,000 newspapers meant for commercial establishments remained undelivered. From the remaining, less than half the number of newspapers is delivered at residences.
Selvam deals with all language publications and also the evening segment papers. That this section of people is in grief is a given. Karthikeyan says: "We are handling newspapers day in and day out. None of our boys has caught the infection. We follow the required precautions and instructions while receiving the stack at the collection points. Our boys wear a mask and gloves and try to deliver the paper without any contact."
Their earning during normal times as it is was meagre. The newsagents get 10 per cent the cost of the paper as commission. So if a newsagent sells a newspaper that costs Rs.5, he gets 50 paise. If he delivers a newspaper worth Rs. 5 to a house or office, he gets Rs. 15 of the total Rs. 150 for a month (30 days). This is not even enough to pay for the fuel, his delivery boy, and wear and tear of the two-wheeler.
Selvam laments that when Rs. 30 is added to the monthly paper bill amount, many people question him. "When you can pay Rs. 10 or 20 to a person who delivers your gas cylinder once a month, you find it difficult to pay us when we come every day to your doorstep to deliver the newspaper".
Many delivery boys have stopped coming to work. Selvam, his wife, his brother, sister-in-law, and others in the family pitch in for the delivery.
Karthikeyan has been lucky to have customers with a generous heart. Even those who have stopped reading the newspaper have asked him to collect the monthly payment. "They know it is a difficult time and it is not my fault that they are not able to receive the paper. I am touched that most of them have asked me to collect the payment. But I am hesitant to accept money without delivering the paper. Today, a customer in the Air Force campus in Redfields paid me Rs. 500, almost 200 more than my monthly amount," he says.
Selvam is not so lucky. He says his customers have only paid till the day they received the newspaper.