ANNIVERSARY: NST my window to the world

CHEERS to the New Straits Times on your 169th birthday today! The paper has been my morning "cuppa" and kick-starter for the last four decades, and still is.

NST was founded on July 15, 1845, as The Straits Times. On Aug 31, 1974, it was renamed New Straits Times.

I first started reading it when I was nine. I remember having to walk a long way, over 1km, to buy the paper, which then cost 15 cents. It was my routine to buy the newspaper and breakfast of roti prata (which also cost 15 cents) for my parents every Saturday and Sunday.

This was in the mid-1960s, when the Beatle's song I Want To Hold Your Hand was the rage. The Vietnam War was splashed on the paper's front page and the country was the king of the courts in badminton.

Walking home, I would be engrossed reading the headlines and gazing at the pictures, with breakfast in hand. Looking back, I seem to prefer buying the Sunday edition where there was a bonus of the Asia Magazine which gave me more insight into the world at large.

To this day, I "live and breathe" with the newspaper as my faithful morning companion as I reflect my first encounter with the broadsheet that is a storehouse of news and information.

I couldn't agree more that the New Straits Times then, with its broadsheet format, was an authority and established presenter of news in printed media, even when facing challenges from newbies in tabloid size.

There wasn't any "Newspaper-in-education" back then in school, but those who liked to read were like walking dictionaries and storytellers to friends and found it a breeze when asked to write essays by their teachers.

The importance and benefits of newspaper reading are one with the adage says, "Reading maketh a Man". I found myself at the forefront of many things as the newspaper was my window to the world.

It gave me the insight into the day-to-day happenings around us, be they local, regional, national or international.

Recently, the New Straits Times gave us a blast from the past by going broadsheet for its Life&Times section in collaboration with Wonda Premium Coffee. It was vibrantly presented and so much breezier to read.

As I grow older, I begin to understand how important advertising is to the newspaper so that it can stay afloat. My wish is to see more Wonda-like promotions, so that the broadsheet appeal can be preserved.

Many thought that, with the Internet and online reading as the game-changer, the newspaper as a printed media would be a thing of the past. However, it has survived the test of time. The reason for this is the depth of news provided by the newspaper and the ease of providing it at our leisure and comfort.

Happy 169th birthday, and may there be many more happy reading years to come.

Azhari Mahmood, Petaling Jaya, Selangor