You will find it wrapped around scrumptious food items, be it jalebis, kulchsas or the hot chanas. Some will simply roll it into the shape of cylinder, aim for the target and whack — an effective tool to get rid of flies. While others will use it to fan off their sweat when the mercury is soaring high and load-shedding is the order of the day.

This is a stack of paper that carries updates from around the world and is at your doorstep every morning. Yes readers, it is the newspaper that we will be talking about today and it is vital that our current generation is reminded of it.

Reading newspapers regularly is a relatively inexpensive and a highly effective means of enriching and educating one’s mind and keeping oneself up to date. From news regarding current affairs to editorials, public opinions, sports, entertainment and weather updates, advertisements and a lot more. There is a colossal reservoir of knowledge and information that one can dive into and utilise to improve their vocabulary and language skills.

Parents and guardians should encourage children to make it their habit. While teachers, on the other hand, should regularly ask children what they have read and what they have understood from it and they could also bring a cutting of the newspaper article that they’ve read and understood, and efforts should be made to make this act a part of the curriculum.

Why read newspapers when we have gadgets?

With recent advancements in technology, most of our lives now revolve around gadgets like television, laptops, tablets and smartphones as they have now replaced the traditional newspapers. Yes, it is true that they offer an effective and quicker means to gain access and information regarding whatever is on your mind.

Reading newspapers regularly is a relatively inexpensive and a highly effective means of enriching and educating one’s mind and keeping oneself up to date

But one cannot deny the plus points that newspapers have over it latest substitutes. For instance, reading skills are developed through newspaper reading without major health concerns as all the latest gadgets emit harmful radiations that can affect the eyes and the brain, leading to irritation, decreased vision and headaches.

A newspaper on the other hand is harmless. Also, while on these devices, one tends to get distracted by other more appealing options, for example, games, social media applications, etc. Reading the newspaper allows you to relax and give ample time to understand and expand our horizons of knowledge.

What to do once you’ve read a newspaper?

Discard it? No. Absolutely not!

Everyone by now knows that paper comes from trees and wasting paper affects our forests. Just like any paper, the newspaper can also be recycled.

Some of the ways can be:

• Keep piling the newspapers once you’re done reading and at the end of the month, the stack can be packed and sent for recycling — which is basically selling it to the ‘raddi paper wala’.

• Any old, fragile items that need to be protected from dust and breakage can be saved using old newspapers.

• Newspapers are excellent for wiping glass surfaces, like windows and tables.

Apart from that, there are hundreds of DIY ideas on internet for making something amazing from the old newspapers. So don’t waste the precious paper, find out countless ways to reuse and recreate innovative things.

Well guess what folks? The article that you’re reading right now has been published in Dawn’s Saturday edition of the children magazine. The copy of the newspaper, in which today’s Young World came folded in, is either lying somewhere or is in someone’s hand. So why don’t you just go grab that too and just read away!

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 30th, 2016