‘Thank you, Gulf News’
As a regular subscriber to this newspaper for over a decade, I was reminiscing about this special bond my wife and even my two grown-up children built around reading a newspaper (“Gulf News digital and print bundle subscription offer is back with gifts worth Dh1,000 for readers”, Gulf News, January 20). Looking to grab hold of a print edition of the newspaper first thing in the morning was a habit and an old routine ingrained in the collective DNA of our household right from childhood and has continued uninterrupted over the years. Our children dubbed it a family tradition they were blissfully born into.
Even the Gulf News agent exuded an air of confidence during his usual end-of-year visit that the subscription renewal with this old customer would be a sure thing with or without special offers. So when he quipped, ‘I knew for a fact you would renew’, leaving me wondering how he had an inkling of our family conversation the other day. My wife and I were wondering what glued us so intricately to these printed pages of inanimate material that we could not let go of.
It is not an exaggeration to say the Gulf News has become so much of an integral and intimate part of our daily existence. Just as there is a space and time set aside for our regular activities that define a typical day, so is for reading the newspaper. It was done with elaborate preparation, with each member knowing their scheduled time for their turn to possess the newspaper for a quick reading in peace, to minimise distractions and maximise the experience.
Many of the Gulf News writers, contributors and editors who serve us a buffet of delectable reading dishes are household names in our small world, although we have never met or spoken to any of them face-to-face. Yet, out of the fully spread pages, like real and distinct personalities, they continue to educate, inform, motivate, strengthen, and expand our understanding of life around us and within us. Over the years, we have developed and nurtured a relationship with Gulf News that is unlike any other. The primary reason is the carefully curated content, delivered in good quality, addressing the needs of the different sections of the population here in the UAE. A range of relevant issues and topics that concern ordinary folks are given ample space and attention. These articles educate and enlighten us; they even encourage, motivate, and bring emotional and spiritual healing, especially those that cover mental well-being and health-related issues. What makes them truly outstanding is that they are well-researched, authenticated by experts in the field and validated by real-life case histories, which we could relate to.
My wife often testified that whenever she was grappling with certain personal challenges and was looking for professional guidance, Gulf News would have published a story related to the same issue, which helped her gain a better insight that would even confirm what she instinctively sensed.
It was heartening to note that the various articles on current affairs covering political, social, environmental, economic and a host of other topics proved to be a treasure trove for my two children, which not only augmented their reading habits but helped them to be up to date with innovative ideas and prepare them well for their extra-curricular activities and competitions. They even created a huge repository of reference articles using cutouts of selected Gulf News articles and filing them methodically, which proved to be a good read for all of us in retrospect.
For all these and more, we are indebted to Gulf News. It is worth the investment and has brought many riches which cannot be quantified or measured in numbers. Thank you, Gulf News and the great team who work behind the scenes to ensure that a print newspaper is delivered to our doorstep every morning.
From Mr Hero Sivan
Dubai
Cricket: Congratulating India’s Women’s U-19 team on World Cup win
Congratulations to India’s under-19 women’s cricket team for winning the inaugural U-19 World Cup (“India clinch inaugural U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title”, Gulf News, January 29), beating England team by seven wickets.
Hats off to the bowlers, who bundled the England team for a paltry score of 69 runs. Though the target was achievable, our top order made heavy weather of the situation. But the middle order ensured no further hiccup to lift the title.
From Mr N. Hariharan
India
Cricket: India beat Engalnd to be crowned champions
Kudos to the Indian Under 19 Cricket Team for bringing the first T20 World Cup beating England hands-down by 7 Wickets(“Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan, Shraddha Kapoor, and more congratulate Women’s U-19 team on World Cup win”, Gulf News, January 30). It was a team effort contributed by all the players combining to bring home the women’s cricket World Cup trophy, which had eluded the seniors three times, including the One Day International (ODI) and T20. It was an excellent performance up to the final, which enabled the Indian women’s team to be crowned with this glory. I hope the Indian team will follow suit in the forthcoming T20 World Cup starting on February 10, and good luck to them.
From Mr Wazi Naseem
Abu Dhabi, UAE
