Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tamil Newspaper in Singapore

My galfriend works at a Tamil newspaper in Singapore - it is called the Tamil Murasu. My parents faithfully subscribe to the Tamil Murasu which reports a mix of news from India, temple ceremonies in all the temples in Singapore as well as news of interest to the Indian diaspora. There are also other features like Indian astrology etc. I sometimes read this newspaper as a way to practice my Tamil and to keep my Tamil reading skills alive. I understand from the reporters in Tamil Murasu that keeping the circulation high in terms of numbers is always a challenge in Singapore. In Singapore the ethnic Indians comprise about only 8% of the total population. A minority group. There are also indians from India who come to Singapore to work. Between Singapore Indians and Indians from India not everyone speaks or reads Tamil. Only those who do and feel that they want to stay abreast of news from India buy the paper. Otherwise much of the local news and international news is available in the website and from the English press. As technology grows and more Tamil websites and content appears on the internet, Tamil Murasu has to find new ways to ensure its relevance.

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