In order to maintain continuity, I am writing this letter even when I have succumbed to the vagaries of the weather and contracted the dreadful ‘flu. There have been suggestions that our favourite AV and GS may be read on-line. While there is merit in this for people with reading difficulties or while one is away on holidays, that cannot replace the printed hard copies which land on our door mats every Friday or Saturday morning. Also, if most subscribers took to reading the papers on-line, not many will be inclined to subscribe for the hard copies.
If this happens, one wonders how ABPL will generate the revenue to pay for the costs of staff and premises. I, for one, will need to save the hard copies of my favourite columns or my own letters which get published in the “Readers’ Voice” column.
I save this page and have created a folder to contain my 450 plus letters which have been published to date. My desire is to make the magic figure of 500 letters before I finally put my feet up. I had hoped that a memento in the form of a certificate or a trophy from ABPL on my mantle piece would go some way to help reminisce about our long association with ABPL and our own contribution. There is no need even to arrange a get together or an award ceremony. Copies or certificates may be posted to prolific letter writers like Bhupendrabhai, Rudy Otter, myself et al.
Dinesh Sheth
Newbury Park, Ilford
