Patrice Riemens on Tue, 25 Aug 1998 19:04:39 +0200 (MET DST)


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<nettime> Calcutta for Ever


It has been a pleasure to receive quite a few, all very positive feedback
on my Calcutta piece ('Calcutta, the city at the edge of forever'). 
However that piece was (is) flawed with just a bit too many spelling
mistakes, typos, etc. for confort. I have now cleaned it up, so that
enthusiastic readers wishing an improved copy can obtain it on simple
request (patrice@xs4all.nl)

There was also a funny error of fact, I realised while biking along
Amsterdams famous canalscape: the readers to staff ratio at The Statesman,
the premier Calcutta daily newspaper, is not (an already staggering) 1 to
1000, but an absolutely puzzling 1 to 100. The circulation of the
Statesman is around 155.000 and dwindling (joke's going that every Death
Notice in it doubles as subs cancellation). Staff is over 1600, most of it
menial, with each individual represented by a numbered copper token on an
immense nail-board at the rear entrance. (Quipps the assistant editor:
"when I order a cup of tea, it sets 5 people in movement").  In New Delhi,
where the circulation is barely 25.000, but where The Stats is considered
the paper of record all the same, staff numbers 800! 

Calcutta Zindabad! 


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