RESEARCHER and writer Dr Anurag Subramani gave a detailed introduction about the book of the history of The Fiji Times that he is writing during The Fiji Times 150th Anniversary Ball in Suva last night.
Dr Anurag reminisced how he grew up in Suva in the late 1970s and the ’80s where he would eagerly look forward to reading The Fiji Times, especially on Saturdays.
He said holding the paper (The Fiji Times) was like holding freshly baked bread.
“It still felt warm in the hands and the smell of the ink and newsprint was tantalising,” he said.
“The weekdays papers were OK, but the Saturday edition was a thing of beauty, something to behold.”
Dr Anurag also highlighted that a favourite column he would also look forward to was “Flotsam and Jetsam”.
“I loved these colourful, humorous oddities. They were miniatures, a menagerie of scaled-down curiosities.”
Reflecting on his salad days, Dr Anurag said there were three reasons why The Fiji Times had been such an important influence in his life.
He said his memories of his encounter with The Fiji Times were connected with memories of his grandmother.
“Once every three months she would hobble up to our doorstep back from her mysterious travels and stay with us for a month before she’d disappear again.”
