Even as The Hindu braces up to confront the competitive challenges posed by the entry of Deccan Chronicle into its home turf of Chennai, with The Times of India lurking on the horizon, the 126-year-old newspaper is looking at a Singapore foray.

Talking to this writer after delivering a public lecture on “India’s News Media: Roles and Outlook”, in Singapore recently, Mr N Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu, said his newspaper was in discussions with Tamil Murasu, a daily published by the Singapore Press Holdings Limited, and with the authorities concerned on a possible collaborative venture.

But even if the plans are given the go-ahead, it will not be a full-fledged Singapore edition of The Hindu. In what will be an interesting arrangement, the local Tamil daily will incorporate a few pages of The Hindu for a unique bilingual package. “The tie-up will mean that The Hindu pages will be designed in Chennai and transmitted to Singapore for incorporation into Tamil Murasu,” Mr Ram said. The content will also be from its correspondents.

When probed on this, Dr (Ms) Chitra Rajaram, Editor of Tamil Murasu, said her newspaper first latched on to the bilingual mode in Singapore in 2002 and was now looking forward to The Hindu tie-up for a boost. While awaiting the official nod, there is no further clarity on timelines for the launch. Tamil Murasu has a circulation of around 10,000 in Singapore.

Dilution in Value: Given that The Hindu is among the top ten English language broadsheet newspapers in the world, I would think any Singapore venture with Tamil Murasu will mean a dilution in the value of India’s most respected newspaper.

Also, with the Chennai edition of The Hindu freely available in Singapore in the Little India area for a price of S$1 (Rs 26), it is unlikely that the local version will cut with the Indian expatriate community in the country. Newspapers, after all, sell as much for their local advertising as for the content. Moreover, with all Indian newspapers available on the Web, information is just a click away from a reader perspective.

Competition in Chennai: On the looming competition for The Hindu in Chennai, Mr Ram said the price war unleashed by Deccan Chronicle would intensify once The Times of India launches its edition in the city. He agreed that there was a danger of The Hindu’s circulation taking an initial dip with the rival newspapers being sold at low prices.

The Hindu, a newspaper I had served for more than seven years, has a circulation of more than one million. Mr Ram was, however, optimistic that its rich tradition would help The Hindu weather the storm and emerge stronger. “We are also changing as you will have seen with our redesign launched on April 14. Even in terms of content we are incorporating features that cater to current tastes while ensuring that we remain a serious newspaper,” he said. In today’s world of fickle consumerism that is forcing businesses to evolve measures to contend with churn and stay afloat, The Hindu has been virtually immune to that phenomenon. Mr Ram hoped to keep the newcomers at bay with improved design and coverage.

--G Joslin Vethakumar