WHILE newspapers around the world are facing tough times to attract new and young readers to their print version and are going on-line, Bangladesh has a third option.
Newspapers are pasted on the wall in selected areas all over Dhaka daily, and the public can stand and read it for free.
This is the wall-on-line version that has been around here for at least two decades.
In this way, not only news and appointments and other stuff is circulated, but advertisers also get their moneys worth on people who either do not have the money to buy papres from the stands.
Every day, at least 20 English and Bengali language newspapers are pasted on selected walls around Greater Dhaka, which has a population of 18 million, with 8.5 million in the city centre itself.
The A grade newspapers still have a circulation of 100,000 to 500,000 while the B grade sell around 50,000.
And there are 10 English and at least 50 Bengali newspapers who are still selling strong.
Newspapers published in Bangladesh are written in Bengali or English versions. Most Bangladeshi daily newspapers are usually printed in broadsheets while few daily tabloids exist.
All daily newspapers are morning editions and there are no evening papers in Bangladesh, and only a few offer online versions.
Stories of the day share walls of bustling sidewalks crammed with fruits, clothes, fried stuff, freshly squeezed juices and a host of chai-wallas.
While 'shopping' at the sidewalks and drinking chai on push-carts, people stop and read newspapers on the wall.
And wall circulations can run to the millions everyday.
