Reading a newspaper is a way of touting your literacy

New newspapers—some backed by governments, others by business moguls and international conglomerates—are springing up from Rwanda to Tajikistan, attracting readers and advertising revenues. In many of these markets, increasing literacy rates dovetail with growing disposable income to create millions of new daily readers.

Reading a newspaper is something to aspire to, believe media executives in India, one of the fastest growing newspaper markets instead of a throwback to a bygone era as it is perceived in much of the West.

"Anyone who can read or write is still looked at with a bit of awe" in many markets in India, says Rajesh Kalra, a veteran journalist who is now chief editor of IndiaTimes, the internet arm of Times Group, which publishes The Times of India. This has a circulation of 3.5 million and claims to be the biggest English-language paper in the world. When people first learn how to read, they want to let people know, Kalra says, and "the first thing you want to do is be seen to be reading a newspaper." Read more in The Independent online.