On a whim one day, 41-year-old Shehzad Lakadwala subscribed to a Gulf News competitor’s publication.
It didn’t last very long.
The Indian national said: “I switched back within a few days. I couldn’t read it after reading Gulf News.” The reason, he says, is the wide variety of features the newspaper has to offer. It sets it apart from other publications. The Dubai-based IT security manager has been reading Gulf News since 2011. He has made it his routine to return home from work in the evenings and go through the newspaper for interesting, offbeat stories from across the UAE and the world.
Lakadwala said: “Gulf News has some good coverage on health and education-related news. I mainly read the Business section, and then look for features from across the paper. News reports are not my priority because, throughout the day, I can access breaking news on my phone from many different sources. I also visit gulfnews.com for stories during the day.”
At his home, while Lakadwala has a monopoly on the newspaper in the evenings, his 13-year-old son is the first to read Gulf News in the morning, before heading to school.
He said: “My son gained an interest in reading thanks to Wheels magazine. He would wait to read it every Saturday, because he has always loved cars. He enjoyed seeing the pictures as well. Then, as he grew up, he moved on to reading the newspaper. Now, sometimes he reads articles and we have interesting discussions on what is happening around the world.”
For his wife, the priority is Friday magazine’s recipes and Gulf News tabloid!’s selection of lifestyle stories.
Lakadwala said: “She likes reading about cooking and cosmetics, and also enjoys going through Friday magazine, which has a section where nutritionists and doctor share their advice on various problems people face. For me, the newspaper is more of a leisurely evening read. I look forward to reading the newspaper over the weekend, too, as it sometimes has very interesting features.”
