IDIOT BOX'ED'

Hi, a small break from the usual. A flipper coming through. Its a small piece on the oft repeated ego-tiffs between TV and print journos... If any of your guys, come across interesting moments, please send them across...

It was a hot and humid day keeping quite in sync with the political developments zipping by.
Apparently, this chap from the newly floated TV news outfit, `Goa News' (the one who goes Balle Balle at the drop of a spat) happened to get on the wrong end of this female print scribe's stick.
These days it doesn't take much for journos to lose their cool. The hot seasons' here. And to add to that, these are poll times and there are a million errands to run. So many stories to pitch. So many hours that some journos spend considering -- hey, will my story get carried, considering the fact that this candidate gave a 10X7 ad yesterday? Will they kill it? Will they carry it? Will they snip off the critical ends? Other journos worry about -- "What's Churchill serving for his press conference? Hope its batata wadas from Tato? Hope Babush holds his PC in the Mandovi? With so many political PCs these days, there are hardly any business PCs. No cocktail dinners!!!
Phew... Even the cool breeze flowing from the Mandovi doesn't help issues.
The action happened at the Returning Officer's headquarters in Taleigao, on the day of scrutiny, May 16 to be precise.
The focus was on King Monserrate who was sweating it out (he isn't used to it), not knowing what fate had in store for him.
Guess everyone was eager to see the suave Monserrate sweating, fuming and worried (normally this guy literally dresses himself in the swankiest of cars).
Unfortunately for our Balle Balle chap from the electronic media, his foot... rather, his fate, got entangled with that of a lady scribe. It so happened that in the middle of the tensed proceedings, which understandably were being followed keenly, and parked himself bang opposite this lady.
One cannot not know these truths of life. He surely didn't know this cardinal rule.
No one messes with lady-bees, lady-ants, lady-journalists.
That was it. When she couldn't take it no more, our journo lady immediately got into the act and sternly told him to park himself is such a way that she could see the events unfold.
Which he did, rather reluctantly!
The proceedings however were dragging and with a battery of lawyers breathing down the neck of the RO, the officer decided it was time for a break.
The proceedings restarted again and the man proved yet again, that only men could be men.
Balle Balle -- who was perhaps unable to stand the earlier snub -- parked his arse in the same disputed slot.
This enraged the journo who once again asked the guy to bugger off.
This time the channelwalla turned around and tried to snarl her down. He also threw in, what he must have thought was a scary stare.
Like we said, there are three truths of life. Never mess with a lady-bee, lady-ants and lady-journos... He had done the latter. Sensing her colleague's predicament another lady scribe came to her rescue and told Balle Balle in no uncertain terms, to piss-off.
The whole incident happened right under the nose of the RO and the media, who perhaps had begun her day by thinking that the toughest thing she had to do that was tackle Monserrate.
The last we heard the lady scribe gave written complaints to the RO, police and some other authorities.
Of course a complaint was also submitted to the toothless GUJ, which immediately issued a press-note to all the media houses. If one passes the road along Shramshakti Bhavan, one can still hear a munching sort of a sound, all the way down from the GUJ's 6th floor office.
They must be still chewing on it.