JOURNALISM OF BANKRUPTCY

ALLAH KE NAAM PE DE DE BABA: Chief minister Digambar Kamat caught by a photographer, just after he violated provisions of the Prevention of Beggars Act by offering alms to Goan journalists at a function organised by photojournalists. It's easy to spot Digambar Kamat here. He is the gentleman seated second from the left. There another way to spot him. Look out for the smuggest bugger in the picture.

November 23, 2030
You are walking by Café Prakash, that snugglish café near Azad maidan, Panaji… The pavement outside the cafetaria is lined by beggars… These guys weren’t here all those year ago.
All of them are uniformly bedraggled, shaggy and by the looks of it, hungry for days… You walk towards them… closer… closer… Bingo… You know all these guys…
The one with the ragged orange beard is Ashley Do Rosario former deputy chief reporter herald and later Deputy news editor Gomantak Times… only now he has a broken tooth and his hair is a bit out of its place… And his beard’s no longer the trimmed French… It’s all over his jaws… A couple of feet away from him is another familiar face Mayuresh Pawar… gone is the flavour of youth from him… Instead of designer glasses, he has on his a broken bit of glass tied to a stick with a brass wire… Instead of the Wills Classic cigarette, he is lighting an end of a half smoked bidi… Near him with his back to the pillar is Ganesh Javdekar… he has aged… but other than that, he hasn’t changed a bit… only he rocks his back a bit more vigorously now… and he shouts loudest for alms. At the doorstep of Café Prakash, you see another familiar face… so emaciated, you can’t recognize him. His mouth shrunk, probably cause he lost his teeth wearing a dirty kurta torn in places… You recognize him only when he begs for alms in Hindi… That’s Bhushan. Looks like Delhi hasn’t done him much good. A bit further on… there’s Glenn from The Navhind Times, who, even after all these years, is still trying to look as young as possible… Looks like his talk, along with his disposition, has degenerated consistently over the years.
Ok guys… you’ve had your laugh…
What’s happening to us guys? Are we really falling for this shit? You guys realise what just happened? This guy… Digambar Kamat just rubbished us in the worst way possible and we let him get away with it? The guys just threw alms at us, while we were hosting him. Is this how shameless we have become?
In company of Ambaji Kamat, perhaps the most brazenly shameless photojournalist of our times, ‘journalists who have fallen upon bad times during their advanced age'?
Penpricks feels that journos in Goa have never been so embarrassed before… Do you guys even realise it? ‘Patrakar Kritadnyata Nidhi’ if you please!!!
Well… the Goa PJ association have really set their foundation well. With the announcement for the first installment of alms from the Digambar Kamat, we are so eagerly waiting for the next donation of used pens and paper pads for the increasingly impoverished tribe of Goan journalists.

A REPORT IN THE NAVHIND TIMES
http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=08209

Aug 20, 2007

CM announces fund for distressed mediapersons
NT Staff Reporter
Panaji, Aug 19 The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat today announced ‘Patrakar Kritadnyata Nidhi’, a fund for the media persons in distress, especially those who fall on bad times during their advanced age. (Hey, we also need a fund for journos who have contracted veneral diseases over the years in the profession. And a condom vending machine at the office of the Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ). So that when the government decides to do us, we can at least request you to wear protection).
Mr Kamat, who earlier launched the Photo Journalists’ Association (Goa), during a special programme, at the Black Box, also stated that the government would chalk out the details for the implementation of the state cultural policy within next fortnight, and one of the thrust areas of the policy would be its media segment. (What are we? The cultural showcase of the state?!?! We are journalists for god sake… What we ought to thrust… is a spear through every government’s, you know where…)
The Chief Minister also inaugurated an exhibition of press photographs clicked by the print media photographers, at the art gallery of Kala Academy. The director of Information and Publicity, Mr Menino Peres was also present as the guest of honour. (Honour? This man?)
Speaking further, Mr Kamat observed that the press photographers were generally inclined towards clicking negative photographs, and some such photographs which are in bad taste as far as the image of the country is concerned, should not be published. “Is publication of such photographs really required and what do they reflect,” he questioned. (Penpricks thinks, that news photography in Goa is as sedate as it can ever get… What negative photographs is this guy talking about? And what is good image for the country? Defection?)
The Chief Minister also stated that the impact of a news report is reduced in the absence of a related photograph.
Mr Kamat later felicitated senior press photographers, Mr Ambaji Kamat, Mr Menino Afonso, Mr Joe D’Souza, Mr C M Estebeiro and Mr Ramesh Sakhalkar, as well as the editor of Sunaprant, Mr Sandesh Prabhudesai. A number of press photographers were also recognised on the occasion. (Ok!!! What’s this? RECOGNISED? Who subbed this copy? Roger… my dear friend… what’s this? What did these guys do? Went about with a torch in the Black box, ‘recognising’ these photographers by shining a torch in their faces?)
Mr Peres, speaking on the occasion said that photography has become an integral part of the daily life, covering all aspects of life from birth to death. He also observed that a number of photographers, besides in print media, have made a name for themselves in specialised areas like industrial photography, wildlife photography and so on.
Mr Peres further informed that the Department of Information and Publicity has a collection of over 1 lakh photographs stored on CDs, in its photo archive. The Department also has at least ten thousand rare photos in its photo bank, he added. (You know what guys… forget 10,000 photographs… Department of Information Goa, has some of the most rare and unique employees in the state government. To begin with… the two bosses Menino and Shivaji Prabhugaonkar… Oh and there’s so many more)
Mr Prabhudesai, in his speech said that the photography technology has vastly improved over last few years. “However, that has made the need for photo journalists more intense,” he added.
The Sunaparant editor suggested that a media faculty should be introduced at the Goa University. The president of the PJA Goa (Ok here goes… shall we call it the Poor Joke Association) Mr Nandesh Kambli, in his welcome address stressed on the problems faced by the media photographers.
Mr Pradeep Naik introduced, while Mr Barnabe Sapeco proposed the vote of thanks.