MARATHI... PAUL PADATE PUDHE (MARATHI... WE MARCH AHEAD)
We’ve finally managed to cross the bridge… After weeks of trying, we’ve finally crossed over a small makeshift bridge and managed to make a foray into the vernacular. Wish our guerrilla fighter good luck for similar raids in the future.
Unprecedented money and unpredictability of success in the last state assembly elections had resulted in a sizeable section of journos moving about with stuffed pockets. No no… the pockets weren’t stuffed with money… These journos don’t come that cheap, friend. These guys they stuffed their pockets with plastic bags, into which they stuffed the money… once they come across it.
Today, Penpricks offers you stories on three different journos from three different Marathi newspapers.
The first one is a chief reporter working for one of the bigger vernacular papers. This guy rose humble beginnings and was once known as one of the most industrious guys in our fraternity.
Perhaps his only indulgence then was Sudhin Dhavalikar. His proximity to Sudhin was often forgiven for they shared a similar concern for Marathi. This daisy-faced journo, with a moustache that seemed to take forever to grow was also known for his off-beat wit and a weird kind of laughter, which cackled from a fine treble to a hoarse bass. Things changed when he switched from Pudhari to a more cushy publication. Dayanand Narvekar has now crept up next to Dhavalikar in his list of holy cows. The daisy face has gone the way of the fat tulip now.
The other guy is a portly fellow who is still married to a particular language, but is forced to feed off the other literary mistress. Some years back, when the humble Nirmala Sawant was a minister in the Congress government, our journo friend who incidentally is also a poet, managed to dump some of his poems and books onto the education department. A tactic often used by this poet-journo was to call this lady minister as a chief guest to a school and push his poetry reading session into the agenda.
The third guy is very non descript. Having started his career in the Goa Times, he managed to scale his way to a respectable newspaper. And began doing his ‘thing’. This guy is the typical hanger on… Even in this story he has only stood by along with these guys and held his plastic bag wide for the slush to flow in. And these guys are not mofussil correspondents guys… These guys are trophy journos… The big guys… Staff reporters from Panaji.
Here’s why we went on after this trio for the last few paragraphs. Earlier this month, the trio went on a trip to Delhi, which was entirely sponsored by newly elected MLA Gurudas Gawas. The flight tickets, the hotel reservations and dearness allowance (its more like a ‘Come Here My Dear Boy… allowance here hehehe)
Look at your archives guys… Look it up real good and see how much publicity Gurudas Gawas from Pale got in the vernacular media. Check the papers these guys worked in. By now, we are sure you know who these guys are. Gawas sure played his cards right. He fed these chaps just the right kind of feed.
What’s more Senor Jose Phillipe has also promised this trio another out of state trip and he surely isn’t doing this for the love of them. Nor is he doing it for the love of journalism.
Unprecedented money and unpredictability of success in the last state assembly elections had resulted in a sizeable section of journos moving about with stuffed pockets. No no… the pockets weren’t stuffed with money… These journos don’t come that cheap, friend. These guys they stuffed their pockets with plastic bags, into which they stuffed the money… once they come across it.
Today, Penpricks offers you stories on three different journos from three different Marathi newspapers.
The first one is a chief reporter working for one of the bigger vernacular papers. This guy rose humble beginnings and was once known as one of the most industrious guys in our fraternity.
Perhaps his only indulgence then was Sudhin Dhavalikar. His proximity to Sudhin was often forgiven for they shared a similar concern for Marathi. This daisy-faced journo, with a moustache that seemed to take forever to grow was also known for his off-beat wit and a weird kind of laughter, which cackled from a fine treble to a hoarse bass. Things changed when he switched from Pudhari to a more cushy publication. Dayanand Narvekar has now crept up next to Dhavalikar in his list of holy cows. The daisy face has gone the way of the fat tulip now.
The other guy is a portly fellow who is still married to a particular language, but is forced to feed off the other literary mistress. Some years back, when the humble Nirmala Sawant was a minister in the Congress government, our journo friend who incidentally is also a poet, managed to dump some of his poems and books onto the education department. A tactic often used by this poet-journo was to call this lady minister as a chief guest to a school and push his poetry reading session into the agenda.
The third guy is very non descript. Having started his career in the Goa Times, he managed to scale his way to a respectable newspaper. And began doing his ‘thing’. This guy is the typical hanger on… Even in this story he has only stood by along with these guys and held his plastic bag wide for the slush to flow in. And these guys are not mofussil correspondents guys… These guys are trophy journos… The big guys… Staff reporters from Panaji.
Here’s why we went on after this trio for the last few paragraphs. Earlier this month, the trio went on a trip to Delhi, which was entirely sponsored by newly elected MLA Gurudas Gawas. The flight tickets, the hotel reservations and dearness allowance (its more like a ‘Come Here My Dear Boy… allowance here hehehe)
Look at your archives guys… Look it up real good and see how much publicity Gurudas Gawas from Pale got in the vernacular media. Check the papers these guys worked in. By now, we are sure you know who these guys are. Gawas sure played his cards right. He fed these chaps just the right kind of feed.
What’s more Senor Jose Phillipe has also promised this trio another out of state trip and he surely isn’t doing this for the love of them. Nor is he doing it for the love of journalism.
posted by Pen Pricks at
01:05
3 Comments:
u guys simply rock. great going. and to all those who are wondering about your identities... i dont think there is anything fishy about remaining anonymous.... as long as you keep giving us the dope.
Its raining in Goa, man. Junkets and loyalties go hand in hand in Goa. And tis the time to plant pro-Digambar, pro-Parrikar, pro-whatever stories. Sometimes, one wishes that cozying up to piliticians should be incorporated in the Code of Ethics...though shall accept bribe & share 'em with your brethren. Once a BJP Media Manager remarked "for elections, a newspaper pays 150, we pay 300". 5 years later the same fella remarked "expensive times, the rate is 500 by Vishwajeet from Congress while we have raised it to 700". Even printing photos in papers had a price. Long ago, as a Minister a Mormugao MLA actually took off his lungi and enthralled us with his gyrations. Not the full picture though. The point is then they used to dance for the journos, now the journos do the entertainment. Strange Bedfellows, eh?
Anon 1 & 2: thanks for writing back guys
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