Wednesday 23 April 2008

सब गंदा है पर धंदा है ये!!!

Call us fools. Dumb-asses. (Some of you do that anyway, but say it once more pls). For one whole year now, we missed a story, that was staring at us right in the face.
It was only a few days ago when we were reading up one of Mayuresh Pawar's 100 % non adulterated article that it finally hit us.
All this while we were under the impression that when Herald owner Raul Fernandes (pic) had applied for a casino licence (the BJP was in power then) the formalities had been carried out either in his name or some other company he had floated.
But we were stumped when Mayuresh's story on April 14 and The Navhind Time story on March 28 read that in fact it was the Raul-owned Herald Publications Pvt Ltd which had applied for a casino licence.
Now this is really shocking.
Say, tomorrow if Herald Publications Pvt Ltd (the company which owns the Herald newspaper) is issued the licence, the company would end up running both a newspaper and a casino simultaenously? (Can you imagine a floating news desk?) You heard of anything more bizzare? But damn... we've had mine owners running newspapers!!! ;)
Anyway there are a couple of points we were trying to make.
We have been a bit late in picking up this lead, so have any readers noticed how Herald has treated casino-related stories? Stories, edits? Anyone knows... do write back your comments.
This paradox brings to our mind an anecdote involving Sunaparant editor Sandesh Prabhudessai and Churchill Alemao at the latter's cabin.
Churchill was... we think the Industries minister then (not very sure about this) and was lobbying hard for casinos. There's one thing about Sandesh and you've got to grant him this. When he starts talking, you can only listen, cause you can't do much else. You are literally spellbound.
So where were we... hmm ok we journos were munching batatawadas ordered from Tato and Churchill was bulldozing his argument. "Casino... will give jobs. Employment zatole re." (the casino lobby had put him on the job already) Around then Sandesh rallied around with an amazing spell of sustained sarcasm.
"Sure, casinos will create all sorts of jobs in Goa. So all the unemployed Goan women would have a great avenue to become prostitutes and hey, all unemployed Goan menfolk can start about pimping them to the rich casino clients." This is a small bit from that conversation which could recollect. But trust us, Churchill could not say much in response. At the end, he just mumbled something to the effect of, "Jobs zatele re... Kidde oloyta re tu!"
Phew... back to the present.
Now that conversation creates a pretty queer pitch for Sandesh in today's clime. Guys, V M Salgaoncar and Bro Pvt Ltd have also applied for a casino licence. These are the big boys who own Sunaparant. Wonder if it would present the same kind of predicament to Sandesh now, as it did when he confronted Churchill on the casino issue. Hope he puts across his anti-casino point-of-view to the dapper Dattaraj, with the same kind of zeal he had confronted Churchill with.
Come to think of it guys, life really does hold you by the collar and place you at these strange crossroads. Look at this now two of the most visible and voluble journos (Sandesh and Herald editor Ashwin Tombat) who are known known to wear the Left ideology on their sleeves, now edit newspapers run by bosses who are hell bent on starting casinos in Goa.
Weird man.. weird... So life's not much different than a roulette then, is it?

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

After some rather dull posts, Penpricks has excelled itself with this one, and has returned to the top of my favourite blogs.

Rotund flanks and shaggy underbelly of the Goan media, indeed! Keep it up, guys and gals!

What we're really waiting is for you to go to town on the TOI when they arrive in Goa. Those chaps have such serious conflicts of interest between their media empire and their other business and political interests that they make the current denizens of the Goan media -- Dempos (Navhind Times), Salgaoncars (Sunaparant), Raul Fernandes (Herald), Goa Doot (BJP/RSS), Pawars (Gomantak) et al. -- appear like true beginners at the game.

And full credit to Sandesh Prabhudesai for some plain speaking. Keep it up, Sandesh!

23 April 2008 at 05:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

shit floats!

23 April 2008 at 05:47  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

by the way what the heck will toi do with so much staff. they are recruiting anybody who says yes.

23 April 2008 at 12:07  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon at 23 April 2008 12:07
TOI is out to devour local English newspapers. Heard the latest on GT(Penpricks's sweetheart) - the top guys are shitting in their pants at GT, stopped bylines of reporters lest they catch TOI' eye and are poached upon. Penpricks, do something, you sweetheart is so........o INSECURE.

23 April 2008 at 14:54  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Penpricks our SWEETHEART is feeling INSECURE. The latest bit of news filtering out from the STRONG CONFINES of GT is that they have stopped by-ines of their reporters. They are worried that reporters may catch TOI's eye. Penpricks, your Sweetheart needs you. Go, offer some solace to those insecure fellas and write some PR piece on them through this post. It's because this is all you can really do and have been doing for a long time now. Treating GT with kid gloves.

23 April 2008 at 15:01  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whether deliberate or otherwise, you have left out the word offshore as in offshore casino.

A riverbank is no seashore even by the wildest stretch of the imagination.

----
Plump Rahul appears to be floating on the clouds. Have you guys been playing with PhotoShop?

Hey Rahul, you might like to reduce lest you get diabetes.

----
How is Sandesh (one of the few guys that is able to provide clarity on matters) expected to bite the hand (management) that feeds him?

Google doesn't pay anyone to write on this blog, does it? (If at all you were implying that he shift his career onto a blog.)

23 April 2008 at 19:39  
Blogger Unknown said...

NT April 23, has carried a front page lead article by Abdul Rauf Beig titled, "Rising number of youth takes (sic!) to emergency pills".
This is a classic case of public relations at work.
Using editorial space to plug emergency contraceptives.
The article will not only create increased awareness of emergency contraceptives but will also help Cipla and other pharma multinats to help generic penetration of their product.
One can't help but notice how the copy reads like an instruction manual of the product.
However if it was published with no vested interest, NT missed on making big bucks (which TOI won't) and inadvertently created the best possible advertising campaign to create awareness and WOM (word-of-mouth)for emergency contraceptives for the pharma giants.

Cajetan Vaz

24 April 2008 at 08:20  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If we ever had a US Presidential Candidate from Goa it would be Sandesh Prabhudessai. Here is the blue eyed boy of Salgaocar's, there he is drumming up support against Plan 2011 at a GBA Margao Rally, somewhere else he is taking on a past the prime Churchill. Nice to know that he still changes his spots to remain in circulation.

Hey Pricks, am willing to sign You Guys as an Agent to get me Raul. He does look deadlier than his dead newspaper. BTW, You mean to say we'll be greeted by Playboy Bunnies in the Office at Fontainhas & that HCN will have a pole dance item & strip tease too...

24 April 2008 at 08:55  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pen Pricks, heard that Sandesh Prabhudesai is ending his four yerars sojourn with Salgaoncar owned Sunparant and heading for greener pastures. Is it true.

26 April 2008 at 00:16  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

raul is suck!!!

18 May 2008 at 05:23  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the HCN suck at all!! he should close HCN first before proceed to his floating news desk!!! oh am sorry penpricks, but i heared that ZHAMIR DENIZ has a share and co owner of HCN according to my source!! that's why he can never gave up ZHAMIR and new VP even they suck the whole show everyday

18 May 2008 at 05:29  

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