tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42154662696427748732024-02-03T14:28:16.125+05:30Pen PricksDiscover the rotund flanks and the shaggy underbelly of the Goan media. And of course, the rare honest rib.Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.comBlogger416125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-12451094203323726602008-10-29T16:36:00.028+05:302008-11-02T00:43:12.726+05:30LA-ND-TV<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Agar firdaus bar roo-e za</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">meen ast,</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hameen ast-o hame</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">en ast-o </span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">ham</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">e</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">en ast</span></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuQT2qLu2sK6lIcZAxlS1TKtNkIeSqnHz5b0XnXl2Q-e1Qmf89P5VpZrSJCGAVamOsFV1B09WxScJJOXNmfwJUVSWGUcPyKD_5elZFn-lq952DIXKtQPO6YdNHxKxAFEzBZEqdtalJlE/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3rs3ISr0Xouqxe2BQze-rnl_djEWpnq2WbsxGIY8fMfTMxAyTAvrLSOmDVqldUgbeYCOMtbnLOdKC3MKYwxWFRTRFgFU2mT_CgE1nWDpLJs6VGt_oSwU9F1K0ZBXqffy8-4MxjLbsmc/s200/17112007277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263173242923914994" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg436uyVhzY-PEQ6bGceAoEnH2iSs1G90_8zgqwPsUT4gXd-fRtinBOGlc9H8E1NhoTOTN4toJ82bmWHixSLeKi4f8gBZLUY7PSfLy3g4VZhSoxLUdbr9zuJg4hOn6Ox_mCNwA1ePq9X6I/s1600-h/17112007280.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg436uyVhzY-PEQ6bGceAoEnH2iSs1G90_8zgqwPsUT4gXd-fRtinBOGlc9H8E1NhoTOTN4toJ82bmWHixSLeKi4f8gBZLUY7PSfLy3g4VZhSoxLUdbr9zuJg4hOn6Ox_mCNwA1ePq9X6I/s200/17112007280.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263768114295014594" border="0" /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VOeC-F5p7yRXK2Ztk2wkRidPZagF9PFSUJdx2WMvpFjtGHwDiI9uTCrb4nAOWzNbv8twxCKHSa2dWYW9jzHiXR0ND4I6Ejbu-WCLUMiS30HAGVaWFWsJPWlWMFfpDvOUKWDKIYcyZ_M/s1600-h/ndtv+king.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VOeC-F5p7yRXK2Ztk2wkRidPZagF9PFSUJdx2WMvpFjtGHwDiI9uTCrb4nAOWzNbv8twxCKHSa2dWYW9jzHiXR0ND4I6Ejbu-WCLUMiS30HAGVaWFWsJPWlWMFfpDvOUKWDKIYcyZ_M/s200/ndtv+king.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262537685110540546" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The two celebrated progenitors of the biggest and perhaps the most brazen surrogate branding exercise in recent times, are set to be neighbours in casino-heaven too.<br />While the undisputed prince of bitters, Dr Vijay Mallya already owns a bewildering monstrosity in the sands of Sinquerim, the more circumspect man of letters, Dr Prannoy Roy of NDTV is all set to follow suit in the neighboring village of Calangute.<br />There's no disputing the fact that NDTV's Dr Prannoy Roy loves Goa. That he does. The poor doctor loves the place so much, he's ended up buying the 27,000 sq mts plot (approx) at Tivai waddo, Calangute. A plot that includes two massive sand dunes, one of which has already been flattened down under truck loads of mud, local residents claim.<br />Documents obtained under the Right To Information Act (RTI) show that the sea-side plot which has sparked controversy (unreported for obvious reasons) is owned by Dr Prannoy Roy and his wife Ms Radhika Roy. Come to think of it, you don't even need documents to prove it. Dr Roy in response to a questionnaire sent by PP, admits to owning the land. The unedited questionnaire and Dr Roy's response to it, has been published below in verbatim.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" > </span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE BIG FIGHT</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Compared to the bleary eyed, commercially ravaged chunks of Calangute, Tivai waddo appears to have gone off to sleep, when the tourism bus belched by. It continues to be a dozing ward with a spattering of homes belonging to local fishermen and others.<br />Even the narrow road which leads to Dr Roy's plot is just wide enough for one car to pass. The road ends near a house of tattoos which runs by the name Mike's tattoos. </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >This is the point, from where the road to paradise is lost.<br />Red soil dumped night after night using dumper trucks over a period of time, has now become hard-packed and has virtually replaced one large sand dune. The dune which has disappeared from sight, however continues to show on the development plans which can be perused through at the Calangute village panchayat office.<br />This dune, where villagers claims the construction activity was taking place, is at a much lesser distance than the stipulated 200 mts, within which all construction is banned under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms. "Trucks used to come in night after night and dump mud on the already excavated sand dune. The panchayat does not know how it happened? We used to play football here on these two dunes when we were kids," claims Augustino Silveira, who lives a few minutes from the site. Augustino is a member of the Calangute United, which has been protesting against Dr Prannoy Roy's construction.<br />"We raised the issue on July 29, 2007 at the village panchayat meeting. After much delay, the panchayat then ordered an inspection of the site and has temporarily stopped the construction there," say Anthony D'Couza </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >secretary of </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Calangute United.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >D'Souza claims, that Dr Roy had planned a lavish state-of-the-art studio at the site. "They were even constructing a swimming pool on the edge of the sand dune. After we protested the digging stopped. We only wonder for how long," he claimed. Bonnie, another local who has been involved in the protests against the construction, claimed that the owners had no right to either fence in or raise a compound wall around the sand dunes. "Once they raised the wall, stopping the construction work within, would have been impossible," he said, adding that a natural stream carrying rainwater into the sea had also been blocked during the construction.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Documents available with the panchayat show that a building licence for the construction of a beach resort in plot 159/3 had been issued to one Anthony Fonseca, who had started construction. The project was later sold to Dr Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy in 2007.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >When contacted, Dr Roy claimed that he was concerned about environment and that there was 'no question of building on sand dunes'.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >"</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Be assured, if we build anything it will be small, at the furthest point from the sea, totally within the regulations and totally within environmentally friendly norms," claims Dr Roy.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The truth is there for all to see.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">All you need to do is drive to illuminated crossroad at Calangute, where the road ahead leads to the beach and the right heads for Baga. Turn left there and follow the road until a small tar tendril turns sharply towards your right. Follow the road until you see a house with Mike's tattoos etched on it. 159/3 is the plot right next to it.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And then, do write back.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" >WALK THE TALK</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >PP questionnaire</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Dear Dr Roy</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We run a media-critiquing blog that can be accessed at www.penpricks.blogspot.com. Although we largely critique the Goan media, we do post stories which are of national consequence once in a way. In fact your channel featured us when we broke our Nazi-gate story on the blog.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We are now running a story on the beach-side property you purchased at Calangute sometime back. We would be running the story about 48 hours from now. We would appreciate if you respond to our queries before Thursday night.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You were one of the few reasons why we aspired to become journalists.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It is disturbs us to hear that you have planned to construct a studio on the property purchased by you. Most part of the property is actually a sand dune. You must have strolled on it, when you came down to inspect the plot.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Here's the small list of questions, which we would be glad if you could respond to.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1) Have you purchased a beach-side property in Calangute</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">2) What do you propose to construct at the site?</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">3) Do you realise that a major part of the property is a sand dune. And law forbids you to construct on sand dunes</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">4) How do you justify purchase of this huge chunk of land, especially when your channel organised a debate on the issue of commercial over kill of land in Goa.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The anonymous nature of this blog, makes it unable for us bloggers to sign off using our real names.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Expecting your response</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">forever yours</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Pen Pricks</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr Prannoy Roy's response</span> </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Dear P P</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thank you for checking with me. I am afraid the 'facts'/rumours are totally wrong. There is absolutely no studio being planned there. I have no idea where that thought came from. It hasn't crossed our mind.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We are as, if not more concerned about the environment and there is no question of building on the sand dunes. We wouldn't dream of it. I am surprised you should even think of such a project.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Be assured, if we build anything it will be small, at the furthest point from the sea, totally within the regulations and totally within environmentally friendly norms. We are as concerned about Goa's environment as anyone.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thank you once again for at least checking all these spurious rumours with us. I expect that you should not believe and certainly not print such nonsense.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thank you</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Prannoy</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">(received from prannoy@ndtv.com)<br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span><span>P.S. </span>The story took too long coming, thanks to the by-lined prick who took about a month to crawl from his home in Anjuna and haul ass to Calangute </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span>next door</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span>, to figure out the ground reality... PP will try and update a couple of times each week, a week from now. Pray we don't fall asleep again... </span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ></span></span></span></span></div></div>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-7357876547190259132008-10-28T15:59:00.002+05:302008-10-28T16:19:17.255+05:30KUCH IS TARAH TAY KII HAI MANZILEIN HUMNEIN - GIRE, GIR KE UTHE, UTH KAR CHAL PADE<span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Hi guys, we've been away for a while.<br />There've been reasons. We've been fighting a battle of a different sort ourselves.<br />Our utmost concern has been our inability to provide you the one story which we promised. Because we havent been able to keep our word twice on deadlines before this, we wont make any promises this time round. We are just going to go public the story without giving u a deadline. <br />As for the blog, no its not dead, but the guys behind it were in not very good shape. And yes, there have been attempts to hack it. We have a good clue who the bugger is, but we are waiting for him to make a mistake.<br />Thanks for logging on guys and keeping the comments section alive and kicking. Yes, a few swear words did slip through the moderator, we apologise for that.<br />Here's an anagram to engage you guys until our story hits the blog. Chew on it.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:130%;" >TLNAVD</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">And BTW hope you notice guys, we've gone black...<br />regards<br />PP</span></div></div>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-27394769568511594082008-09-29T12:23:00.008+05:302008-09-29T16:31:50.031+05:30NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES: WHEN THE GOA EDITORS GUILD WENT 'PRICK' HUNTING<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gbUzheXQvp-b57g3g1P3rbOSUmtrXrFY-W5gkNkOP5WQUaQStkIzzqZzk0DrzUA53Ab-ajWxyFHCbVAduKJxL1geXaXw2SXEgfnB_9D1g39_CpaD3qokT6ABbDJNuOiFqPmjALjj6dE/s1600-h/geg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gbUzheXQvp-b57g3g1P3rbOSUmtrXrFY-W5gkNkOP5WQUaQStkIzzqZzk0DrzUA53Ab-ajWxyFHCbVAduKJxL1geXaXw2SXEgfnB_9D1g39_CpaD3qokT6ABbDJNuOiFqPmjALjj6dE/s400/geg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251335612990790370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We ran a <a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/07/criminal-action-against-penpricks.html">post sometime back</a> telling you guys, how the Goa Editor's Guild which met on July 11, 2008 at the Goa Marriott Resort, contemplated the extermination of Penpricks. Here's an invite issued by the GEG chairman and <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Navhind Times </span>editor Arun Sinha. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />This scanned hard copy of the invite dispatched to the rest of the editors in Goa (barring the TOI resident editor, who did not attend the meeting, because he was made a last minute inclusion into this 'elite' club).<br />The point we are concerned about, is the second one on the agenda, where Arun Sinha wants the editors in the guild to "'discuss' the 'tirade' against guild members by blog spot Pen Pricks". Sinha wanted to fire at us, using the collective bulk of the guild-member's shoulders to steady his rifle. Read the last para. Sinha wanted have a 'collective decision on the above-mentioned issues'</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Don't ask us how we got hold of the copy. We aren't gonna tell, but one thing's pretty clear guys. Over the last year and half, Penpricks does appear to have rattled these editor buggers a bit. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Our criticism of the media in Goa and the dysfunctional editorial leadership has begin hurting these guys. And we are not apologetic about it.<br />We will continue to hammer these guys down, when they err. Hammer them with a hope, that the next time they are on the verge of making that mistake again, they will remember the beating they got from this blog.<br />Like Arun Sinha... From what we hear, a major grudge he has against the Penpricks, was when we published his <a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-get-goan-editor-into-bed.html">mobile number in his own newspaper</a>, as a contact in one of those <a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-get-goan-editor-into-bed.html">shady massage parlour ads</a>, along with two other editors.<br />How dare they print these ads? And this guy Arun, has the gall to complain to the rest of the editors </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">at the Guild meeting</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">, that people still call him for a massage. Why did your newspaper publish an ad in the first place Arun?<br />Didn't your newspaper have any objection to the fact that the classified ad was peddling 'minor children'. Or is entertainment with<a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=5701&CatID=2"> 'minor children' is the 'done' thing </a>when it comes to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Navhind Times </span>journos?<br />The Goa Editor's Guild as point number three on the agenda states, needs a place to function from. We really have no issues against these annual editorial orgies behind close-doors, but to have the government sponsor a place for it, is not really in the right spirit. How much more are these guys going to beg anyway?<br />We also have a problem with these guys meeting at the Marriot's for these GEG meetings, especially when employees at the Herald publication Pvt Ltd are getting paid after the 20th of every month because the management claims they are short of funds.<br />No no, we understand that the editors did not foot the bill themselves. They must have latched on to some industrialist to foot the Marriot bill. Most of these Goan editor sorts are pretty resourceful that way. That's the only way they can survive, like maggots feasting on journalism's carcass.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">P.S. The big story's still some days away</span><br /></span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-62297637649134472922008-09-28T23:06:00.003+05:302008-09-28T23:50:52.599+05:30CHURCHILL ALEMAO PLANTS A NEW SAPLING<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KEA_ykJ2RRNZyO_PvOCyMjoYID1oJL_6IvDHeQdhAzLSOVtdVUty1pwmwJ-BCUiWcInkPLcvOAsEWSaSV_WwpmOfoxNNaQb_kI5GCHhbdUHoy5MFBeKggqSXJe38u_PGrKADxrVLpas/s1600-h/Valanka-30-7-08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KEA_ykJ2RRNZyO_PvOCyMjoYID1oJL_6IvDHeQdhAzLSOVtdVUty1pwmwJ-BCUiWcInkPLcvOAsEWSaSV_WwpmOfoxNNaQb_kI5GCHhbdUHoy5MFBeKggqSXJe38u_PGrKADxrVLpas/s400/Valanka-30-7-08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251128487645469746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Damn... damn... damn... some of you guys are right, we should have judged the time needed right. The story we promised will take a few days more guys. We've learned out lesson. Next time round, we'll be more punctual. </span><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">But there's something to tell you guys. Ever since we put </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/09/coming-up-soon_19.html">the teaser out</a><span style="font-family: times new roman;">, there's been two attempts to hack the blog's password. We have strong suspicion that it must have been one of those journos from Sujay's harem. But that's alright... but we have a feeling very few of you actually know who we're talking about? Let's see if anyone can get the right answer...<br />In the meantime, we leave you with this filler. Valanka Alemao, the only flower to blossom in the thorny, coarse Alemao scrub. This photo featured in the Herald sometime back. Look at the women around her. Tanned by the sun. Faces which have weathered different seasons. And Valanka with a coconut sapling in her hands. Face bleached beyond belief, in sharp contrast to her earth coloured hands, which hold the stalk, that sprouts from the nut.</span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-11430148659827807312008-09-19T22:43:00.004+05:302008-09-19T23:17:42.548+05:30COMING UP SOON...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQriu6ojNNW35GA711GvNr8Y77IWlHkyVyChzXCxMUq2IWZaOttJqrn8Why18HhAEJmmJqaSTb4G-ydP2FPQV4aKon7pQY4-4wZ7UQUSoCEyx05lqd1aZy4qwc-772oCqg265MLQYPfM/s1600-h/_1944248_jameson_pa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQriu6ojNNW35GA711GvNr8Y77IWlHkyVyChzXCxMUq2IWZaOttJqrn8Why18HhAEJmmJqaSTb4G-ydP2FPQV4aKon7pQY4-4wZ7UQUSoCEyx05lqd1aZy4qwc-772oCqg265MLQYPfM/s400/_1944248_jameson_pa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247787624675582482" border="0"></a><font size="4"><font face="times new roman">Hi guys... The story's almost ready guys... Let's say, we've struck a purple patch... Call these posts, a build up if you like. There will be one more teaser, before we come out with the story about this editor, who's become a symbol for the nouveau breed of journalists-turned-businessmen. Editors like these are a symptom of a wheezing, retching, stifled profession called journalism, which is in desperate need for a nice long honest breath of fresh air.<br />Here's our prayer... Don't fall for these kind of guys, who lead people into believing that their love for feni, is actually their love for Goa.<br />That's a very shallow peg these guys are trying to peddle. </font> </font>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-17505181296918277642008-09-16T20:11:00.014+05:302008-09-16T23:43:07.997+05:30IN SLIGHTER VEIN: THE GOA STATE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN AND A COMPROMISING POSITION<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">fter being the first to bring the Herald sexual harassment iss</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ue to the fore, it's only fair that we inform the read</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ers of this blog, about the decision taken at the </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Goa State Commission for Women vis a vis this case.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">The GSCW </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">has </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">t</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">old the media that a compromise/settlem</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ent has been worked out. That the </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Herald Publications Pvt Ltd general m</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">anager N Manjunath has apologized to the commission in writing and he is willing to take the victim back into employment in the same position she worked in earlier, provided the management agreed. The GSCW chairperson Pramod Salgaonkar has also claimed that she has received a favourable response from the H</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">erald management on that front.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">We are thrilled. We are so damn excited. We told ourselves that we had to ‘tha</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">nk’ all the players </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">involve</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">d in this contro</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >versy individually. This post is an endeavor in that direction.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" > </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" ><br />VOTE OF THANKS</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">N Manjunath: </span>It is thanks to N Manjunath that we finally got to learn that Sexual </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNhDjMoxuXCcPVZgeTR3ONwHEyK0D2kEco0cOWV25Jf7mnVSd7taxd1C_Vqm0xbbziXLKeD0PD_BVi3jrIzinEekfF6R05GMbRSGBKL-yK9Ro0vLm9YeV3HuV7i5D0AyOysFI9hRUuX0/s1600-h/crop+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 85px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNhDjMoxuXCcPVZgeTR3ONwHEyK0D2kEco0cOWV25Jf7mnVSd7taxd1C_Vqm0xbbziXLKeD0PD_BVi3jrIzinEekfF6R05GMbRSGBKL-yK9Ro0vLm9YeV3HuV7i5D0AyOysFI9hRUuX0/s200/crop+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246633625331728130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Har</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">assment At Work Place (SHAWP) actually exists. Damn…. all this while, we thought that like the mythical casting couch in Bollywood, SHAWP never occurred. But Manjunath mixed the script up. The poor chap virtually played martyr as the sexual aggressor, in order to expose this SHAWP evil to the rest of the media fraternity. Why, he has even admitted to doing it on record to the GSCW in the written apology he ha</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">s submitted before them. He also told the Commission th</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">at he considered</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> t</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">he victim his daughter. What!!! Does Manju actually have a daughter? If he does, then Child </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Rights Goa (CRG) should try and interview Manju’s family for a ‘sanity ch</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">eck’.<br />Should not be too difficult because Nishtha Dessai who runs CRG is Herald editor Ashwin Tombat’s wife. We’ll come to that later. So thank you Manju. But man… do make sure you do not shift the next receptionist you hire, back into your cabin. You’ve convinced us that SHAWP does exist, but don’t play martyr again please. One hand in your pockets, the other on the lips... Er... your lips.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcSB2lURPYSnIVDzagOzNa1kT6jbaoLiNAh_9HJ0JWJGwWyLfqSiwt25l7w-xOvLDTU4Nf0iOyXKfZgQZe5BUtJ-zIhBH3yTCHOSPNNqxY0yUzhMSM404nV3EdVdrfac-LWmxN2MFnYw/s1600-h/00001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 102px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcSB2lURPYSnIVDzagOzNa1kT6jbaoLiNAh_9HJ0JWJGwWyLfqSiwt25l7w-xOvLDTU4Nf0iOyXKfZgQZe5BUtJ-zIhBH3yTCHOSPNNqxY0yUzhMSM404nV3EdVdrfac-LWmxN2MFnYw/s200/00001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246634330925619554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Pereira:</span> Being Herald managing director Raul Fernandes’ PA is a tough job. But contrary</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> to popular perception, Michael isn’t Raul right hand, instead he’s the MD left hand, which cleans up every conceivable mess for Raul. Why is Mich</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ael being featured in this Vote of Thanks?<br />Michael shared the scene of crime with the</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> person who was accused of sexual harassment i.e. general manager N </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Manjunath. Michael shared the cabin where the instances of sexual harassment actually occurred. Michael was also the guy who informed the GSCW in capacity as Herald's ‘Operations manage</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">r’ about Manju</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">nath's unavailability, even when Manjunath was in town but was avoiding the GSCW hearing. We thank Michael for his role in 'managing' this scandal. Thank you Michael for not joining your colleague in this sexual harassment saga, especially when it happened in your own shared cabin. But now we know something we always suspected Mikey… naughty you... Boy, you love to watch, don’t you?</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ashwin To</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">mbat: </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZOuTgyvin83_9l1JbwtVUc3gJWyz46RFYraUz0PkxawqOvWNKJSmKgv5i_0JefNe3SkkAOJcMGFLrur_Y8rQMHNv7S8Z90SZ-DIGmwnw8K99i069dwfqkcRTuQhIOVU-lEW6N-ttcKM/s1600-h/ashwin+mug.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 85px; height: 99px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZOuTgyvin83_9l1JbwtVUc3gJWyz46RFYraUz0PkxawqOvWNKJSmKgv5i_0JefNe3SkkAOJcMGFLrur_Y8rQMHNv7S8Z90SZ-DIGmwnw8K99i069dwfqkcRTuQhIOVU-lEW6N-ttcKM/s200/ashwin+mug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246636122111375730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The onc</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">e firebrand editor has metamorphosed into a stale, half smoked parrot </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">chaap beedi, </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">in his new avatar as Herald editor. But then in doing so, Ashwin lived up to the reputation, which Herald's editors have had, since the newspaper's inception. Great going Ashwin, you are r</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">eally filling up a model Herald editor’s boots, pretty much quick. We have a small suggestion though. Ashwin should not rest on his past glory now. After publishing an authoritative book on menstrual cycles, Ash</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">win should also pen down his thoughts on selective amnesia. When the Arun Sinha allegedly molested his minor maid, one of those who made the most amount of hue and cry about it, was Ashwin’s wife Nishtha and now there’s absolute silence! Ashwin should certainly try and unravel the mysteries of selective amnesia in his next book.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Damn… damn… damn… we were completely off the point up there. The victim in this case was not a minor. She was couple of y</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ears above the cut off age, we think. Damn there’s no reason why Nishta or Ashwin should have been even interested in this case, now that the basic facts are clearer. Conviction to a cause, is secondary to nuances of age.</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fnzipCf7btjcHHuAzLc8E_Wf6D96eyMpO7xiSTrRjvy3-n3TvevfT8RdY5436154V_4e6fAd9Nc0SYTYNwUE-kScxcVUslE-H5NwoVRMlvSYZWflIexM65GiItxW9M_cvJAfAnHqWrs/s1600-h/000.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 83px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fnzipCf7btjcHHuAzLc8E_Wf6D96eyMpO7xiSTrRjvy3-n3TvevfT8RdY5436154V_4e6fAd9Nc0SYTYNwUE-kScxcVUslE-H5NwoVRMlvSYZWflIexM65GiItxW9M_cvJAfAnHqWrs/s200/000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246635684396079762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Raul Fernandes:</span> Where would the Herald be, if it weren’t for its owner Raul Fernandes. While answering this one, some would have insisted in saying that the Herald would have been much better paper, better managed, better ethical standards, better leadership, etc… but we certainly don’t think so. You need a guy like Raul to ‘manage’ such controversies. See how he managed this one? Everything’s back to square one. And no one’s hurt… except for some kid who was fondled in the same cabin, which Raul himself used to occupy much earlier. And that kid too has been promised a job back again. That’s great isn’t it? Raul, my man… you are the one for the occasion. In fact so kicked are we about Raul that we want to propose his name for King Momo, this coming Carnival. Raul ought to be made the Goa equivalent of the King of Good Times. Someone tell his mother that…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr Pramod Salgaokar: </span>The unfettered Pramod Salgaokar aptly proved why she is at the helm of affairs at the GSCW for such a long time. Her legendary ability to compromise, came to the fore not a moment too soon, in the Herald SHAWP incident. Wasn’t that a touch of class? In one stroke… the lady dispensed justice in one single god-damned stroke. Here was a girl who complained that she was SHAWP and there was the accused general manager N Manjunath who was consistently avoiding GSCW hearings. And what does Pramod do? She makes him sign an apology. And what is an apology? Admission of guilt! That means Manjunath has admitted before her that he ‘did’ sexually harass the victim in the workplace. And then, she even managed to ensure ‘positive feedback’ from the Herald management vis a vis getting the girl a job back. Damn are we kicked? You guys should open your eyes a bit before you read between the lines. Those of you who think that there was a deal done here, are so, so wrong.<br />What Pramod has done is simplify the process of justice dispensation. Say for example, tomorrow X rapes Y. The legal system would ensure that Y would get justice in a minimum of say, what 3 years. The amount of time you whittle from a judicial process using Pramod’s formula is not at all funny.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Here’s a revised scenario. X rapes Y. Z steps in as a mediator. Z ensures that X apologises for raping Y. And apologise in writing, mind you. Z also makes X promise that he would give Y a monthly stipend and worse comes to worse, marry Y. You don’t need to involve the police or anyone. Compromise. Compromise Pramod… What a mantra you have taught us. Someone ought to tell Indira Jaisingh about this development, she’d come running down to Goa again to conduct a seminar all over again.</span> </span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-13365490285381353852008-09-14T00:28:00.005+05:302008-09-14T23:00:39.583+05:30MEET THE TWO HOGS, WHO SIMPLY LOVE THIS BLOG<span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Hi, don't think you guys know it, but this blog receives an average of 15 comments on a normal day. When we run stories, the number of comments run in multiples of the number. Unfortunately we can reproduce only some of these comments. We have to delete several of these comments, because they contain extremely creative slander and such fantastic claims which we are unable to either verify nor substantiate.<br />But we really intend to thank the guys who send these kind of comments to us. They are our readers too u know. They have every right to write back to us. We owe them a favour because they are a section of our readership, who keep this blog alive. But then we don't like keeping favours. What we've decided to do, is return these favours every now and then, from here on. Its so unfair that these potent glands which juice up such original and more often than not, fictional bullshit, should remain unsung.<br />We take this opportunity to thank one such prolific commentator on our blog, whose comments more often than not we cannot feature our blog because of the vulgar content and wild-goose-chase-leads they are indicative of. Thank you Peter.<br />Oh.... you guys don't know Peter is? He's the guy who 'pans' for psychedelic gold once the rave party season gets going. Peter's comments on the goings on in newspapers (he comments most on folks in Gomantak times... we really do not know why, do you guys know?) are as vulgar as they come. We tried to verify some of his comments, but there's not much you can pan through.<br />But more often than not Peter's comments on Derek, Ashley, Thapa the top-heavy tits of the Gomantak Times are so raunchy, that the writer should actually consider contributing some pages for the re-invented hardcore Mills and Boons series. Raunchiness apart, Peter has this obsession about how Derek's spouse has been illegally running a school. We are mentioning it here, so that we can also put it on record, that we have tried to verify the story, but there doesn't seem to be any truth in it.<br /><br />Here's a latest sample of Peter's chicanery, a comment we received from him....<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "COMING UP SOON...": </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Is NESHWIN ALMEIDA related to DERRICK ALMEIDA?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Looks like a family affair with the Almeida family being part of the Sakal Parivar.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mrs Almeida has a problem with her school and Derrick is blackmailing the education minister on his qualifications. </span><br /><br /></span> Wonder what's Peter's grouse against these hoity-toits in Goa's least selling English language newspaper. But then Peter has also been threatening to spill the beans about some babes called Alpana and Dominica too? Do you guys know them? We've no clue!!! But it does look like our friend Peter has too many beans to spill. He'd better sack them up for the coming winter.<br />Here's the comment he sent to us a while back.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Respected staff of GT,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Let me put it this way….. in GT, guys work for peanuts and wait for the big bosses of Sakaal in pune to give you guys some nuts during festival season. Let’s face it…. Many of you guys claimed that you got other offers but still stuck to the lowest circulated newspaper in Goa. Your scores “last grade”…. That’s where you stand. And when you speak about others…know something….. Talk according to your own grade and standards…. Yes, Preetu was approached by network 18 but she refused and so was ahwa by NDTV… and rumors are that Andrew will be moving with HT…</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Now compare the difference</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Ashley was jobless…. Derrick gave him a job….so he got to lick that a**e. open your eyes my friend…… see the light…poor thapa…he travels all the way from vasco and back…why??? GT is the worlds number one newspaper….how is the rains thapa….use some good rain coat may be you will not catch any cold…hedge that’s a free bug…. Pops up at most of the press conference to see what’s on offer…. Mmmm did I forget someone…. Derrick…god father of himself….. needs to put on more balls and stop riding on Sujoy’s back….Mr. Gupta changed the way how GT worked… now is all down the drain….</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">More to come about….Dominica and Alpana<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">please publish this.... thanks PP </span><br /><br />But don't let us discourage you Peter, but you must try harder. You must keep sending more stuff to us. You never know, one day, you might just come up with an honest comment. And please, please for the sake of love do not write a comment and then respond to it yourself immediately, like you have been doing, so often. Give it some delay. The time counter in the comments section gives away the game away. Wait just wait a while, ok.<br />There's another reader we really wanna talk to you about.<br />Again, we don't know him. But we know this is him. Its this guy called Lionel. Not Rithcie, this is a very bitchy Lionel we are talking about... This guy seems to be the king of megalomania. In the last 3 to 4 months we've got at least 40 to 50 comments from one source which say this time and again, 'Great job Lionel!', 'What a blog Lionel', 'Great going Lionel'... The commentator obviously wants to ensure that the readers feel that this guy, Lionel or whoever he is, runs this blog.<br />This is a very Lionel modus operandi. The guy who's commenting is Lionel himself. We cant say for sure, but Lionel's probably some guy, who's sleepwalked most of his career and now wants to appropriate credit for this anonymously run blog.<br />Poor chap, mid career andropause does this to you. Does any one of you know this Lionel guy? If you know any cure for this kind of an andropause, do give this guy a call. Do that for us will you chaps? <br />There's several more jokers who love to have fun in the way these two do. But we love these two the most, because of the regularity with which these guys do it. We'll run this series on and off... In the meantime keep having fun you two.<br /></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-78737587176187720582008-09-12T17:51:00.002+05:302008-09-12T18:04:34.127+05:30COMING UP SOON...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoklToBW5oycTWemdeREcSX-pk-8YMbS6QVS7xhSKex3V4m5IxyFR2q-8NYtW93J1l4BoOfen9qfyiza8aV3u4QIxtZPpjIRAxjU8PILWu7NM2E-0hyphenhyphen0dbXQylVmdW8o0JdRAvYAB74x0/s1600-h/Question_mark_alternate.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoklToBW5oycTWemdeREcSX-pk-8YMbS6QVS7xhSKex3V4m5IxyFR2q-8NYtW93J1l4BoOfen9qfyiza8aV3u4QIxtZPpjIRAxjU8PILWu7NM2E-0hyphenhyphen0dbXQylVmdW8o0JdRAvYAB74x0/s320/Question_mark_alternate.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245112152651365186" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Hi guy... the <a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/07/of-cold-feet-and-frost-bytes-story-of.html">story we'd promised you </a>about this suave editor is just about ready. A week or two at the most.<br />Its about... hang on will you....<br /></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-84772083034491846652008-09-11T01:56:00.009+05:302008-09-11T11:55:53.272+05:30EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY: HERALD'S FRANCIS RIBIERO ALIAS CHOPPY PUT TO GRAZE IN CANACONA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8dhLBik-fkid29Q6ASdiVxe3Bpkxso22nJx-BWKEDCoei3084IE-Veb5PXUEvVGwcDFdm9PSbdM4daUFu8HKms-TS1iBhyphenhyphenVtcmioZGV-ggTFs9aUEmAH_Vp1289K0cMlQdtHesNZd1E/s1600-h/badass.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8dhLBik-fkid29Q6ASdiVxe3Bpkxso22nJx-BWKEDCoei3084IE-Veb5PXUEvVGwcDFdm9PSbdM4daUFu8HKms-TS1iBhyphenhyphenVtcmioZGV-ggTFs9aUEmAH_Vp1289K0cMlQdtHesNZd1E/s400/badass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244492434649995090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6maYqCq-aPn1XgYF_JH5gOh4fwboAtpdaf43WNWYzanpBc-42tFkT9_6c3dOLO8bpTgqupG4XSt6V4R3S2ZkcIBydPLGjubEhSC_IeCMw6e7ydbbtvznOJmkuVVuA3Y4zYwZSluUycnE/s1600-h/chop.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6maYqCq-aPn1XgYF_JH5gOh4fwboAtpdaf43WNWYzanpBc-42tFkT9_6c3dOLO8bpTgqupG4XSt6V4R3S2ZkcIBydPLGjubEhSC_IeCMw6e7ydbbtvznOJmkuVVuA3Y4zYwZSluUycnE/s400/chop.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244492659323039746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Seems like all hell broke loose while we were away. We really shouldn't be making a habit out of it, but we are so damn sorry we couldn't upload a post for quite a bit. Some claim its job hunting that PP's doing, others have been claiming that we lost our drive, some others have claimed we pricks, have lost our balls. The concern has been simply over whelming. We appreciate that.<br />But seems like a lot has happened since we last pressed 'publish post'. To begin with the Francis Janim Xavier Ribiero alias Choppy has reportedly been put to graze by the <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Herald</span> to the (brace yourself) Canacona bureau. Don't mistake Canacona for Cancun.<br />Canacona is to Herald staffers what Siberia was to out of favour Russians.<br />Ask current deputy news editor Ashley Do Rosario, who had fallen out of favour with the Herald management in his earlier stint here. Ashley is known to have compiled voluminous theses on a couple of fascinating topics during his posting at the Canacona bureau.<br />a) Nuances of bison-mating: Observations from atop a machan near a waterhole<br />b) Cohabiting with bisons: A survival guide on how to graze amongst bison herds<br />We suggest Choppy pick up a copy each from Ashley for free, before Rico publishes these documents into a couple of book and makes him pay for it.<br />We are not one's to rejoice at Choppy's 'transfer' to Canacona. But we are not too displeased with the fact that the Saligaokar wasn't transferred to Belgaum, the way Agnelo Periera and Robin Abreu were. Choppy would have found Belgaum's forever 'moisture in the air' weather tough, especially since he is a chronic asthama patient and is known to carry his pump about.<br />But frankly, it wasn't the asthama pump, which has made Choppy's life easy at the Herald all these years. In fact it was the way he used to 'pump up' Raul fernandes, which really held him in stead.<br />Choppy was one of Raul's best men in the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>set up, besides Joel, Sergio, Savio, Walter, Bir, Manjunath, Pandu, late Tolotin, Jose and whats his name... yes Roque.<br />Come on who else would survive this routine? Work for a week, rest for a month. Then rest for two more months before working for two days. Then a spell of rest again for a month before coming out with a special issue for the Olympics fortnight. Then a broken leg and a two month recuperation window. Phew its been so tiring on the fellow.<br />But looks like Choppy's growling Rottweiller in the office and a cowering Shih Tzu before Raul routine finally, finally appears to have given way.<br />We always thought Choppy was like a cat with nine lives, but then a new dog in the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>manger seems to have upset the equations.<br />Word going around is that <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Navhind Times </span>part-timer-cum-full-timer-cum-secretary Indian Red Cross-cum former secretary Dempo Sports Club-cum-Master of Ceremonies cum (did we mention journalist yet?) is reported to be making the shift to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald</span>. The coin has been flipped, but we do not know which side it has landed yet.<br />The Jovito development has confounded the most seasoned media watchers in Goa. Suave, well networked, dapper he sure is, but Jovito's journalistic credentials have never been the object of envy. But surviving in <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TNT </span>for so many years despite not being in good books of the editor Arun Sinha speaks volumes of either his tenacity as a commendable trait or frequent mouth to mouth resuscitating sessions at the Dempo towers on the quiet.<br />Either ways, the Jovito for Choppy debate is the current rage. Pick your candidate. It's Choppy in the red and Jovito in the blue corner.<br />And they need not even resort to blows, their stares would be good enough.<br /></span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-91958079070626556772008-08-26T19:46:00.009+05:302008-08-26T20:32:10.921+05:30CAUTION, MEN AT WORK - II: STORIES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, FROM DEMPO COLLEGE TO HERALD PUBLICATIONS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwuUPlAVVegUJxxks5uVKOsdVlptRJqDf3KvmnyP6d-PFn0BYG5GDqABGpl_p6zfk2e2CZQyVddoQN2CzRI5ZZotinvg8ijfIFhfCx605WB-qXi-h8g0kdBoR2Ary4QRSWdmiELCAyUE/s1600-h/vaman+naik+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwuUPlAVVegUJxxks5uVKOsdVlptRJqDf3KvmnyP6d-PFn0BYG5GDqABGpl_p6zfk2e2CZQyVddoQN2CzRI5ZZotinvg8ijfIFhfCx605WB-qXi-h8g0kdBoR2Ary4QRSWdmiELCAyUE/s400/vaman+naik+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238836031711042194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">This i</span><span style="font-style: italic;">s</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">the concluding part of Augusto Pinto's piece on the Herald sexual harassment case. We've put up those numbers again guys, at the bottom of the post. Just heard that Herald MD Raul Fernandes is back in Goa. If you guys want to ensure a fair trial, call any of these numbers up and remind these guys about their responsibility.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />PenPricks</span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The Herald Sexual Harassment Case: </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Here Is The Connection In The Form Of A Few</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh48GIWMcgeQK0PP53rNUvRYXaLvDbztW5BeVIUigi2kaCJTwTETLMpW00lanHYfdVklk0mmNXsyPLHepIWOavYJSPIQ0a4qJNHdja7SHntZwQVi_psbYTOLWgdGBhPl2aELvQ_K2dLs/s1600-h/crop+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh48GIWMcgeQK0PP53rNUvRYXaLvDbztW5BeVIUigi2kaCJTwTETLMpW00lanHYfdVklk0mmNXsyPLHepIWOavYJSPIQ0a4qJNHdja7SHntZwQVi_psbYTOLWgdGBhPl2aELvQ_K2dLs/s200/crop+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238840128943480098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> Comments, Predictions And Advice.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1] Like V.R.Naik, Manjunath will avoid appearing before the G.S.C.W. This puts all the burden of facing the tension of appearing </span>before this Commission upon the victim and witnesses on her behalf.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">2] If the victim is lucky, and has at least some deal of support from her colleagues, just as in the V.R.Naik case, the management may just capitulate </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">and agree to setting up a Vishaka Committee. The idea will not be to settle the issue, but to further buy time that way.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">3] The victim in he Herald case should be ever vigilant to ensure that she or those who will testify on her behalf, do not have anything to do with any in-house enquiry committee that may be appointed - again to obfuscate matters.<br />They should make sure that only a properly constituted Vishaka Commiittee does the enquiry. This is all the more imperative as there sems to be prima facie another case against one of the owners of Herald.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />4] The victim has to face the additional tension of dealing with a defamation case. Just as in then V.R.Naik case. This helps to scare away witnesses who do not want to have to deal with law courts. There may also be the possibility for the accused to stall matters which are going on, by claiming that the matters are sub-juidice.<br />This might happen if the case is dealt with by a judge who is not sufficiently well-versed with the matter.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Conclusion: The chances are great that the victim will be exhausted by all the burden she has to face and will settle out of court or even withdraw or worse still apologize.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Regards</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Augusto</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">P.S.: A couple of weeks before the Herald story broke, but almost certainly when the incidents of sexual harassment against the Herald victim had talready aken place, HCN aired a debate about, hold your breath - SEXUAL HARASSMENT - in a program called CROSSFIRE.<br />Pramod Salgaocar was on that programme, but so was - hold your breath - V.R.Naik. No mention was made that V.R. was indicted by the G.S.C.W. or the Dempo College Vishaka Committee.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The staff of Dempo College was incensed about this and went to protest at the Herald office. Nissar Dias was not in the office. We were put on the phone to the producer of the program, a glib talking chap called Junio D'Souza, whose defence was that he had no idea about the background of V.R.Naik!!.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This of course was nonsense, and we then went to Ashwin Tombat, who again tried to protest that he had no idea about what was happening at HCN and that he had no idea about the press note in his paper regarding the program!!</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />PATHETIC<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Ends)<br /><br />Raul Fernandes 9822100188 (Herald MD and owner)<br />Oswald Fernandes 9823013308 (MD Raul's brother)<br />Manjunath 9822130034 (Herald GM)<br />Nissar 9422437029 (Editor HCN, that's where the victim was employed)<br />Michael 9822122304 (MD Raul's PA)<br />Ashwin Tombat 0832-2433373 (Herald Editor, direct line)<br />Ashwin Tombat 9421246332 (Herald Editor, mobile)<br />Herald board numbers 0091-832-2224202,2224460,2228083<br />Sunita 9881099260 (President Goa Union of Journalists)<br />Dr Pramod Salgaonkar 9822123050 (Chairperson, Goa Commission for Women) </span></span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-16560638306138333782008-08-25T21:19:00.016+05:302008-08-26T19:48:30.183+05:30CAUTION, 'MEN AT WORK': STORIES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, FROM DEMPO COLLEGE TO HERALD PUBLICATIONS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUYta-GyO2ichsOGwLV2IFD1s_R3jurqRhq-RM5a_pxKKIYqWZNj08jreeCnB-mhqf2OSAwAZrLMnrH8cezU1B9i1nCvTTryCHMiEFlm55xU35Uv5g5oyw47X5VY3eTCvwbDAgKf-Jq0/s1600-h/vaman+naik.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUYta-GyO2ichsOGwLV2IFD1s_R3jurqRhq-RM5a_pxKKIYqWZNj08jreeCnB-mhqf2OSAwAZrLMnrH8cezU1B9i1nCvTTryCHMiEFlm55xU35Uv5g5oyw47X5VY3eTCvwbDAgKf-Jq0/s200/vaman+naik.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238485773608934130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-FGvxU9ZK5hAnjc6POXnB-1pLDz_CmlVYZSWidqSAAmV1Rov2EaCukvYSQzLseqIiiaXAMnGhRuPR1SrxPhe0etGrSJjRbYcy1D6vzgjuQmWe48_gpiiUGO7-UzEMOhyphenhyphenhRNGTryzkRg/s1600-h/crop+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-FGvxU9ZK5hAnjc6POXnB-1pLDz_CmlVYZSWidqSAAmV1Rov2EaCukvYSQzLseqIiiaXAMnGhRuPR1SrxPhe0etGrSJjRbYcy1D6vzgjuQmWe48_gpiiUGO7-UzEMOhyphenhyphenhRNGTryzkRg/s200/crop+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238485631916663346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hey guys, we've received a well articulated piece on the Herald sexual harassment issue from Mr Augusto Pinto, who has seen a <a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/06/blog-post.html">similar case</a> involving Dempo college principal Dr Vaman Naik from close quarters. We are running his piece in two parts. This is the first one.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Those who wish to comment on this piece will have have to either lend their names to their piece, or better still send us a response from their genuine email IDs, since the writer has stuck his neck out to state his point. Anonymous comments against the writer will not be approved. </span><br /><br />Dears<br />History repeats itself. I wonder if Manjunath is getting lessons from V. R. Naik. To understand what I say, you will have to listen to a story which I have told before, but as it does not seem to register with people, I am ready to repeat it again and again and again<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">XxXxXxXxXxXxX</span></span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE DEMPO COLLEGE SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE</span><br />At the very start of the Dempo College case, V.R.Naik was asked to refrain from his acts of sexually harassing a young married college lecturer, not just by her but by many of her colleagues who could not bear to see what was going on.<br />He would not listen. And on the contrary, in an arrogant display of power, he went and terminated her services, and those of two other colleagues who supported her.<br />After finally gathering courage she agreed to face public scrutiny, [Remember - going public is the worst punishment for the victim in such cases. Society has the nasty habit of casting aspersions on the victim -"She must have done something to encourage him" - they say],<br />An Action Committee of prominent citizens came to her support, led by among others Adv. Avinash Bhosale, and Adv. Meera Merdhekar. They went to the press giving all the details of his foul deeds.<br />The Goa State Commission for Women held an enquiry, and indicted Vaman Naik, saying he was not fit to hold the post of a Principal. Although V.R. Naik responded to the Commission once, he then began to avoid them. Not a single staff member from the college said a word in his favour. The G.S.C.W. submitted a report which severely indicted V.R.Naik, saying he was not fit to hold the post of a Principal of a College. The problem is that the G.S.C.W. although it is a Statutory Body having much moral clout, is one which has only recommendatory authority.<br />The real authority which can prescribe punishment on a sexual harassment offender, the Supreme Court of India has ruled, is the Vishaka Committee. After a considerable amount of pressure was mounted on the management of the College, the Governing Body of Dempo Charities' Trust, to abide by the law of the land, a Vishaka Committee was finally appointed by the Acting Principal of the college, Dr. Deshpande of Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Miramar.<br />This Vishaka Committee again, and in no uncertain terms indicted V. R. Naik. V.R.Naik's fate should have been sealed at this point.<br />But no, the Governing Body of Dempo Charities' Trust which includes such worthies as the former Goa S.S.C.E. Board Chairman P.R. Nadkani, had in the meanwhile appointed a one - man inquiry officer, who in the face of all the evidence provided, without even examining the Accused, let him off without him even testifying and being cross-examined, in a Report, which quoted statements of witnesses who did not even appear before him!! The views of the Presenting Officer, which damned<br />V.R.Naik were not even given a mention.<br />Why did this happen? My guess is that the Management of D.C.T. - read Srinivas Dempo - one of, if not the richest man in Goa, will not tolerate anyone telling him who should be his managers - no matter if they are sexual harassers, no matter if they are rapists.So he allowed this farce.<br />The staff of the college went to the Directorate of Higher Education to question the legalities and proprieties of this in-house enquiry farce. When the D.H.E. questioned the Dempo Charities Trust about the matter, the D.C.T. panicked and threw the ball in the D.H.E.'s court asking their advice as to what was to be done. The D.H.E. after a great deal of persuation to give their opinion, put up a note saying the Vishaka Committee was final. But to delay matters further, they sent the note to the Law Dept. of the Govt. of Goa for approval. It is pending there now, for how many months...<br />In thee meanwhile V.R.Naik gets 50000 rupees a month as salary from the public exchequer. And to add insult to unjury, he has started a defamation case against the lecturers who stood as witnesses for the woman who was sexually harassed.<br />This is a long story. What has it got to do with the Herald and the Manjunath sexual harassment case? <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(Part 2 later)</span><br /></span> </span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-76225392694255655662008-08-25T00:17:00.007+05:302008-08-25T15:20:06.804+05:30NO SEX PLEASE, WE ARE THE HERALD!!!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Here's a small development in the Herald sexual harassment case guys...<br />Sources close to the Goa State Women's Commission claim that the victim</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24jzxBcaxHcR0nNJEL9riPOVwISfsjDHzE8YKocfW9cLvyfWVc5I2IV0a-7kshNWnlzy2NudEXhjcenVwNorxPH_bCZw91rwc4gwkeRdBHhDOWXlDozNmXVfz6u2GHUC7J6wibSJycxo/s1600-h/crop+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24jzxBcaxHcR0nNJEL9riPOVwISfsjDHzE8YKocfW9cLvyfWVc5I2IV0a-7kshNWnlzy2NudEXhjcenVwNorxPH_bCZw91rwc4gwkeRdBHhDOWXlDozNmXVfz6u2GHUC7J6wibSJycxo/s400/crop+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238170540888536178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> has now been sent a Rs 1 crore defamation notice by Manjunath, through his lawyer. </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Guys at the Herald tell us that the management is leaning in Manjunath's favour too... </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">This isn't a fair thing happening guys.<br />The Her</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ald management which operates the premises in which both the victim and the accused were working has to ensure that a fair environment exists for a enquiry. </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />What about the Vishakha committee now? </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYtxIVUjTomGw2pvkBQ5uWCjPeEpgTIMWbIgY954nkyjVgcoILbBfnunvjNHln9e5eGUVyNS_NkM2uV6krUjehItHFEAVZ4kUUtGeSy8wI1i4u5mXztw9whIjzFp5sO8aF4h6d6qWxAo/s1600-h/img_07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYtxIVUjTomGw2pvkBQ5uWCjPeEpgTIMWbIgY954nkyjVgcoILbBfnunvjNHln9e5eGUVyNS_NkM2uV6krUjehItHFEAVZ4kUUtGeSy8wI1i4u5mXztw9whIjzFp5sO8aF4h6d6qWxAo/s200/img_07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238172654638972946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">When is Herald Publications Pvt Ltd going to constitute the committee as laid down by the Supreme Court? </span> (<span style="font-family:times new roman;">As a reader Augusto Pinto raises a point in his comment, how many newspaper have a committee to probe incidents of sexual harassment at workplace? Shouldn't the Editor's Guild deliberate this? Shouldn't GUJ discuss this?)<br />Guys, the numbers we have listed below are the guys who to be told again and again that they must ensure a fair trial.<br />Pls call them... Keep calling them till they either tire of you or constitute the committee and ensure a fair enquiry.<br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It wont cost you much fellas, just a buck if you are in Goa. A bit more if you are abroad. But we are sure that calls like these would ensure that the Herald management is at least aware that people are watching their moves in this case. </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">They need reminding guys...<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We are also leaving behind numbers of those people who can make some sort of a difference in this case. </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You guys could call them too to buck them up. </span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Raul Fernandes 9822100188 (Herald MD and owner)</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><br />Oswald Fernandes 9823013308 (MD Raul's brother)<br />Manjunath 9822130034 (Herald GM)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >Nissar 9422437029 (Editor HCN, that's where the victim was employed)</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><br />Michael 9822122304 (MD Raul's PA) </span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ashwin Tombat 0832-2433373 (Herald Editor, direct line)<br />Ashwin Tombat 9421246332 (Herald Editor, mobile)<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Herald board numbers 0091-832-2224202,2224460,2228083</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunita 9881099260 (President Goa Union of Journalists)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dr Pramod Salgaonkar 9822123050</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(Chairperson, Goa Commission for Women)</span><br /></span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-2859434971884860452008-08-21T01:23:00.005+05:302008-08-21T16:41:45.460+05:30WEEK 2 -- SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT THE HERALD: ACCUSED GM MANJUNATH CONTINUES TO GRIN<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyM5vKKdEYb6ZysdayNRUY5dmnQdLnJpMnQi62lA2PRRrzivqMfaeClvjq5j66mhAQi_VAJ0a446iNm4W-vEE9SQQleZ26q_Zleo6esRxNmCI9YRjl2Ey80-JMVbwePd6o-XOCs7UBUs/s1600-h/crop+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyM5vKKdEYb6ZysdayNRUY5dmnQdLnJpMnQi62lA2PRRrzivqMfaeClvjq5j66mhAQi_VAJ0a446iNm4W-vEE9SQQleZ26q_Zleo6esRxNmCI9YRjl2Ey80-JMVbwePd6o-XOCs7UBUs/s320/crop+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236691580652494018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7jSaPou9pOjfjCL1kw6j_GQyDCGA3tn7D5mUTR809vY0loUmAg02ErjUc1Q9Maz_G1CKGS9Ne8JVNNuqMN1XF8-MHV8l2IJ3PaZ-YJVsRvRQOhraCYGDZVRGqMbcSp_U5Tbd09YEwmU/s1600-h/crop+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7jSaPou9pOjfjCL1kw6j_GQyDCGA3tn7D5mUTR809vY0loUmAg02ErjUc1Q9Maz_G1CKGS9Ne8JVNNuqMN1XF8-MHV8l2IJ3PaZ-YJVsRvRQOhraCYGDZVRGqMbcSp_U5Tbd09YEwmU/s320/crop+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236691820031872418" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Goan local newspap</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ers went to town about the sexual harassment case at Goa Architecture College recently. But just how serious are o</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ur local newspapers in particular about sexual harassment in their own workspace.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >B</span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >arring the </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Gomantak Time</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >s</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" > and the </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Goan Observer</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >, no newspaper has as yet, reported the sexual harassment case registered at the state unit of the National Commission for Women<a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/08/herald-general-manager-manjunath.html">, involving N Manjunath, the general manager of the Herald</a>, one of Goa’s leading English dailies.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The Navhind Times </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">is perhaps returning the favour to the </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Herald </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">(from one institution to another) for the latter’s tepid (and most times almost non existent) coverage of TNT Editor </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=5701&CatID=2">Arun Sinha’s molestation case</a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">. (But one point we</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">’d like to make here. The TNT did report a criminal complaint filed against Herald managing director Raul Fernandes’ brother Oswald vis a vis some property offence, sometime back).</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQtT6NGBTjdqvU3rP-r56FDvSE6QjUv40d5-SYN4JVPwZXZ8VHlYijZ5XyN7tZGC4TiHesWm8299FQ0A_-Wni1okMROKvMI7ZjRJ-2C2Y2TSJKH59GTcNOASIHjgxxQtCTZEzu4jrNHI/s1600-h/nc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQtT6NGBTjdqvU3rP-r56FDvSE6QjUv40d5-SYN4JVPwZXZ8VHlYijZ5XyN7tZGC4TiHesWm8299FQ0A_-Wni1okMROKvMI7ZjRJ-2C2Y2TSJKH59GTcNOASIHjgxxQtCTZEzu4jrNHI/s400/nc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236697830087657554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The Times of India</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">… wonder what happened to it. Too many skirts on the </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Goa Times </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Page 3 may have impeded their grand editorial vision. Those of you guys, who expect ‘fair’ coverage from TOI, would do well to wait for the tourism season to hit before they make their call. For that would be the season of dubious convergence between editorial and advertising interest. Lets see how the paper fares then.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />To be honest, we really haven’t focused much on the vernacular papers, so if any one these guys did report it, we would appreciate if the readers would let us know.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For your information, Manjunath did not attend the first two hearings at the NCW when he was summoned. In the first hearing, he was represented by Michael (remember Raul’s PA? Turns out, he is also Manager Operations. Hmmm fancy title) who informed the Commission that Manjunath was unavailable.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Oh really… Manjunath has been in and around Panjim all this while. His being unavailable is rather strange, unless he’s busy seeking certain passengers for a lift all the way down to Verna, in sporadic fits of unbridled philanthropy.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />His second hearing was scheduled yesterday on Wednesday, which too he did not attend.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">In a letter, which he has submitted to the NCW instead, Manjunath claims that he was planning to file a complaint against the victim for “causing a lot of damage to his reputation and in his personal and public life.”</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Guys can you beat this?</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Are you guys at the </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Herald </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">and HCN going to take this shit lying down? Shame on you fellows! Stop thinking about yourselves as journalists or accountants and so and so forth. Don’t you guys think you have a basic duty to at least question the newspaper management as to what steps they are taking to see that justice is done?<br />Like we mentioned in our last post, we aren’t saying lynch Manjunath, but insist on forming a Vishakha committee and start an impartial enquiry for godsake.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We would really like to know what </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Herald </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Editor Ashwin Tombat would have to say about this? And Nisser Dias… What’s Nisser doing about this? The girl was a part of Nisser’s HCN staff… Are these two guys going to take it lying down?</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">We are also concerned about MD Raul Fernandes’ PA Michael. Guys how can Michael absolve himself off any responsibility? Michael used to share a cabin with Manjunath.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />In which office have you seen a set up like this, fellas?</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">A general manager sharing a cabin with the managing director’s PA cum ‘operations manager’ and a receptionist behind close doors? Have you heard of anything like this before?</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">We believe that Michael too should be questioned by the Commission for facilitating such an arrangement.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Back to the letter, Manjunath also states in his letter that if the woman had ‘any such grievance, then it should have been reported within the organisation and should not have been divulged in open. It should have been sorted out internally’.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">What sort of an argument is this guys?</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Here you have a junior-most employee -- a production executive, who’s the victim, who claims that the general manager of her organization used to pat her face, brush her hair. So whom does she complain to? The accused is her top boss? Does she give him a written complaint at the time when he’s busy trying to caress her, as she alleges?</span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Manjunath, stop reading this blog and spend some time coming up with better excuses next time round. If its Michael you are relying on for this fluff, think again. Ask Joel or someone. He’s good at drumming them up. (BTW talking of fluff have you </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hcnmemories/">seen this small flickr memory</a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">put together by some ex HCN employee, interesting pics) </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sources at the NCW claim that the next hearing could well have to wait till Ganesh Chaturthi… That’s a long way off…<br />We’ve seen government’s fall in a matter of days in Goa. This is just a nobody girl seeking action against what she claims is a case of sexual harassment against the general manager of a leading English opinion making daily N Manjunath, who seems to have the management backing him.</span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />At times a week is long enough for hope to crumble.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">P.S. BTW guys we've mailed the Herald editor on his ID and the general ID for a response on this issue on the way we ran this story, the first time round. We've received no response yet. We have also asked them if we could send them a questionnaire on this issue. No response on that one too. </span><br /></span></div>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-66668414729456298432008-08-16T13:17:00.009+05:302008-08-16T13:36:07.622+05:30UM'RAoJaAN'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nJ0phnSnpy5wfK7sI4V5VQqGwSOrWalNCdaY4wFEoiyAoq7yo2IDqVe-9K_jV4IBt8UScjoGRkWcLgQ1y5oeWT_AU0YYJde7WEk35dC2JUfLkPSAcsWLZlxLCWzTGgDYcwzbnhfND8U/s1600-h/scan0009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nJ0phnSnpy5wfK7sI4V5VQqGwSOrWalNCdaY4wFEoiyAoq7yo2IDqVe-9K_jV4IBt8UScjoGRkWcLgQ1y5oeWT_AU0YYJde7WEk35dC2JUfLkPSAcsWLZlxLCWzTGgDYcwzbnhfND8U/s320/scan0009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235022841982956482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDU0RqHgzz4J1dCYv2maipldJtXt-DOWxyER9j1ZJKwgOQjUspq3onohvqrhH5aQ_vnoYhODFIR-YEzJe8tKpUMS25CpcOn-BLVh19OoSGusWvTv8LYJnHRWWpcq3nlWxZw6dBbDdaYo/s1600-h/scan0008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDU0RqHgzz4J1dCYv2maipldJtXt-DOWxyER9j1ZJKwgOQjUspq3onohvqrhH5aQ_vnoYhODFIR-YEzJe8tKpUMS25CpcOn-BLVh19OoSGusWvTv8LYJnHRWWpcq3nlWxZw6dBbDdaYo/s320/scan0008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235022749479847010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />One fine day in the state of Goaput, a god-fearing<br />courtesan with a mole on her face looked at the mirror only to discover lines on it.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She was aging.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">In hindsight all those years of years of petty pilfering from her clients wallets, really hadn’t amounted to much. Mortgage had eaten into most of it, she told herself. She didn’t even have her own home yet, she rationalised.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She decided it was time to make the most of her clients, which included the who’s who of the city’s elite.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The next day she stopped picking pockets on the sly.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Instead she started reminding them about all about the services she had rendered to them. Night and day. Night and day.<br />She reminded them how she’d never tired. Everytime they visited her, she cribbed to them unceasingly.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">One day all her clients met and decided that they’d had enough of it. They were aware of their purses being pinched all these years, but they did not mind. Now this constant cribbing<br />got to them.<br />They decided to shut her up by pooling together some monies, to buy her silence.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Some of the clients were builders who pooled in money for the cause. Then there was this baker, who blends batter in public, but mixes mortar in private. Then there was a clown, who prefers donning a suit to parades and a diarrhea prone ex-bureaucrat among others.<br />Being a public figure, the ruler of Goaput did not pitch in any money. It would be too obvious he thought. What would the people think, if they came to know of his association with a courtesan? Instead he informed the client brotherhood that he would throw in a few ads soliciting financial aid to the courtesan.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The courtesan was thrilled.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She had money enough to last a while now. So she stopped soliciting other customers for a while. In fact so secure was she, that she even stopped soliciting the Church. i.e. until the Church itself ended up at her door.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" ><br />Note: </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />1) The story hasn't ended yet... it continues to unfold. You guys follow newspapers right?</span><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umrao_Jaan">2) UMRAO JAAN</a><br /></span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-71999364519004593352008-08-09T18:12:00.007+05:302008-08-09T18:41:14.811+05:30HERALD GENERAL MANAGER MANJUNATH ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY HARASSING A WOMAN EMPLOYEE AT WORK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRq8RrB_gNv8NIXCvtUpHhhFRz1DYhrDzx0Hp-xSx8LIk4WcZLogUFMbu-gczuPWf_uwmY-Gux_Y_jNqazJXFsy5OgPb0VHiWoBMsmMyBGAjQZl4dVqJznnxIJReOhEdwz5Ksnl0daug/s1600-h/hero+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRq8RrB_gNv8NIXCvtUpHhhFRz1DYhrDzx0Hp-xSx8LIk4WcZLogUFMbu-gczuPWf_uwmY-Gux_Y_jNqazJXFsy5OgPb0VHiWoBMsmMyBGAjQZl4dVqJznnxIJReOhEdwz5Ksnl0daug/s400/hero+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232501892640059474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Something disturbing has come up guys.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A woman employee at the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald Cable Network </span>(HCN), Panjim has filed a sexual harassment complaint against <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>general manager N Manjunath.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This is not the first instance, when a high-ranking <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>employee has been charged with sexual harassment. We had mentioned a case in an earlier PP post, but had stopped short of taking names because we didn’t have any evidence to substantiate our claims.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This time round, we have seen a copy of the complaint written by the victim, which has been submitted to the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald</span>. The copy has been marked to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>MD Raul Fernandes, HCN Editor Nisser Dias and the National Commission for Women. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We are withholding the name of the complainant, but if any media organisation wishes to pursue the story, a copy of the complaint can be picked up from the NCW office.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The guy who’s grinning in the photograph above is N Manjunath, who’s been accused of sexual harassment at the workplace in the complaint.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Manjunath has been general manager at the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>Publications Pvt Ltd for some years now. That virtually puts him charge of the daily operations of Goa’s second ‘largest circulated English daily’ and the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald Cable Network</span>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Before his latest claim to glory as an alleged sexual aggressor, Manjunath has another claim to fame -- other than several of those, which involve him pandering to managing director Raul Fernandes’ Mohammad bin Tughlaq like whims.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Manjunath, along with MD’s personal assistant Michael were responsible for the elaborate OPERATION COAX AND BULL.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This was the dramatic exercise, which was launched by the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>management to stop the exodus of <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>journos into the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Times of India</span>. The extent of the zeal with which Manjunath carried out this job can be judged from a text message he sent to a former <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>journo, who was Christian by faith.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">While imploring his target not to quit the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald</span>, this is an excerpt from the evangelist-cum-marketing pitch Manjunath made to the journo. 'Dear ……. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>is your paper. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">‘Herald is a newspaper of the Christians, for the Christians, by the Christians’, so why are you quitting it for some other paper?</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Abe Lincoln, roll not in your grave.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Coming back to this case… First of all Penpricks commends the victim for the rare nerve she has shown in bringing this issue out into the open. We hope that at least some of her colleagues will stand by her, in these difficult times.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The victim (we’ll call her X) who has simultaneously submitted her resignation, along with her complaint was employed as a production assistant at HCN since February 2008. After a few months she was suddenly transferred to the reception desk.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Inexplicable… how can a person hired for TV production duties be shifted to the reception? But stranger things have happened in the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald</span>…</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The transfer order was issued in June 2008, by the Human Resource department under orders from Michael Pereira, the complaint states. She was told that the arrangement would exist only for 3 to 4 days, but carried on till day she put in her papers.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But there appears to be a design behind her transfer to the reception, because the reception desk is from where the sexual harassment trail starts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The letter claims that soon after the transfer, the general manager Manjunath allegedly started making passes at her. He would make X leave her desk and sit in his cabin, from where she was made to line up all the calls.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“This led to him coming on to me, whenever Mr Michael was not present in the office. During the last few days I had a very bad feeling since Mr Manjunath started asking if the doors were locked whenever he summoned to his office,” the complaint states.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">X claims that Manjunath then started insisting that he pick her up and drop her home to and from work.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But it was Manjunath alleged recent actions, which proved to be the proverbial last straw. “He started taking advantage of me by touching my face, caressing my hand and head, whenever I focused on something. I told him a couple of times to keep his hands off me and that I do not like being touched, but he persisted,” X claims in her complaint.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Something needs to be done about this guys. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The allegations made by the victim need to be probed. We are not saying ‘lynch Manjunath’ right away. But this issue needs an honest looking-into, because a similar incident involving a senior editorial staffer in the HCN was hushed up by the management.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Raul needs waking up guys… And it’s you guys who can do it. Do not rely on <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>staffers to do it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Perhaps if the earlier sexual harassment instance had been adequately handled by the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>management or even the journo community at large, a repeat could have been avoided.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Please call up Raul on this phone number and tell him to initiate an impartial enquiry into the incident. Please call him even if you don’t know him. Let him know that such incidents should not be hushed up.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">There are times when Raul acts like a deaf bull in a hearing-aid store.<br />So guys please call him. Keep calling </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">him </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">whether you are in Goa or not... until he initiates and takes this complaint to its logical conclusion.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">There are a few more numbers we are leaving behind here.<br />You guys could also call up <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Herald </span>Editor Ashwin Tombat on his direct line and ask him to ensure a fair and impartial enquiry into the affair. Or you could call up the National Commission for Women and ask them to take the case seriously.<br />If any of you guys have Dr Pramod Salgaokar’s mobile number, we would appreciate if you could pass it on to us, so that we could pin it up on the blog.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Raul Fernandes</span>, Herald managing director -- 9822100188</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ashwin Tombat</span>, Editor Herald -- 0832-2433373 (direct line)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr Pramod Salgaonkar </span>state president National Commission for women -- 0832-2421080(O) 0832-2257736(R)</span></span><br /><br /></span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-52136155487672190612008-08-09T00:48:00.008+05:302008-08-09T13:14:40.088+05:30COMING UP SOON... SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT THE HERALD<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKcqK7ANpx16NjLAwCGfcWcm-m9RMQYH1wz1qMaGAaXj-EkemOXJhvDA2kIuaOMCNOr5AFl7SBYlTy2sKSPP9k-txHQWJ-cuogrmg3c7cfXJBJDBrXvZ5XuVqyOV9UHlGVMgmtZR95Lo/s1600-h/hero+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKcqK7ANpx16NjLAwCGfcWcm-m9RMQYH1wz1qMaGAaXj-EkemOXJhvDA2kIuaOMCNOr5AFl7SBYlTy2sKSPP9k-txHQWJ-cuogrmg3c7cfXJBJDBrXvZ5XuVqyOV9UHlGVMgmtZR95Lo/s400/hero+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232420487094716690" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">OH... BY THE WAY GUYS... DO YOU KNOW THIS GRINNING GRINGO?</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RbiPbQTar_Y/SJydwB-SXjI/AAAAAAAAAo0/621Cj4Ei6Bs/s1600-h/0000.jpg"><br /></a>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-7107689467796713392008-07-22T10:19:00.009+05:302008-07-23T19:03:40.359+05:30देखना है ज़ोर कितना बाजु-ऐ-कातिल में है... CRIMINAL ACTION AGAINST PENPRICKS? EXCHANGES ON GOA JOURNO<span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>THE GOA EDITORS GUIL'T'</strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A bunch of farts, locally known as the Goa Editor's Guild, a body of editors representing Goan newspapers with a combined daily circulation of about a lakh and more, sat down for dinner, drinks at the Panjim Marriot and also </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">to discuss ways to shut down <a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/">http://penpricks.blogspot.com/</a>. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Looks like Nazi-Gate has really, really hurt these fellas. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Penpricks is incidentally read by say about only 500 readers everyday (this, on days when there's no </span><a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/07/nazi-gate-guys-its-time-we-killed.html"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">piano-carrying Johann Bach</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">, or a </span><a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/09/big-one-cash-for-editorials.html"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">cash-for-editorials scam </span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">or a post about </span><a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-get-goan-editor-into-bed.html"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">editors offering massage services </span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">or one of our </span><a href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/12/whatever-it-fakes-so-mr-rajdeep-where.html"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">penpricks investigative story </span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">on blog). </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">One of the means put forth (and later discussed) by <em><strong>The Navhind Times </strong></em>Editor Arun Sinha was to file a complaint with the DGP Goa Police against penpricks so that 'the tirade against the journalist community is halted' [sic])</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">We think they should do it. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">We really think they should. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Look, the reasonings simple. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">In 2005, the same <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=5701&CatID=2">Arun Sinha was booked for allegedly molesting his minor maid </a>who he had 'brought' over from his native village in Bihar. After a complaint was lodged, Arun Sinha went underground for a while and the maid 'went' back to Bihar. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Then suddenly these anonymous letters found their way to the mailboxes of several journos. The sleazy anonymous mails claimed how activists -- who had to fight the system and the might of the Dempo's to file the molestation complaint, were imoptent. The series of mails described the women journalists who reported the incident as 'sexually frustrated' and had a lot of lurid details slipped in. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Three years down the line, the criminal case continues. By the looks of it, the case will continue for some time. And Arun Sinha continues to be the editor of <strong><em>The Navhind Times</em></strong>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Dont see much of a harm there.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">But Sinha sahab, first of all, we are not going to go run away from law. And Arun, we wont go into hiding like you did while on the dodge, once the molestation FIR was filed against you. FYI we are also not going to indulge in the sleazy mail routine too. Rest assured. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Go ahead file your complaint. If the Goa Police needs us to, then the pricks will come out of the closet (corny as that may sound). We'll identify ourselves. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Go ahead Arun... </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Just do it man...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><em>P.S. And dear editors, we need a small clarification. I know this is a trifle irritating, but thats a part of our brief. Who footed the liqour bill for this Goa Editor's Guild meeting at the Marriot? Did the Department of Information and Publicity pay up? Did the exchequer pay for your booze bills? Since the DI Director Nikhil Desai was present, we are inclined to believe that. It would be great if you guys could clarify this. </em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><strong>(Excerpts from the notoriously yellow weekly <em>Goan Observer </em>posted on the goa journo mailing list)</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>AGITATION, IRRITATION<br /></strong>AND a few stray observations on the agitation and irritation and fury and rage of The Navhind Times editor, Arun Sinha, with the anonymous journalists who run the blog called Penpricks. Indeed, the principal item on the agenda for the meeting of the Editors' Guild convened by Arun Sinha last Friday was the Penpricks blog. Not just Arun Sinha, but editors of all newspapers in Goa are sore about being taken for a ride by Penpricks.<br />The blog, which is run by a group of disgruntled journalists, most of whom being former employees of Herald, issued a fabricated press note claiming that a notorious Nazi war criminal had taken sanctuary in Goa, who had then been arrested just across the Goa border in Karnataka.<br />The blog claimed that the Nazi had exposed his cover when he had sought to sell an expensive organ to some private party. The scam was planned meticulously with a neo-Nazi type symbol morphed into the letterhead, claimed to be issued by some German organization.<br />None of the local papers, or for that matter many of the national papers, bothered to check out the story with either the German embassy or the Karnataka and Goa Police, and carried it, some of them very prominently.<br />The editors were left red-faced when the blog Penpricks revealed that the whole story was a scam which it had fabricated to expose the incompetence of editors and senior editorial staff. The Nazi scam came on top of a succession of exposes; many of which were close to the truth over the working of the media in Goa.<br />In the past, the Penpricks blog had conducted a sting operation exposing how the former editor of the Herald, Robin Abreu, had expressed his willingness to sell not just editorial space but the Holy of Holies, the editorial itself to an advertiser. It also had partly established that the former editor of Herald, Robin Abreu, was in the habit of plagarizing from editorials from other newspapers.<br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>RAJAN DEAD<br /></strong>Penpricks has been quite unfairly fair or fairly unfair in targetting all editors and publications though, relatively speaking.<br />The Navhind Times and Herald have been its principal targets. The Goan Observer has, of course, been one of the favourite whipping boys of Penpricks. To the extent of not only accusing me of being a yellow journalist but even declaring me dead. IN fact, some who saw only the heading declaring me dead and did not read further, really thought I was dead or at least seriously ill. I received several calls from close friends and several friends kept calling each other to find out if I was seriously ill and had been admitted to hospital.<br />Arun Sinha raved and ranted and was insistent that the Editors' Guild should file a criminal complaint against the Penpricks blog to the Director General of Police. I was present there entirely by accident, or maybe because Arun Sinha thought that as a victim of Penpricks I would endorse his campaign of vendetta against them.<br />I have nothing against the comments that the Penpricks blog makes, including the comments they keep making about me. I think they are revealing, sometimes a little irritating and very often hilarious. I must admit that they have tended to be very personal and malicious at times.<br />But unlike Arun Sinha, I have no objection whatsoever to media blogs that are critical of people in the media. But I do believe that those who wish to criticize others should have the courage to identify themselves. I believe that the cloak of anonymity with which they surround themselves is despicable. Those who run the Penpricks are behaving like whores -- a community who it has been famously said exercise power without responsibility. I fault the Penpricks for their cowardice and not for their comments, which in any case I treat with contempt.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>(Comments on Goa journo)</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">>OF COLD FEET AND FROST BYTES: THE STORY OF THE GT INTERVIEW THAT WASN'T<br />>PUBLISHED<br />With the Editor's guild going after penpricks, it is just a matter of time before penpricks will be nailed.<br />Penprick's IP address can be easily revelead by the ISP. If authorities subponea the ISP, they are bound to reveal penprick's ISP.<br />The only way out for penpricks is to use a proxy to do whatever he does, and that too he should use a proxy which is hosted and belongs to a company which is in a country where the privacy laws are much stronger than in India.<br />regards,<br />Samir<br /><strong>(samir_kelekar@yahoo.com)<br /></strong>--<br />Samirbab,<br />Are you talking about Editors' Guidl at national level? Is there any registered body clled Goa editors' Guild? will anybody let us know?-<br />prakash<br /><strong>(prakashkamatgoa@gmail.com)<br /></strong></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">--<br />Dears,<br />Anonymity of the Newsdesk, Bureau or Wire Services is something journos use as a cover up their tracks from non-Journos. Penpricks is something that is getting back at the Journos and Editors with their own anonymity..... and they like it not!<br />The Nazi joke of Johann Bach revealed to what extent newspaper Editors [not just in Goa] are willing to do "Additions" to their "Editions" by way of "Sources" in the police, embassy or on the ground ...and how little they know about music, anagrams and honesty!<br />I have written to newspapers to expose the blatant lies they pass off as news in their pages, sometimes with malicious intent, sometimes out of ignorance ....... but often with lack of integrity. A case in point is a simple thing as the ACTUAL DATE on which Scarlet Keelings SECOND autopsy was done ....or since when the FERNANDINA mangoes are supposed to be EXTINCT. There have been no apologies or Corrigendum published to date that I know of ... and no acknowledgement of my emails, bearing my name, phone number and from my personal email ID.<br />So what are the newspaper Editors really worried about: the TRUTH that they have been shown to be supporting LIES being published as NEWS in their editions?<br />While I do not subscribe to anonymity, I cannot but salute Penpricks on their exposure!!<br />Mog asundi.<br />Miguel<br /><strong>(miguelbraganza@yahoo.co.in)<br /></strong>--<br />Can someone post this on goajourno also.<br />The point is what are the privacy laws in India. Today, ISPs routinely give IP addresses of people when police ask for them. I am not sure even if police follow any rules in what IP addresses to ask. Perhaps, an FIR is good enough.<br />Although I agree with Miguel about the good work of exposing media done by penpricks, the point is whether he has been violating any laws or not.<br />regards,<br />Samir<br /><strong>(samir_kelekar@yahoo.com)</strong></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-11727158680189822292008-07-19T15:03:00.008+05:302008-07-19T15:36:24.594+05:30OF COLD FEET AND FROST BYTES: THE STORY OF THE GT INTERVIEW THAT WASN'T PUBLISHED<span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><em>Hi guys... the silence of the Goan media on Nazi-gate really does not shock us. These guys have always behaved like ostriches, who are only keen on hiding both, their eggs and their balls (for those who have an issue with the word 'balls', you could interpret it as a set of dummy eggs). So we were pleasantly surprised when <strong>GT</strong> features contacted us for an email interview. This was way back on July 4, when <strong>GT </strong>correspondent Arti Das wrote to us...</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">Hi Mr Penpricks (I got to know your gender through Orkut! J),<br />First of all, let me introduce myself to you. I am Arti Das, a reporter with Gomantak Times.<br />I'm writing regarding the latest sting that is making waves -- wherein you took the media fraternity for a merry ride by creating aheadline-grabbing fake news item about the arrest of an 88-year-old Johann Bach an absconding high-ranking Waffen SS (Schutzstaffel)colonel in the Germany's former Nazi party in the Khanapur jungle of Karnataka.<br />There are some questions, which have cropped up in all our minds and I would like to ask you some questions in connection with the same. Hoping that you will be kind enough to answer my queries, which are as follows:<br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><em>She sent us a set of 14 questions, which we responded to on July 6. When there was no sign of the interview till July 14, we asked her whether Gomantak Times was carrying the interview at all... On July 15 GT wrote back to us saying they would publish the interview ASAP and sent us two additional questions (the ones right at the bottom). On July 18 we got Arti again on the chat. This is the conversation that transpired...</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>ma'am sorry to badger you like this, but any sign of the interview date? </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>not yet</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:28 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>then ma'am i suggest you drop it </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>why?????????????? </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>no issues two weeks after an event makes for no news </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>hmm ok will c </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>and I will run it on the blog</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:29 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>when? </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>tomorrow maybe</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:30 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>wait i will let u know dont put it on blog </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>gimme a time then </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>i cant tell u until my editor tells me when to take</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:31 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>ok cool </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>c i am just a reporter </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>sure then its my request pls withdraw it i am running it on the blog tks </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>why u want to put it on the blog?</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:32 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>cause its taking too long doesnt make sense </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>ok will ask my editor</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:33 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>sure unless i get something concrete I am posting it on d blog tomorrow ma'am thanks again </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>ok</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:34 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>see ya </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>please wait 4 my confirmation please, before putting it me: will wait till tomorow morn</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">2:35 PM </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>ok will let u know by today eveningh </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>sure </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>ok then </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>me: </strong>bye </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><strong>arati05: </strong>bye</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>Now we have absolutely no idea, what has gone wrong... Suddenly GT appears to have developed cold feet... We have no cure for that. But we have this interview which you guys could read up. We waited as promised till the morning of July 19 and there has been no response from </em>GT <em>yet. Why no one knows. If you guys bump into someone from </em>GT<em>, pls do ask em...</em></span></span> </span></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1) What was the purpose behind a fake story of this sort?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1) Fake story? We only followed the 'to catch a thief, set a thief' principle. Very often the media (region, medium, language, irrespective) converts gossip, slag, unconfirmed and unverified reports into gospel. We wanted to bring this to the fore. And what better way to do it, than by paying them back in the language they understand best. The purpose of this story was to establish it as a fact that a large section of the media in Goa and India does not bother verify news that is packaged in an attractive, neatly written manner. There are no fact-checking mechanisms in place. Neither in newsrooms in Goa, nor in most media houses across the country.<br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>2) Why did you think of this particular topic? Is it because it is a rather vague topic and most of us are totally clueless about it?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">2) Arti, you call Jew genocide-WWII-Nuremberg trials- a vague topic. Then we regretfully say it reflects badly on you. A journalist is expected to know these things. If he/she doesn't, they are expected to ask, verify. Almost every newspaper office has an internet connection now? How far are you from information nowadays? And about the cluelessness bit, whatever happened to the WWW&H principle. That's the ABCD of journalism.<br /><strong>3) Were you expecting this sort of response? Are you surprised by the manner in which the national media covered it?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">3) We expected the national media to cover it. They are only as dumb or as smart as the media in Goa. Perhaps they are only a bit more bloated. But what we were surprised by the amazing response which the story received, once we made it known that it was a hoax. We are also not surprised by the fact that not too many newspapers have apologised for feeding their readers unverified news.<br /></span><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">4) Is this one incident enough to prove the 'credibility' of the press?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">4) We do not know about the credibility bit. But yes, this one incident is enough to prove how 'in'credible our press actually is. (Not a joke)<br /><strong>5) Do you think this 'blind coverage' is the outcome of the cutthroat competition among newspapers in Goa?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">5) Come on girl, don't blame it on competition alone. Ignorance or 'cluelessness ' (as you put it) is a major factor. Journalists in Goa simply do not read anything other than newspapers. This refusal to verify information, also stems from a kind of pomposity which journalists today are suffering from. Also like we said earlier, there is no stress on fact-checking in our news-producing systems.<br /><strong>6) Do you think that this competition is killing real journalism, which is dying a slow death?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">6) You got it wrong here. Journalism is dead. It's as dead as a haunch of fresh mutton you see on a butchers hook. But there are still a few muscles trembling now and then. Most journalism now is glorified 'churnalism', a blog rightly puts it. But those small media outfits, individuals, who are still slugging it out some against all odds, deserve a pat.<br /><strong>7) What is your frank opinion about the local media and the national media as a whole?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">7) I think the last answer should cover the national media as a whole. But the woes of the Goan media stem from the fact there are not too many pioneers in the profession you can look up to. These so-called pioneers were all beautiful people, with beautiful faces, fancy names, long side-locks, twirling moustaches, melodious speech, with a string of awards stacked in their cabinets. But they were mostly bad journalists who wore pants which had unusually bulging pockets, must have been the style of the times. While speaking about Sonia Gandhi, when Churchill Alemao once made that 'pallbearer of democracy' faux pas, he may have actually thinking about the state of journalism in the Goa.<br /><strong>8) Why now? Did you plan to do it at this point in time, or was there no particular reason for the choice of timing?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">8) We'd felt the outrage after reading/watching the media's posthumus rape of Aarushi Talwar and Scarlett Keeling in the manner they covered the two stories. The coverage was spurious. We only waited till the outrage really welled up, I guess.<br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>9) How long did it take you to whip up this joke of a news item?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">9) Precisely 25 hours.<br /><strong>10) Did you have any apprehensions while planning this prank?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">10) We were a bit nervous, but that's alright, isn't it?<br /><strong>11) Obviously you were trying to prove a point. Do you feel there is a solution to the problem? If so what is it?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">11) Read. Stop hiring dumb stenographers as journalists. Get fact-checking systems in place. And do not lie to your readers.<br /><strong>12) Why do you feel the media has reached the current state?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">12) It's a very, very long story. And its question number 12. A bit too late in the day.<br /><strong>13) Have you done something like this before?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">13) You must read the blog more often then. There were several stories that we've broken on the blog, which includes a Cash-for-Editorials scam in the Herald, a Goan English Daily. We debunked (with documents) a CNN-IBN special investigative story on the Russian 'invasion' of Goa. One of the other more entertaining, but necessary story was one posted on National Press Day. It's called 'How to take a Goan Editor to bed'. That was widely read too.<br /><strong>14) What are your plans for the future? Any more pranks that we should watch out for?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">14) If the story works out, perhaps next month we'll break another big story. It's likely to expose a rather suave editor. We are investigating the story right now, so we would not like to disclose more. But trust me, it's not a prank.<br /><em>(second batch of questions)</em></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1) Why Penpricks chose to be anonymous? Is there any specific reason?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1) There is a specific reason. We have acid scars on our faces... Come on.. thats a dumb question. The media here cannot stand scrutiny. If they know who it is, that's picking these holes, they'd blast a bazooka through our bellies. </span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">2) Don't you think that by being anonymous you are portraying a picture of power without accountability?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">2) Just because newspapers carry a printline, does it make them accountable? How many newspapers have apologised to their readers for feeding them the fake Nazi story, without any verification? As far as we know only the Herald has published a clarification on this issue. Has the Gomantak Times apologised yet? So where is the accountability on your end? </span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-21024772348371503432008-07-19T14:27:00.005+05:302008-07-19T14:57:38.556+05:30SOME COMMENTS ON NAZI-GATE<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Hi... Here's a few links for some blogs and media sites which have critiqued Nazi-gate. You guys could run through some of these links if you wish to... The post after this one in all likelihood would be the last post on Nazi-gate, unless there's some significant development on that front... What would qualify as significant... Hmmm say if Telegraph files a story tomorrow claiming that one of its journos have actually trapped Johan Bach somewhere in the Sunderbans...<br />Until something else turns up guys, its back to the grind...</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://in.ibtimes.com/articles/20080702/nazi-war-criminal-johann-bach-goa-piano-media-hoax-prank-blog.htm">Indian media fall prey to Nazi war criminal hoax </a>-- International Business Times</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2008/07/02/baroque-nazi-war-criminal-hoax-an-update/">Baroque Nazi war criminal hoax — an update -- </a>Reuters</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.tehelka.com/story_main39.asp?filename=Op190708cutting_edge.asp">Cutting Edge Lazy Journalism </a>-- Tehelka</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/06/nazi-war-crimin.html">Asian (con)Fusion: Nazi war criminal found in Goa. Really?</a> -- Independent</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080055134&ch=7/1/2008%2012:49:00%20AM">Goa: The 'Super Prank' story that wasn't </a>-- NDTV</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/01/stories/2008070152221100.htm">Stories that are too good to check </a>-- Hindu</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://wearethebest.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/">For Indian journos, April 1 comes 9 months early</a> -- sans serif</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://batmidar.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_15.html">गोव्यात नाज्ही-गेट व वृत्त पत्रांचे </a><span class=""><a href="http://batmidar.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_15.html">वस्त्रहरण</a> </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">-- Batmidar</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sci-tech/with-nazi-news-blog-played-super-prank-on-media_10066634.html">With ‘Nazi news’, blog played super prank on media</a> -- Thaindian</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.indiamike.com/india/goa-f23/goa-nazi-hoax-t57674/">Goa Nazi hoax </a>-- Indiamike </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/997651.html">Indian media fall foul of Nazi war criminal hoax</a> -- DPA</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://noosemedia.blogspot.com/2008/07/bachs-piano-other-stories.html">Bach’s piano & other stories</a> -- Noosemedia</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://presstalk.blogspot.com/2008/07/mail-today-carried-story-on-masthead.html">Stupid!</a> -- presstalk</span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-79275066859692186412008-07-12T17:29:00.011+05:302008-07-12T18:12:08.587+05:30SANJAY DHAVALIKAR'S 'SWORD'PLAY: WHEN A MESSENGER STABS A MESSENGER...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7qVKGIN5iWy9PdBVgSrFcWUY4NZlElovUvQTo0mH4XRL1B9w0LTHcqs9jogKzmRZNI8r0KNa_L3iZmEBTd8Yhbls37XHQjy_k4XOm4FzO3D7Ff5eHXubKxHmGJguzQ7-djZ9coXN6A0/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222097094743530258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7qVKGIN5iWy9PdBVgSrFcWUY4NZlElovUvQTo0mH4XRL1B9w0LTHcqs9jogKzmRZNI8r0KNa_L3iZmEBTd8Yhbls37XHQjy_k4XOm4FzO3D7Ff5eHXubKxHmGJguzQ7-djZ9coXN6A0/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47ToNuGVlwoU_AlmOoscfhWXNI-0snT4LJWhNJKSL_QOC1iL5VFL3zuyVrbFRy9JDQR3YbjZYrAmIE9T1cogOhVVqnePwX5byT9Va7l_O4dq56FkUMr6qQrvF2BEiU4PMeGsjB7aynJk/s1600-h/Gomantak.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222096799314808866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="153" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47ToNuGVlwoU_AlmOoscfhWXNI-0snT4LJWhNJKSL_QOC1iL5VFL3zuyVrbFRy9JDQR3YbjZYrAmIE9T1cogOhVVqnePwX5byT9Va7l_O4dq56FkUMr6qQrvF2BEiU4PMeGsjB7aynJk/s200/Gomantak.jpg" width="115" border="0" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">It all tumbled ou<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TkZ5QasuB4voq0nnH9QO4uaDnI1_nnSRT__GXEKsO_TrZXMidCY8kZXBLmbE4ZoyHMb3NThPLC0iXnA7lRYQOeQRcBd5spQYs3eKxJIu2mlZZivwCiOrLoFg0_wdxZ6hY_mKt2BR7VI/s1600-h/sanjay.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222103857212861426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TkZ5QasuB4voq0nnH9QO4uaDnI1_nnSRT__GXEKsO_TrZXMidCY8kZXBLmbE4ZoyHMb3NThPLC0iXnA7lRYQOeQRcBd5spQYs3eKxJIu2mlZZivwCiOrLoFg0_wdxZ6hY_mKt2BR7VI/s200/sanjay.JPG" border="0" /></a>t in Nazi-Gate, you saw that... right guys?<br />But we’ve reserved the best for the last.<br />You know there are times when newspapers ‘sex’ up news, but there are other rare occasions when editors, reporters, news editors all gang up and literally ‘sodomise’ news. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Hey, while sodomy per se qualifies for punishment in the Indian Penal Code, 'sodomizing news' does not attract any penalty.<br />The case in point is <strong><em>Dainik Gomantak </em></strong>editor Sanjay Dhavalikar’s treatment of the Nazi-Gate story.<br />Since you guys are aware of the Nazi-gate story, instead of going from head to toe, we’ll just run it through ass-up.<br />The day after the story broke, <strong><em>Gomantak </em></strong>ran a report, which was nothing but a bunch of lies. The report was credited to the staff reporter in the dateline. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">And the story quoted sources. Repeat, the story quoted sources. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">It informed the reader that ‘sources’ had informed <strong><em>Gomantak </em></strong>about Johann Bach’s hideout in Calangute. Now they did not need sources to inform them about this. Two reasons. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><strong>Reason 1: </strong>The whole goddamn incident was fake. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><strong>Reason 2: </strong>It was already mentioned in the press note. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">But then what does the reader know. The story went on again about this source (you guys can read it yourself, check out the small scanned strip) who apparently told them that the identity of a fictitious ‘Bach’ (who does not goddamn exist) was being verified till late in the night. The ‘source’ also told Gomantak that ‘Bach’ was being interrogated all day. Phew. Lies. Lies. More Lies.<br />Now all this could have been featured in the prick award posts which have preceeded this one. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Why we wanted this post as a separate whammy was this article written by <strong><em>Dainik Gomantak </em></strong>editor Sanjay Dhavalikar. Don’t be so surprised fellas, in between all the photo-shoots that he and Unit manager Subhash Naik collectively pose for (If one does a headcount Sanjay and Subhash combined could beat the tally of photos of say the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears duo when it comes to their photos published in their own newspapers. And know what the raunch ratio of Paris's cleavage and Britney's butt, is far lesser than Sanjay's grin and Subhash's <a href="http://stationhollywood.blogspot.com/2007/12/sadhna-romantic-actress-of-bollywood.html">Sadhna-cut </a>kinda hairdo) the former does write some.<br />In his article in the newspaper’s Sunday supplement <strong><em>Shabdsohla </em></strong>Sanjay hints that NAZI-GATE should be brought within the ambit of the IT law. Sanjay also claims that we pricks have committed illegal acts in 'forging' docyments and 'signatures' in executing this story. Thats fine with us guys. Thats really fine. After all its Sanjay and his team who've kissed rat's ass... Once you've done that, you're bound to have an opinion. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">It was on the basis of the <strong><em>Dainik Gomantak's </em></strong>confirmation of the story, that the mother edition Pune Sakaal carried an eight column story on the poor-ole nobody 'Johann Bach'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">Our argument is this. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">How can this guy call us 'forgers' when his newspaper fabircated photographs during the Margao fiasco some days ago. While the real swords were seized and sealed by the cops, <strong><em>Gomantak </em></strong>carried a fabricated photo which had drama prop swords right on the front page, instead of the real ones. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">This is a grave grave issue. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">Pics like these could have inflamed passions in Margao and other areas. An already on-the-edge populace could have tripped into violence after seeing these fabricated 'sword' photos on the front page of <strong><em>Gomantak</em></strong>. </span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222104108225721138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUu_ddUB1Um1QfZq80bFfWIxFB_A-b9XEepSBkYOa9OXz3x-kloIcp2IGTUxcsT0L27GwbhMkDhYuiZWxatkRMer0aSN72L1IV4Co3Ku31U7ebpOVHLqUKgeZDBLZdqvk3bm2ODN3BQ4/s320/4.jpg" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">Has Sanjay penalised the photographer who sent these pictures/ What action has he taken? Should the cops book Gomantak for incensing passion? Has Sanjay apologised to his readers for this very very grave misdemeaour? Why is he quiet on this one? </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">Has Sanjay apologised to his readers about feeding them a fake Johann bach story? </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">Sure he has talked on length about how journalists face deadlines, about how journalists are pressed for time. But that is no excuse for making mistakes on two successive days. And literally fibbing to its readers that the information was provided by 'sources', who probably are as fictitious as our Johann Bach. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">But Sanjay, we must say does at great job pointing fingers. But what he must try and do now, is hold it stiff and shove it in. <em>(first draft)</em></span></div></div></div></div></div>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-51105456097396193342008-07-12T16:56:00.002+05:302008-07-12T17:28:41.706+05:30... कहीं ऐसा न हो यां भी वही काफिर सनम निकले*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfL-zXp0l5FxSUjpItKZLELe_6PHryGHDeBioAcOARu9V_WncpyejWNm1ZH5dvoAh9-eTqsDDv9UfbFD9x-_4lW3cKjSt6G_knis0HQYRKobu19LJI0RLx36nIXrO_IfX95EtaSid2x4/s1600-h/Twin+Murder.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222091029144669490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfL-zXp0l5FxSUjpItKZLELe_6PHryGHDeBioAcOARu9V_WncpyejWNm1ZH5dvoAh9-eTqsDDv9UfbFD9x-_4lW3cKjSt6G_knis0HQYRKobu19LJI0RLx36nIXrO_IfX95EtaSid2x4/s400/Twin+Murder.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Oh my my.... After a long long spell we get you a Joseph Deva special. This was a lead story on the <strong><em>Herald</em></strong> about the Sanguem double murder, where the husband suspecting infidelity had murdered his wife and ended up killing his sister in law's hubby by accident, before killing himself. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">While the newspapers as a whole covered this tragic story poorly, Joseph did try to inject some excitement into the coverage.</span> Now Joseph is a very devout Christian. And we really did expect him to know the difference between both 'infidel' and 'infidelity'. While infidel means a non believer (now how do we explain this... Hmm let me try and put this in a way guys at the <strong><em>Herald </em></strong>would understand. See, you guys work in the <strong><em>Herald</em></strong> right. How many times has the owner Raul Fernandes promised you guys things like an air conditioner, good infra structure, a bonus etc etc etc and not delivered. Arent you guys all non-believers in Raul now right), infidelity would mean lack of faith towards a partner. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We trust Joseph will peer into his dictionary now. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We know it. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We have faith in him... </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">That would make us 'fidels' na? hehehe</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">* <a href="http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/64242-Ghalib-Mirza-Asadullah-Khan-Hazaaron-Khwahishen-Aisi--A-Thousand-Desires-Such-">Just in case </a></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-8276361566442508782008-07-08T17:44:00.004+05:302008-07-08T19:38:29.045+05:30NAZI-GATE -- THE GOAN JOURNO PRICKS<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Herald </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >-- The Humble Pricks </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPim_hZdh8nKfc6b15Rw-yVXqZXmlgO0-FgoGD77pPyhCwBWNFITOhqIrKS4PcSq3jKD1Hb4yAUw9zjX8YdzGS8lpQyW7Y0QrxkBzutgMlVExdlQ3g3WsBXlkZN-QWX6wYVrJcyFWGTo/s1600-h/1111.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220616099793890562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 76px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 76px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPim_hZdh8nKfc6b15Rw-yVXqZXmlgO0-FgoGD77pPyhCwBWNFITOhqIrKS4PcSq3jKD1Hb4yAUw9zjX8YdzGS8lpQyW7Y0QrxkBzutgMlVExdlQ3g3WsBXlkZN-QWX6wYVrJcyFWGTo/s200/1111.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">3 pricks out of 10 </span><br />It w</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">as <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">Herald </span>which caught the bait hoot, line and s't'inker. They put this story on the front page, with a nice read duo-decked header and they put old gramps Bach pic on it… Was he grinning... hehe<br />And we were kicked.<br />That’s the paper we subscribe to at home.<br />But one thing yo</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">u’ve got to give these guys. These guys did not stray out of line. They behaved as admirably as a conservative Laxmibai Rudranath Tokre would when faced with an opportunity for promiscuity.<br />But frankly we did not really expect them to run the story.<br />Reason… Editor Ashwin Tombat.<br />Now, although Ashwin has authored a book on the nuances of menstrual cycles, we do consider him somewhat well read… We thought he’d know something about the country which birthed Communist icons Marx and Engels in the first place. We really, really thought he’d find something amiss with the story…<br />But he did not.<br />But what we can share with you guys, is this funny email conversation we shared with Ashwin on this issue. We begin with the first response sent to the perus.narkp@berlin.com by Ashwin after he published the story…<br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Dear Mr Smit, </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">We have carried the item in our newspaper today. </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Pl see: http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=6200&cid=2 </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Tombat </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Editor </span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">To which we responded </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Dear Sir </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Thank you for your prominent coverage.</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">It was well reported. I wish to inform you however, that the press conference may be delayed by a few days due to visa issues for the German press team. The date is more likely to be Wednesday/Thursday. Hope to see you there. </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The accused may also be paraded before the press teams from Goa, India. </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">regards </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Smit </span><br /><br />Then came this reply… Ashwin by this time was perhaps a touch edgy. Can you feel it in this mail?<br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Dear Smit, </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">I look forward to seeing you. Are you likely to be in Goa soon? Where can I contact you? Ashwin </span><br /><br />By this time, we were just about to put a teaser on the blog. So we thought why not let Ashwin know that this was a hoax, so we sent him a one line mail saying, if he wants to get in ‘touch’ he should write to penpricks@gmail.com<br />Poor chap… this must have been the second time in history that Ze Germans let the Communists down.<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Hey BTW, they are also the only chaps to have categorically told their readers that the story they carried was prank. </span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Gomantak Times – The Page 2 pricks </span><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPim_hZdh8nKfc6b15Rw-yVXqZXmlgO0-FgoGD77pPyhCwBWNFITOhqIrKS4PcSq3jKD1Hb4yAUw9zjX8YdzGS8lpQyW7Y0QrxkBzutgMlVExdlQ3g3WsBXlkZN-QWX6wYVrJcyFWGTo/s1600-h/1111.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220616099793890562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 76px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 76px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPim_hZdh8nKfc6b15Rw-yVXqZXmlgO0-FgoGD77pPyhCwBWNFITOhqIrKS4PcSq3jKD1Hb4yAUw9zjX8YdzGS8lpQyW7Y0QrxkBzutgMlVExdlQ3g3WsBXlkZN-QWX6wYVrJcyFWGTo/s200/1111.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">3 pricks out of 10<br /></span>We are confounded. Look, we don’t like this 'shades of gray' business. We love things in black or white. Either these guys should have carried the story on Page 1 or they should not have carried it at all.<br />They insulted our artistry by carrying this masterpiece on page 2. Whatever happened to the acute artistry of the editor Derek or the wizened dexterity of Ashley. They must have been back from a rather late lunch break at Ritz around 7 pm, were they. Just about the time when the stories are readied.<br />But what we really missed was a Thapa touch to this story. We can actually fantasize the header he would have chiseled out for this one… hmmm ‘BACH TO SQUARE ONE’ or ‘SAB 'BACH'WAS’… 'BACH' KE REHNA' and so on.<br />We aren’t so good at this. But this story in Thapa’s hands would have really made our day. Instead the story got carried on page two with the requisite ‘says a press note’ tags, appropriately slipped in and credited to the GT NEWS ROOM.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">GOA DOOT – THE DYSFUNCTIONAL PRICKS</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPim_hZdh8nKfc6b15Rw-yVXqZXmlgO0-FgoGD77pPyhCwBWNFITOhqIrKS4PcSq3jKD1Hb4yAUw9zjX8YdzGS8lpQyW7Y0QrxkBzutgMlVExdlQ3g3WsBXlkZN-QWX6wYVrJcyFWGTo/s1600-h/1111.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220616099793890562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 76px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 76px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPim_hZdh8nKfc6b15Rw-yVXqZXmlgO0-FgoGD77pPyhCwBWNFITOhqIrKS4PcSq3jKD1Hb4yAUw9zjX8YdzGS8lpQyW7Y0QrxkBzutgMlVExdlQ3g3WsBXlkZN-QWX6wYVrJcyFWGTo/s200/1111.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">8 pricks out of 10 </span><br />These pricks rose late, but what a whammy they carried. Trust Parrikar’s paper to go hammer and tongs on such an issue. If a fake naxal issue can cause Parrikar a few dozen hemorrhages, then this was a full fledged Nazi. The story filed by these guys had all the requisites of a fraud. The usual intelligence inputs, sources bullshit.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">PUDHARI, SUNAPARANT, NAVHIND TIMES, TARUN BHARAT </span><br />Guys, you must credit these fellas for not falling for this hoax. But we would still think twice before attributing this to rigor, chances are it must have been their lucky day.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">NOTE: </span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">We are putting this small note out. We have reserved a special post for Dainik Gomantak on this issue. They way they have reacted to this story is really really disgusting. Now what we are going to do is whip these guys into shape in the next post. </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Do look out for it. </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Watch how we tear apart their story and Editor Sanjay Dhavalikar’s article published on Sunday on this issue sinew by sinew. Consistently </span><a style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-sanjay-dhavalikar-is-sometimes-as.html">Dainik Gomantak has been behaving quite like the Taliban</a><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> in this liberal age. </span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Its time we tie them to their own stakes and… </span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-90341527867841020722008-07-08T17:32:00.004+05:302008-07-08T17:44:45.917+05:30NAZI-GATE -- HONOURING THE REAL PRICKS IN THE MEDIA -- PART 2<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" >INDIAN EXPRESS – A PRICK CALLED COURAGE</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >2 p</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbHhT4FerRWBjzY3ydxnr1vVpNOhuYN306gve2_J3TH79DVnGOB60FRyn10SbSCQUpKsUUY1F0F7DlsW4Gm7Dim35uB8MEWrQbgaib8GahX4mqGT18bpHREEfYdOn8YheEJthvcNr0vg/s1600-h/1111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbHhT4FerRWBjzY3ydxnr1vVpNOhuYN306gve2_J3TH79DVnGOB60FRyn10SbSCQUpKsUUY1F0F7DlsW4Gm7Dim35uB8MEWrQbgaib8GahX4mqGT18bpHREEfYdOn8YheEJthvcNr0vg/s200/1111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220613605626382674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >ricks out of 10</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />If there was ever a police</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> officer who had to eat crow in Nazi-gate it was the additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Karnataka Police Shankar Bidari. The Indian Express <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/story/329202.html">claims that it confirmed the story</a> because of the nod given by Bidari.<br />It may hav</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">e been unintentional, but this story has also amply proved how inept our intelligence agencies really are.<br />These are the same guys, which are responsible for tackling anti-social elements, which are far more roguish than ant 88-year-old SS colonel. These are the same guys on whose intelligence inputs the security of a state or a nation hinges. All these cops were doing in this case was regurgitate media reports.<br />When IE contacted Bidari again, the bloody chap had the gall to blame his field agents and dismissed queries about his ineptitude. “It was an oral report that we received. The case did not happen within Karnataka’s jurisdiction, so we did not follow it. Lots of things happen on the Internet and we cannot authenticate everything,” Bidari said.<br />Even if we accept that Bidari merely rephrased the press note for IE’S T A Johnson. Bidari literally invented stuff like the Berlin airlift. Since he has spoken to the media about this, we can safely presume that Bidari also lied to his superiors about this. That’s serious business guys. There ought to be a departmental enquiry against the fella.<br />The IE did try guys… They tried calling more people than all the other papers put together…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" >REDIFF.COM -- THE SLICK PRICK AWARD</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" ><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbHhT4FerRWBjzY3ydxnr1vVpNOhuYN306gve2_J3TH79DVnGOB60FRyn10SbSCQUpKsUUY1F0F7DlsW4Gm7Dim35uB8MEWrQbgaib8GahX4mqGT18bpHREEfYdOn8YheEJthvcNr0vg/s1600-h/1111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbHhT4FerRWBjzY3ydxnr1vVpNOhuYN306gve2_J3TH79DVnGOB60FRyn10SbSCQUpKsUUY1F0F7DlsW4Gm7Dim35uB8MEWrQbgaib8GahX4mqGT18bpHREEfYdOn8YheEJthvcNr0vg/s200/1111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220613605626382674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >9 pricks out of 10</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Rediff.com’s Vicky Nanjappa has a great career in fiction before him. We, Penpricks are largely indebted to both Vicky and Anil Lulla of Telegraph for taking our humble Nazi-Gate story to a completely new imaginative level.<br />These guys have more of Leon Uris than Bob Woodward in them.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><a href="http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:DX6F4yT3c18J:www.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp%3Fdocpath%3D/news/2008/jun/30nazi.htm+goa+nazi+vicky+rediff&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=in">Vicky’s ‘Intelligence Bureau’ sources</a> apparently told him that the fictitious Bach was flown to Berlin and that the latter was ‘tracked by Israeli agencies involved in finding war criminals’. He did not quote anyone.<br />Hmm… did the Perus Narkp press note state this? NO…</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Vicky also lies when he says that ‘German Intelligence’ claims that ‘Bach’ was tracked down ‘after he had placed an advertisement in the local newspaper regarding the sale of an antique piano.’<br />Did the Perus Narkp press note state this? NO</span>...<br /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Vicky’s lies continue as the story goes on.<br />Vicky now claims that even the Interpol had sounded an alert against Bach and that the German Intelligence had Bach on their most wanted list?<br />Where did Vicky source all this information from? How did Vicky confirm the Interpol alert? He simply lied. Lied to his bosses. Lied to the readers of <a href="http://www.rediff.com">rediff.com</a></span> </span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-21472376295899775842008-07-03T21:54:00.005+05:302008-07-04T14:13:29.028+05:30NAZI-GATE -- HONOURING THE REAL PRICKS IN THE MEDIA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5o55w82egkUBa30FD2sVAiaqzjHVmk2mnJ-4B_-8sZ-mm82SazVRkQ78wPJNSBSqlXFiRpNtg29CQVnpdHq7A3pUdlnvI-nVgzR96-kzeKSpUFS59Yyo3oMM3cNFv0iSdaXZAYltowI/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5o55w82egkUBa30FD2sVAiaqzjHVmk2mnJ-4B_-8sZ-mm82SazVRkQ78wPJNSBSqlXFiRpNtg29CQVnpdHq7A3pUdlnvI-nVgzR96-kzeKSpUFS59Yyo3oMM3cNFv0iSdaXZAYltowI/s400/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219074917327748818" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Hi guys, we thank all of you for dropping by and taking time to comment...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We've been running this blog as an underground forum for critiquing the media in Goa for more than a year now. Your comments will keep the fire going...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Starting now, we're running the first of the three part series on how the media manipulates news. How the media houses manipulated the information we had furnished in the Perus Narkp pressnote we provided, to pass it off as their own, attributing it to 'sources'.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is a malaise in most investigations conducted by the media. While in a lot of cases hiding a source is necessary, this licence is often abused by the media to peddle spurious reports.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If you guys can, just think back, re-read/watch the media coverage of the Scarlett Keeling or Arushi murder over the last few weeks. Analyse what the media has said in the light of 'Nazi-gate'... Think back how the media regularly covers these police encounters stories or those 'terrorists apprehended on the eve of independence or republic day' stories. We've been there guys.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It never happens like the cops tell it.</span><br /><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2008070152221100.htm&date=2008/07/01/&prd=th&">Siddharth Vardharajan rightly</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> calls it poppy cock. Over the next three parts we have decided to dish our pricks awards to the media houses which fell for this Johann Bach con. The harder they bit, the more prick points they get... So, here goes fellas...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DECCAN HERALD -- THE-HONEST-BUT-DUMB PRICK AWARD</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">3 pricks out of 10</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s200/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219076434240887090" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >To their credit, the <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun292008/scroll2008062976017.asp?section=frontpagenews">Deccan Herald</a> stuck to the press note. It did not deviate from the ‘facts’ mentioned in it. Looks like they approached this story the old school way... The kind of way journalism that used to be done in the times when the internet was non existent and phones were a luxury. There was no effort on part of the DH to even contact the local authorities to verify the details mentioned in the press note. This, inspite of the fact that DH is a paper headquartered in Karnataka, the state where ‘Bach’ was apprehended according to our Perus Narkp press note. The distance between Khanapur and Bangalore is not much. And yet no efforts were made by them to check up facts on this story. The newspaper is a household name in Karnataka did real bad no that front.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CALCUTTA TELEGRAPH – THE COCKY, RIBBED, CROOKED PRICK AWARD</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">9 pricks out of 10</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s200/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219076434240887090" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The <a href="http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cache:lW8JBeOW8qAJ:www.telegraphindia.com/1080630/jsp/frontpage/story_9482062.jsp+goa+nazi+telegraph&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in">Calcutta Telegraph</a> appeared to go schizophrenic once we made the prank public. The newspaper almost bungee-jumped into the story with a striking graphic charting Bach’s journey across the globe, before he landed in Goa. This is the newspaper, which has lied the most. They added such fibs to the already fake press note, its not funny. Allow us to present a few examples.<br />1) The press note we had sent, never did mention that Bach escaped from Bardez, Goa to Khanapur, Karnataka in a taxi. Telegraph made this up.<br />2) We never said that the German Chancellor’s Core (the damn thing does not exist) had contacted the Intelligence Bureau saying that it wanted to trace an Argentinian passport holder. Telegraph made up this fact too.<br />3) Our press note did not mention that Bach -- an old German, had told an Israeli tourist couple at a rave party to having liquidated Jews. Telegraph made up this fact too.<br />4) Telegraph also claims that Bach was arrested at Anmod ghat, a fact not mentioned in the note we had circulated.They created this fact.<br />5) The world map graphic mentioned nations like Canada, Argentina, Bulgaria and Yemen as some of the places which Bach traveled in after his escape from Berlin. That’s fine, cause that’s we said in our Perus Narkp press note. Now alongside Yemen, Telegraph guys have put in the word ‘unconfirmed’ in brackets, to convey the impression to the readers that ‘phew… man we’ve confirmed Bach’s presence in all other countries except, Yemen… hope you guys don’t mind his yet-to-be-confirmed Yemen’s stint. We tried, but could not ascertain it'.<br />The bloody liars. Telegraph has without a doubt fibbed its readers the most. These guys have actually attributed this story to sources, another blatant lie. How can these sources explain a sequence of events with such graphic details, when the event itself hasn’t happened?<br />This isn’t a news story fellas, this reads like a ‘lulla’by filed by Telegraph’s Anil Budur Lulla. Kya Lulla bhai, itna imagination hai to script writer bano yaar, journalist nahin.<br />We have another bone to pick with the Telegraph over its follow-up.<br />After promising to apologise to its readers, if they got the facts in the case wrong, the newspapers <a href="http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cache:tWtufXkLeYYJ:www.telegraphindia.com/1080701/jsp/nation/story_9487179.jsp+goa+nazi+telegraph&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=in">follow up</a> is very misleading. The follow up is another pack of lies. In a hasty cover-up, Telegraph lies through its teeth when it says that the press note carries a group photo of Johann Bach with other young SS officers. Guys, you’ve seen the copy of the press note in the last post right?<br />You’ve seen the picture we’ve sent. The one with the old gramp…<br />So what pic are these guys talking about? Telegraph claims that it had received information from sources in the Intelligence Bureau about the Bach operation, before they filed the story? So where were the quotes? Where were the details? They have blamed the Intelligence guys for not providing them with the right information.<br />But what’s important is that these guys have not admitted that it was a mistake. They have not apolologised to their readers for furnishing them with rubbish to read. Instead what Telegraph has done is source a long barreled gun and fire it all the way from Calcutta from the shoulders of one R Auradkar (Inspector General, Northern Range) who says this. “Auradkar, however, said he would not like to dismiss the news stories as the result of a rumour or a prank, as suggested in certain blogspots.”<br />The dumbasses at Telegraph.<br />Although they’ve been caught with their pants down, all they seem to be doing is covering their rear, when it’s their exposed nuts and bolt that they should be worried out. To be noted guys... although the newspaper maintains a ‘could-be-hoax-maybe-true’ line, they have deleted the page, which carried the original story from their archives. What’s that police investigation dictum guys, ‘A criminal always returns to the crime scene’. Telegraph did just that and tried to wipe out their prints off the cookie jar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DAILY TIMES KARACHI AND <a href="http://www.srilankaguardian.org/search?q=nazi">SRI LANKAN GUARDIAN</a> – THE RAW PRICK AWARD</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">5 pricks out of 10</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s200/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219076434240887090" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The two papers have carried this story on pretty identical lines and have attributed the information to 'sources'. In fact the writer<a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C06%5C29%5Cstory_29-6-2008_pg7_56"> Iftikhar Gilani</a> has pre supposed that the German intelligence agencies had tied up with the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). In the press note we had only stated that it was the Ministry of Home Affairs folks from the Government of India, who were on the case. Guess it’s quite likely, that a Pakistani newspaperman would shout ‘RAW’, even when he scoops up a spoonful of uncooked rajma-chawal from a food stall behind the Raisini Road Press Club of India office. Another fake detail, which the writer Gilani mentions in his story, is that the ‘Bach’ would be flown to Mumbai, before being taken to Germany. We never said, but seems like his sources did ;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NEW INDIAN EXPRESS – THE MOST RI’DICK’ULOUS PRICK AWARD</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">7 pricks out of 10</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s200/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219076434240887090" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The editorials staffers in this newspaper need a good thorough spanking. When their bluff was called by penpricks. These guys at the New Indian Express called us ‘mischief mongers’. But we’ve been called a lot of things, by a lot of people and institutions, we glad accept this brickbat, as a compliment to our expose. The NIE in its <a href="http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20080629000956&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0">initial story</a> claimed that after it received the information about ‘Bach’, it cross checked and verified the information from their sources. They also claim that us pricks had also sent the same press note to the authorities at the same time. We would like to clarify here that we had sent the press note only to journalists and media houses. There is no truth the comment made by NIE that we had also tipped off the cops about the ‘Bach’ capture. But heart of hearts, maybe NIE had wished we had done that. Now we have one question to ask the NIE chaps here. If these guys had taken to pains to verify and cross check facts. Why did they not quote anyone on this story. Not single guy has been quoted, who’s admitted to the incident. The only chappie they’ve quoted is Superintendent of Police Hemant Nimbalkar who categorically says, he does not know about any such incident. There are more questions to be asked about the NIE coverage? Where did they source the information about Bach being in the German government’s 'most wanted list'? Has this been said on the basis of an official document? Where is it? If some authority has told them this, then why haven’t they quoted the authority? What’s the need for being so secretive about a ‘most wanted list’? Aren’t such lists public information? India’s Central Bureau of Information has its most wanted list available online for all to see? So where did NIE source this information from? Tell us guys? Looks like its the NIE which is <a href="http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120080701234148&Title=Bangalore&rLink=0">mischief mongering </a>in this case… It is these guys who have virtually manufactured facts to suit their ends. Ok now for another loophole in the NIE story? How can these guys claim that ‘Bach’ announced his intentions to sell his piano through an AD? Its not in mentioned the press note? So where did this ad part come from? An ad in an English daily? Fertile boy… as fertile as the black soil of Khanapur. Another point to be made. These fibbers at NIE also claimed that their sources told them that Perus Narkp had passed on the Bach lead to the Interpol which in turn passed on the information to the MHA, government of India? Oh really? Sources again… NIE sources are like Frederick Forsythe, Colin Forbes, Leon Uris, Jack Higgins all rolled into one. Rich very, very rich imagination.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE TIMES OF INDIA -- THE SOBER PRICK AWARD</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2 pricks out of 10</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s200/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219076434240887090" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Frankly we expected worse from<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Cops_stunned_over_Nazi_mans_capture/articleshow/3178643.cms"> Times of India</a>. But looks like they came off pretty well. Initially they must have been shell-shocked when they realized that they missed the story. Thankfully there was an element of restraint in the way they reported the affair, quoting the release consistently. These guys also got Karnataka home minister on record, who claimed he did not know about the incident.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE ASIAN AGE -- THE TWIN PRICK AWARD</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">5 and a half pricks out of 10</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s1600-h/prick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1pSkCObZOiiUhQ0IEefTIx8ndgLzYX9zrwY3KxtZmB45Xca6vsU5J-O-7OX8SpvQczfrZr67_fOqdut6tUkfRUCm79fYNSp3lUlrVtlOh1j_7TuEnK-T1uWLmCNi7-71DgTk6FTPmUk/s200/prick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219076434240887090" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >For The Asian Age, it took two bylines to churn out <a href="http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:E569etGmHD8J:www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/top-story/88-yr-old-nazi-held-near-goa.aspx+asian+age+nazi&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in">three paragraphs of pure fiction</a>. And we have a problem with Messrs Bhaskar Hegde and Naushad Bijapur. Come on guys, you could have atleast credited our Perus Narkp press note. All these two chaps appear to have done is glean info from the press note and credit it to their sources in the intelligence... Damn you guys… Jis thali se khaoge usi mein chedd…. Apart from creating a chase drama, there’s another interesting element in the copy. Like the Calcutta Telegraph, The Asian Age too mentions that Bach was arrested at Anmod… Where the f…. does this Anmod come in from guys? Sure its on the way to Belgaum from Goa, but its not mentioned in the press note… Why are they obsessed with Anmod then?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Coming up next, a close look at the coverage by Indian Express, rediff.com and other national media followed the stories which appeared in Goan newspapers)</span></span>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215466269642774873.post-10818335603162870592008-07-01T15:15:00.008+05:302008-07-01T16:16:39.403+05:30NAZI-GATE: GUYS, IT’S TIME WE ‘KILLED’ JOHANN BACH<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG6LXwpVxVhR3Dip9opH9Sg46IMHudbV66v7Yt5ZgiqT5lJBcX-Qu5PznMzocZjx4VVJlhDR6LuI-ae_7JMqY3LLV0lErYLDuP6rkhxQcBhzmjiMHEFQZ4OeblywhT6cLvCBaU3qTn_I/s1600-h/Johann_Christian_Bach.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217988493738805650" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG6LXwpVxVhR3Dip9opH9Sg46IMHudbV66v7Yt5ZgiqT5lJBcX-Qu5PznMzocZjx4VVJlhDR6LuI-ae_7JMqY3LLV0lErYLDuP6rkhxQcBhzmjiMHEFQZ4OeblywhT6cLvCBaU3qTn_I/s200/Johann_Christian_Bach.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>WHEN THE MEDIA WENT ‘BACH’ING UP THE WRONG TREE<br /></strong>We begin with this post with a premise, so that some of those readers who have any seditionist, trans-nation conspiracy notions about this blog, shed these ideas before we move forward. </span></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Nowadays the charge of sedition is as commonplace as a tavern on a Goan street.<br />As journalists, we are ashamed at the way the Indian media reported the two most sensational murders in recent times. These tragedies virtually grabbed the attention of Western and Northern regions of India. Its the murders of Scarlett Keeling at Anjuna, Goa and Arushi Talwar in NOIDA, near Delhi we are talking about.<br />While initially, the media did play a role in bringing police incompetency to the fore in these two cases, they completely went hell-for-leather subsequently. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The media behaved like this stallion, which ran for almost two weeks till it collapsed dead… Why? Cause it had overheard that the stud farm owner tell the stable boy, “the moment those nuts bounce back into the barn, snip em off.”<br />Sure no one wants to be a gelding… But is being called an ass, any better?<br />Every tidbit, every rumour, every sliver of gossip, unconfirmed stories reported by the TV media and the print media on the Arushi-Scarlett murder, were projected as if they telling the viewer the gospel truth. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Dodgy, fishy theories floated by the police were often lassoed and then branded by the media as their own ‘investigative’ work.<br />Bob Dylan would have probably explained the credibility crisis in the media with a verse like this…<br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">No confirming facts<br />No editorial rigor<br />No editorial tact<br />Just point a gun, jerk the trigger<br /><br />Not only were these salacious, mischievous make-belief morsels just reported, they were amplified, till your ears ran shrill and you felt like scalping a journo or two yourself.<br />Perfectly respectable broadsheets had turned into yellow dossiers of journalistic verbiage. The media became an unfortunate catalyst which converted gossip to gospel.<br />We, Penpricks, saw a story in this. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">NAZI-GATE is our effort to highlight the glaring deficiencies in the media, in a language the media knows best... NAZI-GATE is an attempt by Penpricks to pay the media back in its own unworthy coin. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We believe, this expose says it all about present day journalism. An age where FANTASTIC has an edge over whatever’s REAL.<br />Ask the editors of <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun292008/scroll2008062976017.asp?section=frontpagenews">Deccan Herald</a>, <a href="http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:E569etGmHD8J:www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/top-story/88-yr-old-nazi-held-near-goa.aspx+nazi+goa+asian+age&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in">Asian Age</a>, <a href="http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:Za5-zcLwidEJ:www.deccan.com/Bengaluru/home/homedetails.asp+nazi+goa+chronicle&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in">Deccan Chronicle</a>, <a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C06%5C29%5Cstory_29-6-2008_pg7_56">Daily Times</a>, <a href="http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Nazi-war-criminal-arrested-near-Goa-airlifted-to-Berlin/329280/">Indian Express</a>, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Cops_stunned_over_Nazi_mans_capture/articleshow/3178643.cms">Times of India</a>, <a href="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080630/jsp/frontpage/story_9482062.jsp">Telegraph (Calcutta)</a>, <a href="http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20080629000956&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0">New Indian Express</a>, Gomantak Times, Dainik Gomantak, <a href="http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=6200&cid=2">Herald</a>, Goa Doot… By now they should acknowledge it… and in case they should disagree just whisper <strong><em>Perus Narkp</em></strong> in their ears… These are just some of the guys who carried the story.<br />These are the guys who actually went about ‘Bach’ing up the wrong tree… ;)<br /><strong></strong></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>So what the f… is PERUS NARKP<br />The Anagrams<br />PERUS NARKP:</strong> It’s an anagram for SUPER PRANK. Hartosh, Siddharth Vardharajan, Jonathan Allen, Rajesh Ramchandran, Krishna Prasad… you guys got this one right…<br /><strong>MARSHA TIKASH WAHNAAB: </strong>Its not Akshit, nor is it Bhawana Sharma… It’s scrambled for Shrama Shakti Bhawaan. It’s the name of the building complex in Panaji, Goa which houses the offices of the Goa Union of Journalists. Take our word on this, with Suhasini Prabhugaunkar as the union president, its no short of a concentration camp ;)<br /><strong>MALAK DULAB: </strong>Just one guy managed to crack this one… We’d said Malak Abdul heads the <strong><em>Perus Narkp</em></strong>, the intelligence wing of the German Chancellor’s Core. It’s scrambed for former president ABDUL KALAM. Since neither Perus Narkp nor German Chancellor's Core doesnt exist, the question of Malak Dulab's existence doesnt arise either.<br /><strong>EHT REA ENP CABK SKRIPC: </strong>That was a twirl of text fringing the Perus Narkp logo on the press note. We felt this should have been a give away, if there was any… But it fooled these ???? dumbkoffs ???? again for quite a while… Unscramble this and you get THE PEN PRICKS ARE BACK<br /><strong></strong></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>HOW DID WE GO ABOUT IT</strong><br />We love Bach… We simple love Bach's music. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">And such is our faith in him that we knew he’d see us through this story. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Next we scanned the internet for a suitable photograph of an old gramp from somewhere o<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqr9i3xcy8kOiJuy4D8m5KUo0IbnmqWIzv8ENSpi7NVRD3Mz36SZGTMBgMGg31ktcm2Nx-HUMoF8T1IdXEUsD78BoBAwx2KoO7nLsLFVHruRamWrkMMbZzvcKmkiBSTv8PmxIsbUxh5M/s1600-h/bach.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217979854163856866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 107px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" height="128" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqr9i3xcy8kOiJuy4D8m5KUo0IbnmqWIzv8ENSpi7NVRD3Mz36SZGTMBgMGg31ktcm2Nx-HUMoF8T1IdXEUsD78BoBAwx2KoO7nLsLFVHruRamWrkMMbZzvcKmkiBSTv8PmxIsbUxh5M/s200/bach.jpg" width="80" border="0" /></span></a></div>ut side India with obvious European features. We found one pic that suited our purpose. And attached it with the pressnote… Sorry gramps, whoever you are, wherever you are.<br /><div>Then we picked up a predictable looking German logo with an Eagle on it, using google images. And then used Micrsoft Word Art to adorn it with our logo. </span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The address on the press note is a slight variation of the official address of Berlin<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqr9i3xcy8kOiJuy4D8m5KUo0IbnmqWIzv8ENSpi7NVRD3Mz36SZGTMBgMGg31ktcm2Nx-HUMoF8T1IdXEUsD78BoBAwx2KoO7nLsLFVHruRamWrkMMbZzvcKmkiBSTv8PmxIsbUxh5M/s1600-h/bach.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span></a></div>police. We then used Yahoo Babel software to slip a few German words in, to make the press note sound official. </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The phone numbers mentioned do not lead to the Berlin police. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The signature we picked up from google images again.<br />Now the tricky part. The story.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqr9i3xcy8kOiJuy4D8m5KUo0IbnmqWIzv8ENSpi7NVRD3Mz36SZGTMBgMGg31ktcm2Nx-HUMoF8T1IdXEUsD78BoBAwx2KoO7nLsLFVHruRamWrkMMbZzvcKmkiBSTv8PmxIsbUxh5M/s1600-h/bach.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqr9i3xcy8kOiJuy4D8m5KUo0IbnmqWIzv8ENSpi7NVRD3Mz36SZGTMBgMGg31ktcm2Nx-HUMoF8T1IdXEUsD78BoBAwx2KoO7nLsLFVHruRamWrkMMbZzvcKmkiBSTv8PmxIsbUxh5M/s1600-h/bach.jpg"></a></div>The Goan media loves an easy feed. Give them an 800 word press note about a minister inaugurating a public toilet and chances are it should appear the next day, not a word changed. With the Indian media, we needed something idiotic and exotic. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The Bach story suited our bill. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In fabricating the story, we slipped in a lot of these anagrams PERUS NARKP, MALAK DULAB etc… (There’s nothing that conveys a message quicker and effectively than the fact<br /><div>that you’ve been not only proven wrong, but stupid too) </div><div>Then a thought crossed our minds… Since we had included Bach in the story, why don’t we throw in a piano for good effect too? So we included a 18th century piano, the same century Bach was born in. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqr9i3xcy8kOiJuy4D8m5KUo0IbnmqWIzv8ENSpi7NVRD3Mz36SZGTMBgMGg31ktcm2Nx-HUMoF8T1IdXEUsD78BoBAwx2KoO7nLsLFVHruRamWrkMMbZzvcKmkiBSTv8PmxIsbUxh5M/s1600-h/bach.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span></a></div>Then we turned the heat on a bit more.<br />We also stated in the press note that this fictitious SS Colonel Johann Bach too loved music and was a talented musician… And that our fictitious character was sired to Ambrosius Bach<br /><div>in Eisenach. These were the real birth details of the 18th century Bach too. Check it up on wiki.</div><div>We mailed this press note to several newspaper houses in Goa. We called three newspapers too introducing ourselves as Hamman Smit, a press official working for the Perus Narkp. The thick German accent seemed to have passed muster. In fact Suhas Belekar who works for a Marathi publication in Goa, Dainik Gomantak appeared happy and grateful to have even spoken to a person of German origin on the other end of phone. Maybe its the Aryan thing... </div><div>Once the story was picked up by the local media, the national newspaper swooped in quite literally like vultures eager to pick prey. </div><div>The story seems to have really spread quickly over the weekend. That's fine, but we sincerely hope lessons have been learnt. Hope newspaper desks anywhere in India spend a bit more time fact-checking and running checks, before letting stories through. Sure mistakes can happen, but lets not manufacture facts, shall we guys like the way Deccan Herald, Telegraph or rediff.com have done. </div><div>Over the next few days, we'll run two other parts to this story. The first part will scrutinise how this story was covered by the national press. We'll also rank the newspapers by the quality of their fibbing on this story. </div><div>The slag they have added, the issues they have tweaked. The second will look at the role of the local Goan media in allowing NAZI-GATE to happen... </div><div>Till then... </div><div>Odog Culk (DAMN... thats good luck)</div><div></div><div>P.S. Here's a copy of the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ctable%20border=%220%22%20cellpadding=%220%22%20cellspacing=%220%22%20style=%22background-color:#5D7CBA;"><tr style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align="center"><a href="http://www.esnips.com/doc/c60e633f-31ab-44dc-9d17-aaa70aadb684/ATTN-PRESS-NOTE----ARREST-OF-NAZI-WAR-CRIMINAL-ON-GOA---KARNATAKA-BORDER/?widget=documentIcon"><img title="click to ViewATTN PRESS NOTE -- ARREST OF NAZI WAR CRIMINAL ON GOA - KARNATAKA BORDER" alt="ATTN PRESS NOTE -- ARREST OF NAZI WAR CRIMINAL ON GOA - KARNATAKA BORDER" src="http://www.blogger.com/images/thumbs/thumb.doc.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align="center"><strong><a style="COLOR: #333333" href="http://www.esnips.com/doc/c60e633f-31ab-44dc-9d17-aaa70aadb684/ATTN-PRESS-NOTE----ARREST-OF-NAZI-WAR-CRIMINAL-ON-GOA---KARNATAKA-BORDER/?widget=documentIcon">ATTN PRESS NOTE --...</a></strong></td></TR'>PERUS NARKP press note </a>that started it all... </span></span></div></div>Pen Prickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00593112597907639670noreply@blogger.com62