AAYTYA CHITEVAR BHAAKRI BHAJNE (HAVE A WARM PYRE, WILL BAKE BREAD)

Death is often a great backdrop for those living... provided there's a photographer around, snapping it all up.

Whether Ravindra Kelekar's death really merited a day and a half long state mourning is different question altogether, but if one picks up the August 28 edition of Lokmat, one really wonders whether the photo feature on page of the newspaper was meant to be about Kelekar's death or to project his nephew Vijay Sardessai as a successor a la
 Rahul Mahajan, when his father senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan died.
Under editor Raju Nayak, Lokmat has refreshed readers at times with its livelier looking pages and young, fresh outlook -- so rare in vernacular journalism, but Raju unabashed promotion of his kin and close relatives (Vijay Sardesai is his brother in law. For the record Subodh Kerkar and Satish Sonak completes the family circle) in the newspaper makes one puke.
Out of the seven photographs published four feature Vijay Sardessai and one his wife Madhavi Sardessai.
My vote for the worst kind of nepotism...Ask anyone who works at Lokmat, they aren't too happy bout this either...

Vijay Sardessai left in a white shirt

Madhavi Sardessai left

BEER BAIT FOR GOA JOURNOS

For a brand so keen on promoting football, wonder why Kingfisher dished out a case of four premium beer cans to journos who attended the launch presser of Goa Football Association's (GFA) Pro League and not footballs.
And that too on a day soaked in rain!
Each (most actually) journo returned with a case of four beers each.
Goa Union of Journalists could try dishing out beer at the annual general body meet, they might actually secure a better attendance.
Kingfisher did a smart thing though. They ensured that the beer cans being handed out weren't chilled, fearing some sporadic fizz erupting even as the presser was underway.

One of our sympathisers mailed us these pics of the press conference bounty on Thurs...

What beer do journos in Goa like?

Answers any?

IN HINDSIGHT, THIS IS WHAT KAMAT DID BEFORE QUESTIONING NEHRU, BANDODKAR'S FORESIGHT!

On Aug 14, Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat did a lot else at a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) function, than just blame Jawaharlal Nehru and former chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar for not being foresighted enough in predicting Goa's future crises.

CSE boss Sunita Narain has a reputation for giving the corporate-government buggers sleepless nights. Ask those Coke and Pepsi.

But Digu... Digu cared a whit for Sunita and her exploits.

Please find below photos of just how attentive Digu was at the workshop which dealt with environment.

I) CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Digu strikes his favourite pose. Basically just sitting idle, doing nothing. Just the way he has served each day in office as chief minister.

II) Here's a saying Rajnikanth would be proud of. Digu has biceps... but they're in his brains

III) A BORED GLANCE...AT SUNITA PERHAP! No... not Sunita Prabhugaonkar, Sunita Narain!

 AND VOILA: Digu lets out a mighty yawn before going on to critisise two of  the tallest national and Goan leaders. Lack of foresight? Or lack of sleep?

BUREAUCRATIC BANTER: AFTER HELEN OF TROY, HERE COMES SIDDHI BOY

Meet Siddhivinayak Naik, undersecretary home in the Goa government. If Helen's (of Troy) smile moved a thousand ships in the classical ages, Siddhivinayak's mere signature stalls seven of them these days...
A key man in the state home department, Mr Siddhivinayak is fondly known as the casino man in the administration. No obvious malice intended. Poor chap worked overnight at times literally to ensure that the lincenses to the off shore casino vessels were issued in time.
This photograph of Mr Siddhivinayak picked from his Facebook (published exactly the way it is) wall incidentally has received interesting feedback from his bureaucrat friends.
Bureaucrats rarely reveal much. But some of the comments, especially those by his colleague in administration Michael D'Souza deserve special attention..

COMMENTS

Nikhil Desai: vakdo hero dista.... sarko dis mare,,,
15 August 2009 at 11:19 · Report

  

Michael D'Souza: clip and turn clockwise..... i gather u have the habit of turning anticlockwise
28 August 2009 at 13:27 · Report

(got more candid, interesting pics of newsmakers do send em across to this blog)  

FUKAT CHAI

The way most cops like to start their day... a free cup of tea without stepping out of their car... This happened near the old patto bridge around 11 am Fridayish...
Got more of these... mail em here

Update -- media

Former Fomento VP corp comm Sujoy Gupta likely to join Herald Cable News as boss on Sept 15...

A HAGIOGRAPHER OR A PRICKED CONSCIENCE

How often have we seen this!
This tall lanky guy, ruffled kurta, flowing hair and a pointed finger, screaming about whats wrong with the government/s, but somehow never directly about the man/men running the government/s. 
Nandakumar Kamat is on a mission now. One that none of us really seem to know fully about. Nandu as he is fondly called, is on a very obvious trouble shooting spree, by the looks of it for chief minister Digambar Kamat after his controversial remarks on special status for Goa. Nandu says its his conscience pricking him... Before you to decide...
Below reproduced is an email sent by Nandu to Goa Doot, a Marathi newspaper which has been slamming Kamat for his 'Special Status' comments (Kamat in his speech on Aug 14 at a CSE programme had hinted that the Goan leadership of the sixties had erred in not asking then premier Nehru for special status for Goa, thus casting aspersions on former chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar)...

Letter written sometime Monday/Tuesday

To,

Shri

Goadoot,

Dear

At the very outset let me make it clear that I am writing this mail to you purely out of my own conscience and have no instruction from anyone to do so. I have already talked to you on this matter and mentioned that what Goa doot has reported is not objective. You have the right to criticize the CM and his policies but the matter in question here is a case where I have evidence to the contrary.

As a member of the audience present in the conference hall on Aug. 14 evening alongwith my wife  when the Hon. CM, Goa made his speech during the concluding function of CSE’s workshop, I am shocked by  the way the said speech has been completely distorted by your newspaper. I had recorded the speech in two videoclips and the part/points  your paper referred has been covered in second videoclip. I went through the recording again to check and verify whether the version given by your paper was correct, but nowhere in his speech did the CM made any reference to late CM Mr. D.B.Bandodkar or criticised him as alleged. What he implied was Goans were not prepared with a demand for asking a special status after liberation when Pandit Nehru was perhaps in a mood to oblige.

It is for your goodself  to go through the videoclips uploaded on you tube for open public viewing.

The weblinks are

Part I of the speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEPH5mVe4OY

Part II (where CM makes reference to special status)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnOK0TTL1PQ

This mail is sent in good faith as a reader of Goadoot to which I have also contributed a special article on May 22 as per your request in the past.

I expect your paper to give the readers the correct and objective situation. The YouTube videoclip transcripts can help. The CM , I reiterate, did not say anything against the interests of Goa and Goans or our beloved first CM and leader of masses late shri  Bhausaheb Bandodkar.

Nandkumar Kamat

ENDS

Editors and musical chairs

Former editor of the Gomantak Times Sujoy Gupta  could soon be joining the Herald. Derek Almeida is making a move to The Navhind Times, as a one-down editor, likely to be second in command to Arun Sinha.
Dunno about Herald editor Ashwin Tombat... least we can expect is that he at least knows about these goings on...

Note: Protocol demands a prelude to this post, explaining what this blog stands for and what going to be written on it. It will be explained in a post soon... very soon...