Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press

red"). He has 'seen action' in Kuwait and Iraq after his departure from Goa. Back in India after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, he wo

ikely to surprise anyone who has at least a nodding acquaintance with his brand of journalism - especially h

often looked like a one-man show. The six-to-eight page broad-sheet was Rajan Narayan's play-field, and he played with gusto - solo at times, fast and loose frequently. His output was phe

d Times was sedent

mall rented building, adjoining a bar and restaurant, on the outskirts of Panjim as the new building near the Panjim market was under construction. The bar and the building belonged to the then Mayor of Panjim, an affa

t for the readers' intelligence. I'm sorry if this view offends anyone, but the small-town mentality, the self-ser

ving introduced computers ahead of the NT, its printing was neater but the paper was replete with errors - typographical as well as

ws-stands well after 10 am on such occasions. The printing was awful - full of black patches, missing letters and blank spaces that chal

anned sectarian passions and threw norms to the wind. With its rabble-rousing shrillness, Herald managed to gain a foothold among a section of the Goan population, especially in South Goa where the NT wa

The NT was jolted out of its complacency - it was facing a challenge it had never faced before. Work on the new building

ing Editor M.M. Mudaliar was in a bad mood. His calm and composed disposition gave way to a britt

- I was on voucher payment. But he decided to give it a try and carried the piece on the front page of the Sunday Magazine. It was titled 'A peep into Goan psyche'. The column was called 'Small Talk' and

ce a week. The printing improved and new features and columns were gradually introduced. The NT had arrived. The threat from GT looked feeble no

ieved - at lea

d the NT for all the ills of the world. His frustration was beginning to show. He railed against the NT and Rane at the drop of a hat. Once, two pe

e in Vasco? Had he gone to Baina for a quickie?" The Editor's reply: "We don't enjoy the patronage of Chief Mi

days. But the fact that he changed the media scene there cannot be disputed. In my view, the fundamental error he made was to plunge into the middle of things, rather than remaining a level-headed observer that a good

of Herald, in my opinion, was to raise a breed of bright young journalists who cut their teeth in journalism there. Most of them left disillusio

gent - too pungent for many. Almost every report packed a sting in its tail. Some of the fare dished out in the guise of investigative journali

The NT, on the other hand, took a diametrically opposite stance: it skirted controversies altogether.

which Mudaliar permitted reluctantly. It must be said to Rajan Narayan's credit that he not only took my pot-shot

colleague Anthony and I decided to take a round. We saw Rajan Narayan surrounded by a group of revellers. In a red T-shirt and bermudas, with a red ribbon around his h

called on him for a job interview was to be always mindful of my reputation. "It'

a rather

year (1989), the Legislators XI led by Chief Minister Rane trounced the Press XI, led by Mudaliar. I made a passing remark that age was apparently catching up with Mudaliar. He deemed it too persona

a turning point in my career and I fondly remember my association with a wonderful people. I learned many things i

t of Mudaliar's death quite recently through an e-mail. I was saddened. I fondly recall my association with him. Despite the differences of opinio