I know most Goans on the Net who know me personally, will wonder if I've gone nuts, to give such a subject line. But before I actually get down to jotting this post, may I draw your attention to Goa's very FIRST e-book, written by former and current working journalists who worked in Goa. Titled *BEHIND THE NEWS: VOICES FROM GOA'S PRESS* is downloadable from: http://www.mediaah.com/Mediaah!DownloadManager.htm
This 112-page book, comprises of some 18 articles, some of which inevitably touch that new chapter in Goan print journalism: oHERALDo. To those of you who are interested in this post, I strongly recommend that some of the first-hand experiences of journalists who worked with Rajan Narayan, be read. You'll get a better of what I say below. In today's *Parting is such Sweet Sorrow* at www.rajannarayan,com, the ex-Editor of Herald of course, and naturally, spews disdain at his former colleagues and disparaging remarks on the sons of his former employer. This is Narayan's futile attempt to pre-empt the credibility of some of those who contributed to the e-book, AFTER having read what his former colleagues wrote about him in the e-book, published Oct. 10. In the apparent mindlessness, Rajan seeks to palm off as facts some blatant lies, to my first-hand knowledge, which I shall quote and enumerate: 1. *I came to Goa on October 1, 1983, with a single experienced colleague, Vaidyanathan.* Rajan first came to Goa on a two-day paid trip sometime in early August-1983. He thereafter shifted to Panjim, bag and baggage, and alone sometime early to mid-September, 1983. Together with me (I had been ordained to be Chief Reporter by the Fernandes' even before Rajan was hired), Rajan went about recruiting local correspondents, sub-editors, proof-readers and clerical staff, dressed in long sleeves and an out of fashion tie. 2. *When I arrived, I was dismayed to find that there were no teleprinters, no typewriters and no staff.* The Fernandes' may have tried to economise on furniture and qualified staff, but this was NOT the position. I said earlier that Rajan arrived in early-September and alone. The Mumbai team (Vaidyanathan, Sushil Silvano) arrived much later, towards end-September, AFTER teleprinters, typewriters and staff were in place. The congenital liar may have forgotten that a full-fledged preview edition of the English version oHERALDo to-be, was produced and distributed free throughout Goa some weeks before Herald hit the stands on Oct. 10, 1983! 3. *I hired Devika Sequeira, the only person who had some experience of working for the print media. And then took on anyone who walked in.* What he leaves unsaid is what happened AND HOW to the man who was already chosen to be Chief Reporter BEFORE Rajan was himself chosen to be Editor. (Refer to my chapter, *oHERALDo: the untold story* in the e-book.) Instead, at the tailend, Rajan seeks to tell me a parable of caterpillars and butterflies! The second sentence quoted above is another lie. (See Frederick Noronha's take in the e-book, *The banyan tree: working under Rajan*) Staff were often interviewed not just once, but even twice. The sentence is designed to deprecate excellent journalists such as Fred, Bosco de Souza Eremita and others (novices at the time no doubt, just as much as Rajan was to Editorship, if I may add). In saying so, Rajan little realises he is insulting Goan intelligence, which he claims to protect and from whom he now seeks monetary help to start his IGO. In the same breath (towards the end of his piece, he proclaims *we shall overcome all the forces of fundamentalism and of obscurantism that our (sic) (are?) holding back the full flowering of the Goan genius and capacity for excellence. Surely, if Goans can excel worldwide, they can excel in Goa.* The diametric opposite of what he now preaches, was what Rajan often practiced (may not be in all cases) during the 20 years of his stewardship of the Herald. But those who know him closely enough, will also know him for such incorrigible double-speak! And as an inveterate liar. 4. *In nine days flat, we set up the minimum infrastructure, and on the 10th of October, 1983, the English edition of oHeraldo, a full-fledged daily newspaper, was launched.* Tell that to the marines, Rajan! Far too many people are still around to pin your lies. At least one, Norman Dantas, *the full flowering* of whose genius you permitted in a particularly edifying manner, is alas no more in our midst. 5. *And within two months, we were confronted with the kind of challenge that even the most established paper and the most veteran journalist would be a little uneasy about. Suddenly, it was decided to hold the Commonwealth Heads of Government Retreat in Goa. * Check the man's sheer audacity. The entire country would know that even before the Asiad was held in New Delhi in March-1983, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, had announced plans to hold the CHOGM retreat in Goa. There was nothing so *sudden* about it! Virtually an entire 5-star deluxe resort (The Taj Hermitage - didn't get any hospitality there, did you?), helipads at the Sinquerim plateau and at Dhauje near Old Goa, a dock at Old Goa and the Land Acquisition and widening/hot-mixing of an entire road from Dabolim via Cortalim, Panjim, Sangolda and Calangute to Sinquerim were surely not built within TWO MONTHS? !! St. Rajan, indeed! ... and the unkindest cut of all, 6. *Since with the exception of a gentlemen called Andrew, there were no experienced production people, the sons of the late A.C. Fernandes used to help out. I used to dictate the editorial close to midnight to the eldest son of the founder publisher at the Pio Bar...* It is for the sons of the late A.C. Fernandes to comment on this one, let me only say from personal knowledge that at least one stenographer and one typist were recruited for the Herald BEFORE Oct. 10, 1983!! Trust your money into the hands of such an unprincipled, opportunistic and wily liar, my dear gullible Goans! Regards/Valmiki ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
