Goa's varied media history subject of new 'in black and white' book
PANJIM, May 11: Goa got Asia's first Western-style
printing
press four-and-half centuries ago, but an English-language
daily newspaper began here only in 1963.
These facts emerge from a just-published book that looks at
the history of the post-Liberation newspaper scenario in the
country's smallest State, but one which has had an active
and colourful media history.
Titled 'In Black and White', the book covers the period from
the launch of The Navhind Times, in 1963, till recent times.
It also looks at papers which were started and didn't
continue in operation -- like the West Coast Times, the Novem
Goem (in Konkani), and sometimes refers to the crop of
Portuguese
newspapers which didn't survive the post-1961
changes.
A 13-page elaborate index gives a hint of the many
publications, personalities and issues that have been
connected with the media here -- English-language, Konkani
and Marathi -- in the past four-and-half decades.
Konkani journalism in Goa gets a detailed look, with
insightful details into the padyatra (long trek by foot), and
subsequent launch, of the publicly-funded 'Novem Goem',
analysing why that newspaper found it difficult to survive.
Likewise, former editor of the 'Ixtt' weekly from Pilar, Fr
Peter Raposo sfx makes a case for publications in Romi
Konkani, and suggests that this script and dialect is
precariously posed. It urgently needs resuscitation to ensure
that it continues in existance.
Devanagari Konkani journalism in Goa is also critically
analysed by former Sunaparant editor Raju Nayak, in the book
which is edited by journalist Frederick Noronha, and has some
22 chapters contributed by 20 different journalists.
Journalist-turned-Margao mayor Valmiki Faleiro, now back to
serious writing, contributes two chapters, which describe the
situation in the 1970s and 1980s, when attempts were underway
to promote media diversity in the State.
Former Gomantak Times news editor, Elston Soares, narrates
how that newspaper was launched, some 20 years ago, amidst
challenging times, from the Sant Inez locality of Panjim.
Other contributors to this 216-page book (Rs 195, available
at Broadway's, Panjim) include Canada-based journo and
novelist Ben Antao, Gulf and Canada-based Eugene Correia,
Paul J Fernandes, and The Hindu journalist R. K. Nair.
Also other contributors are Melvyn Misquita of Herald, Daryl
Pereira (now in the UK), Gulf-based Vishvas Paul D Karra,
editor Derek Almeida, journalist-author Tony Martin,
horticulturist-writer Miguel Braganza, Shiv Kumar (Mumbai),
business jouro Rahul Goswami, veteran sports writer Cyril
D'Cunha, entrepreneur-publisher Niraj Naik, metro editor Raju
Nayak, and investigative scribe Mayabhushan Nagvenkar.