reat party always
and I had a wow of a time.

Chapter 21:
From journalist... to publisher

Niraj NaikNiraj Naik, known for his coverage of rural and remote
Goa in the 'nineties, is today publisher and editor of
the Digital Goa. This fortnightly, the only specialist
publication of its kind in Goa -- covers the IT
industry in the state. He has worked in the Delhi
media, and was located for some time in Malaysia.

Without doubt, one owes one's career in journalism to
the emergence of Konknni (Devnagari) journalism with
the launch of Sunaparant. One was then still a
college-going lad, having very strong views on the
number of issues. The Konknni agitation was at its peak
and I was a staunch Konknni supporter. On a parallel
track, one had also started questioning not only the
obvious excesses flowing from religious fundamentalism
but also ritualism and, subsequently, the very concept
of God.

It was a time when I was also leaning towards
socialism. Contrary to the projected image, life around
you in Goa can tend to get suffocating. Given my rural
background, I wouldn't have had confidence to write in
the English-language newspapers, and the bitterness
generated in those days over the language issue
prevented me to opt for Marathi.

So, the launch of first Devnagari-Konknni daily Sunaparant
gave me the much needed platform to express myself.
There was no looking back after that, and I wrote
hundreds of articles in Sunaparant to make a vent to my
inner feelings. Gradually, I switched my interest
towards current affairs and hard news. In the meantime,
one had a short stint as an activist, working on the
number of socio-economic and environmental issues
confronting Goa. But, my temperament did not allow me
to stay there for long and I decided to come back to
active journalism.

Herald was my obvious choice, given its image as the
'activist' newspaper and, at that time, being the only
paper which had escaped from the clutches of
all-pervading mining lobby, which till recently
controlled most of the Goa press. My first pieces were
a series on the socio-environmental impact of iron ore
transportation in the village of remote Sanvordem, a
problem that is otherwise very seldom noticed in
distant Panaji, more so in the world of the
English-language press.

It was one of the first comprehensive documentation of
the explosive situation prevailing in this part of
Sanguem Taluka, due to the unbridled ore transportat