Of Tryst with Media...

Long time no see...

As last week, I had written about how much I loved the story by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. I had commented on their website that it was indeed a sort of coming to age when you learn to come to terms with loss. Voila! They printed it on the print edition this week. I know it is no big deal, 99% of the people don't even bother to read the comments page. It is a very stupid thing, nothing to brag about but still it made me happy :) Is bahane paper me naam to aya :) I like to do such silly things, brings me closer to the hidden journalist in me. And you won't believe..the next day, there was an earthquake in Delhi. I randomly posted a comment on NDTV's forum about it. I keep doing that on many other issues. And lo and behold! The comment was posted in their article! I mean two times in two days. I know again, it's no big deal but at least it made me feel as if I am famous, howsoever fickle it may be. My cousin called me from his office that is it you who wrote! Three people in office came and asked me whether I wrote it. So funny it is. Even someone who stays in Singapore wrote on my FB wall, whether it was I who is mentioned in the article. Hehe! So this post, I am dedicating to my tryst, howsoever shallow and wannabe types it may be, with media. 

The comment in HT that was printed.

This is screen grab of the NDTV thing. Original link:

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/earthquake-in-north-india-strong-tremors-in-delhi-182693

This is when I won the NDTV Picture This weekly film contest. They gave the DVD of the movie 'A Single Man'.

And about two years ago, I met this fellow - Rajdeep Sardesai. I used to idolise him then, but not any more. His views on Twitter are so morally sanctimonious and pretentious and self congratulatory, that I totally agree with Kanchan Gupta who calls him St.Pontificate! Nevertheless, I have a picture with Rajdeep Sardesai!!

And with Suhasini Haidar, one of the best foreign policy journalists :)

And about 3-4 years back, there was this column in HT by Sushmita Bose, Single In The City. It was one of my favorite columns back then. Supercool it was..even in Wake Up Sid, the column that Konkona writes, New Girl In the City, was said to be inspired from it. When Sushmita left HT and moved to Dubai to work with the Khaleej Times, I sent her an email on her last column. And continuing with my above luck, it was printed too :)

Original link:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/LetterToEditor/To-Goodbye-and-Goodluck/Article1-334855.aspx

And this was the mail that Sushmita replied back :P

Dear Pankaj

thanks a ton for ur mail. sorry for the belated response -- but i was chilling in Lansdowne!! i felt very bad abt having to write my last column, but as they say, all good things come to an end! anyhow, hopefully i'll start blogging soon, and will keep u posted on that front. am probably leaving the country for a while (not to get married!), but will let u know exact details when everything's finalised. meanwhile, be in touch. 
best wishes

Dialogue of the day

"Jab insaan hi galat ho, toh phir kya sahi aur kya galat. Usne mere vishvaas ko toda hai. He hurt me."  - Rina, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Me