Dheeraj Kalgutkar

It not only takes your right to question the second occurrence but also opens a cycle that is hard to break.   First things are always the first. How lame a sentence, isn’t it? But seriously; Good, bad or ugly, firsts set the precedent and it’s always important to make note of them. When an error, a mistake, a crime, an event where norm or law is broken for the first time, it is important to stop and question it then and there. However small or insignificant it may seem at first, it needs to be called out for what it is. A mistake. You don’t ignore it because it doesn’t matter and not affect your flow of work. It might not affect you now but believe me it will come to haunt you tomorrow and then you will have nothing to do about it except to regret. That’s exactly what I did last week when I went home.  I had marriage of a family member to attend to at one side of Goa, a small Indian state famous for its pristine beaches, old churches and Portuguese era ar...

internet image   Railway stations, bus stops are places where you find people from across the social fabric, from middle class to ultra poor to children and to old. So yesterday when I had to board one bus from Karwar to Goa, I found one old lady or rather she found me. I had seen her before sitting myself on the bench kept for waiting travelers as she boarded off a bus but didn't noticed much. It was not any rare sight to see people in their seventies and eighties traveling alone while their children kept themselves 'busy', we have all grownup watching such scenes. So I was sitting there talking to my cousin who had given me lift on his bike till there. In the middle of that conversation she came and sat beside me. Not that I was any special but coincidentally that was the only place available. So after a minute or so, she asked me if she can use my cellphone to make a call. The thing at that time was that I had two phones, one which is not so audible bu...

Of late I have received lot of flak for 'blindly' following Senior Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai from that fracas at Madison Square Garden to recent 'item girl' remarks at literary fest where Sardesai was in talks with Shobhaa De. I still stand with my decision of tweeting all those #IStandWithRajdeep tweets but what has suddenly surprised and worried me is his last night's tweet, which read: "Big day for my Goa. Two GSBs, both talented politicians become full cabinet ministers. Saraswat Pride!! @manoharparrikar and Suresh Prabhu." What's wrong in it? Exactly. There wasn't any wrong until you and I tweet anything as such. I too was born in Goa and am proud of the state. Further I was little pained over Parrikar's resignation as he was leaving Goa but was happy that we were having first cabinet minister from the state! But I didn't tweeted anything. There's no fault in tweeting; you have your right to expression, freedom of speec...

Namaaz : Muslim boy praying. Call it a science or religious obligation, fasting is part of many religions as a thanksgiving or penance for the gift almighty has bestowed upon them and Islam is no different. Muslims worldwide await the glimpse of new moon to mark the  beginning of holy month of Ramadan when they begin their fast from dusk till dawn. If I remember well the words of Imam, a  Muslim  priest I met during my early days in Goa when I used to visit a nearby mosque with mum regularly,  Muslims believe that the Koran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan. To mark this sacred occasion, they go without food and liquids, smoking and having sex during daylight hours for a month. It all  made little sense then for I was a kid who believed life was for fun and games, and they required you to feed your tummy well! But with time I do have understood the importance of fasting in our life. From detoxification to its deeper religious m...

For those who rely on adventurous sports or places driven by nature's glory in and around Goa, Dudhsagar is no new name to your dictionary. With picturesque forest covered mountains at rear, a railway bridge before it and milk ( Dudh in India stands for milk and Saga r for ocean, that's how this falls got its name! ) sprawling from uncanny mountain range, it is a sight one would crave to watch and cherish forever; and euphoric tourists from abroad lined for tickets at ticket-counter speak exactly that. How do you go there? Not so tough heady task. Once you reach Goa, the work is almost done, the place is quite famous that anybody will get you to the heavenly spot ( not to falls but ticket counter of course! ). The actual bargain begins from here on. First and foremost, if you have come with a private vehicle of yours, you are stopped little far from where tickets are issued and you are made to walk for about 5-10 minutes, depends how you put your steps or how bad shoppin...

It just took little more than few fractions of seconds to an Autorikshaw driver to stop his passenger carrier in the middle of NH-17, Karwar-Goa bridge over the River Kali and to jump off the railings into full fledged sea that flowed in its total power beneath the lifeline. It's been more than 48 hours by now but officials who are relentlessly searching for him are still clueless of his body or whereabouts. His relatives and villagers have relentlessly been crowding over the Kali bridge as time is hopelessly passing by without providing any fruitful lead into the suicidal havoc that has just been played in front of some of their eyes. Cops too have been travelling to & fro from one place to another hoping to recover his body but so far no amount of success has arrived onto their hands. Meanwhile bizarre stories as always are getting fuelled and travelling from every untraseable corner you could imagine off. The man whose body has still not been recovere...