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Monday, October 01, 2007

From the newsdesk I

Every person seems to have their own ideas about what makes a news. It is especially true if you are not a newspaper man.
This is the latest example. At around midnight a man calls up the newspaper office and demands to talk to a journalist. They had all gone home, so you are left in the office to pretend that you are one of them.
You pick up the phoen and ask, hello. The man questions back, can I speak in Marathi. You say that he may. Then he proceeds to tell you a story without as much as introducing himself.
Here's the story: A few yougsters in Koregaon Park was enjoying themselves on the weekend puffing away on the middle of the road. Then appeared a certain woman, who took upon herself the task of teaching the youngsters a lesson. She went up to the boys and told them not to smoke on the road. But boys will be boys. They promptly ignored her.
Next character to enter into the drama was a policeman, who inevitably came forward rescue the woman. (The caller did not say if the lady and the policeman knew each other, or from where he appeared.)
So what happened next was quick. The policeman start his action and beat the young chaps to his heart content and them took him to the police station, all for smoking on the street (or was it not listening to a woman.)
The caller said that he happened to be around when the incident took place. Being a sensible man he was, he follows the party to the police station and asked them that they release the boys.
But where have you found a policeman listening to a civilian?
So he called up the newspaper officer, if we could do something.
But the point is, is it worth the news?

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