The literary scene in Goa is growing and with the abundance of literary fests and other festivals of ideas the literary capacity of the Goan mind will continue to expand and imbibe over the next few years. Add to that the number of local publishing houses that have been started in the last few years and the movement to revive local and state-level libraries and you know Goa’s literary future is in good hands
When we look at literature in a broader sense, there is thewriter, reader, publisher, libraries, bookshops, other institutions bothgovernmental and private etc. etc. Therange of issues that must be covered are therefore rather vast. Here we arejust taking a peripheral view of Literature in Goa in the immediate and nearfuture.
There are innumerable book launches, art exhibitions, filmclubs and festivals taking place through the year. From the Book Clubs whichare held in different parts of the state like the Goa Book Club which focusesonly on Goa books and the others held at Literati, Goa Chitra and elsewhere. Toprogrammes which focus on children like the hugely innovative and successful Bookworminitiative and others like Bebook and the Children’s Tiatr Festival organizedby the Tiatr Academy of Goa which is now in its third year. The events are heldat state venues like the Kala Academy, Ravindra Bhavan, or private centres likeXavier Centre for Historical Research, Literati Bookshop, International CentreGoa, Sunaparanta etc., This seems to be a reflection of the interest of thepeople in the burgeoning cultural scene in Goa and this is borne out by thefact that new centres continue to open, like the Carpe de Diem which hasrecently opened in Majorda. The Goa Writer’s Group which nurtures writers ofvarious hues has also played a role in the literary scene in the last few yearsand is the mainstay behind the Goa Arts and Literature Festival.
Goa has been home to a rich literary and cultural traditionand there are many talented writers who are producing novels for adults andchildren, as well as works of non fiction. Maria Aurora Couto’s first book (thesecond is to be published soon) A Daughter’s Story, intertwines history withher personal narrative and has given a nuanced understanding of Goa to theoutside world. Victor Rangel Ribeiro’saward winning novel Tivolem recreates life in Goa in the pre-independence era.Margaret Mascerenhas with both Skin and The Disappearance of Irene Santos hasmelded the two worlds of literature, Goan and South American. Savia Viegas in her novel Let Me Tell YouAbout Quinta as in the earlier novella Tales From the Attic, brings to life thecomplex and often dark world of a Catholic family over the decades,incorporating difficult techniques of story telling. Rahul Srivastava’s teendetective story, The Murder on Kaandoha Hill which is to be reprinted soon andVenita Coelho’s humorous kid’s book Dungeon Tales have both seen success.Manohar Shetty, who is a poet in his own right and has just come out with a newbook Body Language, has also done a yeoman service by compiling a collection ofwritings on Goa, Ferry Crossing which continues to fly off the shelves as doesa newer collection Reflected in Water. Amruta Patil has come out with her graphic novels Kari and the latestone Adi Parva, to join a select band of graphic novelists in India. Thebrilliant cartoonist late Mario Miranda who found inspiration in the Goanlandscape and people and whose cartoons and sketches are timeless, is the kindof genius that hopefully will be nurtured in the years to come.
An important part of the Goan literary community, are the very talented writers ofGoan origin living outside Goa who are producing consistently creditable workslike Eunice D’souza , Nisha D’cunha, Tanya Mendonsa and Sonia Faleiro for example. The late DomMoraes, brilliant poet and memoirist is of course one of the most prominentnames that comes to mind and Em and theBig Hoom by Jerry Pinto is one of the most significant novels to come out inrecent times. The reverse scenario is that with Goa becoming the place ofchoice to reside in, there are many established writers and others of artisticinclinations who now live here either through the year or for large parts ofthe year. The iconic writer Amitav Ghosh, Saeed Mirza, Sudhir Kakar, SudeepChakravarti, Kishwar Desai, Siddharth Dhanvant Shangvi…. are just some of thenames. The late Prabuddha Dasgupta, the exceptionally talented Dayanita Singh aresome of the photographers who have told many stories through their books ofphotography, and in doing so have found inspiration in Goa…Edge of Faith, GoAway Closer, House of Love …. This hadall added enormously to the richness of the literary community.
The flip side of thefestival culture is that the festivals which involved the larger community likethe Fontainhas Festival and the Mapusa Festival (poetry readings) haveunfortunately shut shop due to lack of government and other support. Thesefestivals must be revived as they really brought art, literature and music tothe streets and to everyone. While you can have a Think Fest (if only theywould shift the venue), the fact is that the Fontainhas Festivals and othersuch inclusive festivals should be revived and encouraged. Just like hugelysuccessful and laudable events like the D.D. Kosambi Lectures which brings inthe mainstream public must continue to flourish. The Goa Arts & LiteratureFestival seems to have taken the cue and is hosting the festival at differentvenues this year including the Kala Academy.
Looking at the present status of libraries in Goa, the newlybuilt modern Central Library in Panjim has attracted a lot of people, adultsand children to become members and is reviving the library culture. This isperhaps the first step in reviving libraries at the Panchayats level which arenow largely defunct. There can be no more evolved society in literary termsthan one where books are available at the local level to all people. This will hopefullybe a reality once again in 2020. Supporting this is the number of small butimportant publishing houses like The Other India Bookstore, Goa 1556, CinnamonTeal, Amazing Goa Publications, Printer’s Devil etc. etc. which continue toflourish due to the dedicated people behind them. Similarly independent bookstores like OIB, Literati, Confidant and Broadway must be supported andencouraged even if Flipkart and online buying is more convenient. New formatslike e books, kindles etc. are an advantage as it will help bring the writtenword to the new tech savvy generation and hopefully rekindle an interest inbooks in the younger generation.
Moving away from the largely English literary scene we havebeen talking about, the Konkani and Marathi literary tradition has always beena mainstay of the Goan community. Not only have there been books published bythe Goa Konkani Academy and the Dalgado Konknni Academy, but initiatives likethe Konkani (Romi Lipi) Literary and Cultural Conference and literary competitionsbeing held by DKA are what encourage younger and more undiscovered writerswhich are very important to keep the tradition alive. The recognition andawards of the Sahitya Academy for books in the Konkani language has also been amilestone for the Konkani language. Awards and prizes from local institutionsand the government have also been very welcome. The establishment of PublishingHouses like Sanjeevani Prakashan and Rajhauns Prakashan has encouragedchildren’s literature in Konkani. Writers like Bhai Damodar Mauzo, PundalikNaik, and the late Ravindra Kelekar etc. whose books have brought Konkaniliterature to speakers of other languages are instrumental in the cross over ofliterature between the different languages and their audiences. In a few more years the diversity in writingof Konkani, English and Marathi literature will hopefully complement eachother’s growth which will mean a more and more vibrant literary scene, with agrowth in the audience of those with a real interest and love for literature.This will percolate down to the younger generations and salons and sammelanswill increase as will the numbers in the audience. Whether the confusion in theissue of the Medium of Instruction which continues to persist in the state willhave an adverse fall out on the language will depend on how the Government andthe key players handle this issue in the near future.
In the Goa of 2020 all forms of story telling, whether it bethe written book or oral and visual story telling, will become a part of theeveryday landscape across the state. The popularity of tiatr and plays bygroups like the Mustard Seed Art Company lend credence to this. Goa in 2020 will truly live up to itsmeaning Aparanta.
Diviya Kapur and her bookshop is easily one of the most significant melting pots of writers, intellectuals and most importantly book lovers. Kapur has raised the bar of intellectual discourse by assembling the finest minds from across the country and the world to come to Goa. Literati, her book store is the most preferred venue for all book releases in Goa .She is also a part of Bebook, which is a mobile library for underprivileged children in Goa.
