Her stories from the rustic Goa speak of the little joys and sorrows of simpleton commoners - the bahujan samaj which has remained silent and neglected for decades. She’s written 34 books over the past 35 years and with her latest book, The Salt of the Earth, Sahitya Academy Awardee Jayanti Naik addresses the issues of 'aam aadmi' and gives voice to their woes, especially the women in rural Goa
Photo Credits: Konkani Academy Jayanti Naik - Narayan Pissurlenkar_4
Though she does not claim to be a feminist writer, women have, unknowingly, remained the core of all her expressions and Jayanti Naik does not totally deny that. “Literature is the mirror image of life, a reflection of the society in which we live. What unknowingly has found its way in my writings is what I saw and felt around me in the rural setup of a small village Amona in Quepem where I grew up and still continue to live! The characters in my stories are often hand-picked from the people I have met on my journey of life, some of whom have, in some way or the other, made lasting impressions,” states Jayanti whose latest book, The Salt of the Earth was released on December 10. This book is a collection of 11 of her stories from rustic Goa translated from Konkani into English by Augusto Pinto.
Jayanti admits that at heart her passion has been to understand Goa and to do so, she believes, “One has to trace the roots and branches of its culture to the mainstream of Indian culture.” Her wish to bring this real Goa to the notice of the people will surely find expression through the translations of her stories offering a glimpse into the true nature of Goan society.
Jayanti’s foray into the world of literature was too early, soon after her high school days were over. She penned her first story Vanvaa in Marathi when she was a higher secondary student in 1980 which was published and appreciated. Then she gave a poetic expression to her innermost feelings in Konkani and this very first poem bagged a prize. Finding it easier to express in her mother tongue, Jayanti then, stepped in the world of words and never looked back. Today this Sahitya Academy Award winning writer boasts of having 34 books to her credit, some of which have been translated to other languages - Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam and English.
“My Sahitya Academy award winning book, Athang, is currently being translated into Kannada by Dinesh Nayak,” briefs this prolific writer who is known for her woman-centric writing for over 35 years. Her scholarly works are related either to research oriented folklore or are part of her creative literature - and both invite a lot of attention from the critics as well as fans. Jayanti, 54, who has contributed to drama, short stories and children’s literature, has also compiled and translated books from other languages into Konkani. “The only form of literature that I have not handled so far is a novel but I am working on one,” announces Jayanti, who was the first person to earn a doctorate from Goa University's department of Konkani.
Words wooed her at an early age. Books shaped her childhood and sowed the seeds of imagination in her mind. A protected girl child in the early years, Jayanti turned to books when she fell short of playmates. Growing up in the company of books and people, her receptive mind absorbed whatever she saw and heard. Her home was a frequently visited place by the villagers. The plots for her future stories probably seeped deep into her subconscious - unknowingly in that tender age.
Jayanti shares, “My late mother Radhai was a strict disciplinarian; however she was a helpful soul. Popular in the neighbourhood for her interactive nature, she was a people person. My late father Namdeo had a fascination for Marathi plays. He often acted and directed plays. At any given time his room used to be full of books on drama. For the hungry and voracious reader in me, it was a feast. I read almost every single book that fell in my hands from whichever source. There was no absolutely no discrimination to what I could or could not read. To be frank having no choice in those formative, I couldn't stick to a particular author or ideology. Whatever was available easily was accepted religiously.”
She remembers, like any girl of her age, her adolescence too was filled with Hindi pocket books, Marathi suspense stories and romantic novels. Jayanti recalls reading Diamond Pocket Books, Baburao Arnalkar, Gurunath Naik, Baba Kadam and even Chandrakant Kakodkar (albeit in some hideout) - apart from Diwali magazines and newspapers. “It was much later that I could choose what I wanted to read. As I came into contact with the serious literature of great writers in different languages I found that there is a similarity, a link in every culture that ties them together and to the societal network. I was curious to know what lay beneath our own Konkani culture,” shares Jayanti who admits being impressed by the depth, vastness and greatness of Marathi literature.
The folklore always fascinated her. The heard and unheard tell tales, the myths, the beliefs, the rituals and traditions weaved into the social fabric that surrounded her tiny village gripped her mind and took hold of her psyche. “I couldn’t shrug these out of my mind even if I wished to, and all those untold tales that were once absorbed by the subconscious mind, were later spilled, in the form of unheard and untold stories and essays. It was so enchanting and mesmerising that I felt I should give justice to the characters I encountered and their never-told stories through my writing. The line between facts and stories was really thin and I wished I could unearth the truth.”
It was then that she chose ‘folklore’ as her subject for PhD from Mysore University. “There is so much to know and to write about Goa. Our rich culture has so much to offer. If we do not understand and underline it, our future generations will have no clue of what their ancestors had left behind for them or which they have actually missed,” Jayanti argues.
Writers like her aim to be messengers that carry forward the legacy of our rich ancient culture and its ethos. On a parting note Jayanti announces, “I have not taken to writing for self-gratification, I follow a bigger aim. Writing comes to me as a social obligation. Let me perform my role as a social and cultural ambassador with the powerful backing of a pen as it can surely awaken the sleeping masses. Apart from offering joy of reading, literature can evoke the sensitivity in the society. We are losing our cultural values. Morality is fading too. Someone has to save these from falling apart. Literature has the capacity to hold these on and pass it over to GenNext. Our youth are confused and in the absence of roots, are floating aimless. Literature, as a guiding force, can lead them to shore.”
