Good literature is emerging from the Goan Diaspora
Poet and former journalist Manohar Shetty was of the opinion that there were a lot of very good young writers of Goan origin, now settled abroad. “I’ve discovered some very fine writers and Canada, UK and Australia of Goan origin. They have grown up in a different critical climate, where the standards are much higher than Goa, so it has influenced their work, and you can see it in the quality of their work, be it short stories and novels,” said Shetty, calling it “pleasantly surprising.” “These are writers who write in English who have strong roots in Goa,” he said, naming Selma Carvalho, Derek Mascarenhas, and Suneeta Peres Da Costa.
When asked about what he felt of the scene in Goa, Shetty was optimistic about it as well.
“In Goa itself, there is a new group of young writers which has also come up, like Prakash S. Parienkar, who have followed the old guard like Damodar Mauzo, Pundalik Naik and the others. There are some writers of great promise who are coming up,” he said.
Newer forms of writing have emerged right from rural areas to urban spaces
Award winning author Pandurang Gaonkar, who is also the executive editor of Goa’s only Konkani daily, Bhangaarbhui, said that there had been a lot of positive changes in the literature scene in the past two decades or so. “I have literally seen the changes. Earlier, only a few people had a voice in literature, but now, literature has emerged right from the rural up to the urban areas. Newer forms of literature are emerging,” Gaonkar said.
Gaonkar also lauded Goan literature for having contributors from a host of languages. “We are diverse with literature in Konkani, Marathi, English and there is even some writing in Hindi,” he said. He also opined that it was literary awards from the Sahitya Akademi, Maharashtra State government, Goa State government, Gomantak Vidya Niketan, Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Konkani Akademi, and Marathi Akademi which also encourage the youth.
We need more writing in Konkani, and more translations from Konkani
Leonard Fernandes, the co-founder of Cinnamon Teal Publishing, who’s been in the self-publishing business for over a decade, had a lot to say about the need to tell Goan stories in Konkani.
“For Goan stories, I’d rather have more translations, than people writing in English,” said Fernandes, adding that while he was not generalising, he had noticed that English didn’t always come naturally to people who could tell the stories from Goan villages.
“I don’t want to generalise, but writing well in English doesn’t necessarily mean you are familiar with the people and practices of Goa. People more familiar with the Goan social milieu are usually better at expressing themselves in Konkani, which is why we need more translations,” he said.
Fernandes also lamented that Konkani was “probably the most under-translated language, both in terms of volume, and the number of people translating from Konkani.”
Citing the example of Damodar Mauzo’s “Karmelin”, Fernandes called it “one of the best stories about Goa,” and pointed out that it was not originally in English.
Speaking about Goans appreciating literature, he said he did not find it that high in the public domain.
“Whenever we organise book discussion/readings in the South (at The Dogears Bookshop), very few people show up,” he said, giving the most recent example of a book discussion organised on Ivo de Figueiredo’s “A Stranger at my Table” held on November 30.
“Five people turned up, one of whom was family,” he said.
Goan literature has started reflecting reality
Konkani author and poet Nayana Adarkar expressed joy that the literature in Goa had moved away from writing about all the goody-goody things, and that writers were now making efforts to write about realities in society.
“Writers are making efforts to mirror the happenings around them in terms of injustice to women, and a lot of writers have touched the subject more boldly than in the past,” Adarkar said.
Goan writers now write more about history, which may not appeal to everyone
Author and poet Frederika Menezes felt that Goa-based writers had started writing more along the lines of History in recent times. “Not all readers, or book lovers may like reading these kind of books,” she said, adding that the language in which books were written could also be a barrier.
Author and artist Savia Viegas described the atmosphere at the GALF which she said had been growing progressively for the last nine years to embrace an audience who was now coming on their own.
Goans settled outside could do a little more to help
Bombay-based Jerry Pinto, part of the long list of writers who belong to the Goan diaspora, was of the opinion that Goans settled outside Goa could do a little more to help the Goan scene by way of a little more encouragement. However, he added that it was “an individual choice.”
Speaking about the changes he’s observed in the Goan literature scene over the years, Pinto said that what encouraged him was that there was a lot of publishing happening in Goa.
“What often happens with smaller states is that they look to the outside for validation and for publication and it often doesn’t come. So it’s much better to have a vibrant publishing scene inside the State,” he said. He also said that it was encouraging that there were so many newspapers, magazines and websites where people could write, and express their views.
“All this will contribute not just to a good writing scene, but to democracy, because we need a polyphony of voices speaking and in many different ways so that our sense of who we are is expanded by this,” he said.
We need to cultivate an audience for literature right from school
“I really love the intimacy of this year’s festival. There was a lot of buzz, people interacting, sharing memories, which is really nice. I find the atmosphere heart-warming. But I lament that this atmosphere doesn’t live in Goa’s schools. This is the age group that one has to cater to,” Dr Savia Viegas said.
Viegas said that an audience for literature had to be created from a young age.
“I remember reading a book on the cultivation of museum audiences in France. Two researchers had done this intense study on how France goes out of its way to create an audience right from school children, so that when they grow up, these things are habit for them,” she explained.
Elaborating more on the scene in Goa, she said, “The kind of apathy that exists in school about literature be it Goan, world, Sanskrit, Hindi, or regional literature is appalling. We as citizens have to intervene in little ways to see that the learning experience for students also incorporates literature and art. These are languages in which they can understand themselves.”
Viegas, the author of several works, including Penguin-published “Let me tell you about Quinta”
“We have yet to build an ecology that supports literature”
said that people from outside Goa commented on her work much better than people in Goa. “My stories are Goan stories, and literature tells us about the lives we’ve lived and witnessed. Don’t people want to introspect and improve their lives?” she questioned.
Goa still has a long way to go
Author Venita Coelho felt Goa has certainly had more writers and more literary events now than earlier.
“MOG is doing a wonderful job of promoting conversations around literature. But for the potential that Goa has as a creative and literary hub we still have a long way to go,” said Coelho.
Coelho also said that anywhere in the world, only the best-seller and the best-selling author grabbed attention, when the true value is in recognising quality work without the acclamation.
“That is the real job of a creative ecology that truly supports literature. We have yet to build that,” she said.
Why don’t Goan writers attend GALF?
Sahitya Akademi awardee Dilip Borkar, whom we caught up with for a few minutes at the GALF, addressed the issue of Goan writers not showing up for the GALF, when we asked him about the Goan lit scene.
“This festival is for writers, and it is very much for local writers who write in Konkani, and Marathi. Sadly, I have not seen a single person here except for myself, Madhav Borkar, and two-three fellow writers. I have not seen a Marathi writer,” he rued, adding that the GALF was a good opportunity to listen to other people from different parts of the world, and get and share ideas.
“Listening to so many people at the festival, I get an idea of different ways of thinking which enriches me,” he said.
Borkar also said that while there were many book launches at the GALF, it was unfortunate that no Goan had come forward to launch a book.
Goan writers lag behind when it comes to articulating in English
Co-curator of the GALF, Damodar Mauzo, felt that while the GALF was not a deliberate attempt to make an impact, it probably did.
He said that to him, the main reason for organising GALF was so that we raised our standards by discussing with and comparing ourselves to others.
He however regretted that regional language authors from Goa did not associate with the festival whole-heartedly. “I think it is imperative that writers attend the festival. They may not be on the panel, but they can attend, listen, raise their voice if they have doubts, ask questions, and participate,” said Mauzo.
When asked why he felt they don’t participate whole-heartedly, Mauzo said that he felt that they were not exposed to this kind of literature festival.
“In Marathi Sammelan, and Konkani Sahitya Sammelan, you come, present your paper, and take your seat. That is different. Here you have to respond to people, respond to questions on the spot, which brings out the best in the writers. We feel enlightened,” he said.
Mauzo also said that he received lots of requests from writers out of Goa to participate, and put down the lack of participation from Goan writers to their difficulty in articulating in English, which was a must for a festival like GALF.
“I think we lag behind in this area. We should improve our skills in communicating in English or Hindi, because we need a common language at a literature festival,” he said.
Hey Govt of Goa, we need more funding for GALF!
Damodar Mauzo expressed sadness that the government of Goa was reluctant to shell out more for the GALF, and felt that this attitude was short-sighted.
“The government does give some grants, but they should look at this festival from a different angle. It is not only helping literature, it is helping the culture and economy of Goa. When 100 writers go out of Goa and speak about the festival and Goa, it will make an impact. But government does not understand that,” Mauzo told “The Goan.”
Giving the example of the Guwahati Literature Festival which he recently attended, Mauzo said, “The government of Assam easily spends crores on that festival. Our budget here is hardly Rs 30 lakhs which we cannot meet.”
