PANAJI
Soon after the first book festival in Goa, the State is getting ready for yet another literature festival, the 14th edition of the Goa Arts and Literature Festival (GALF), to be held at the International Centre Goa from February 12 to 14. Organised and hosted by the International Centre Goa in association with the Goa Writers Group, the three-day festival will feature book launches from Goa, an outstanding delegation from Singapore, and an enthusiastic Young GALF mini-festival for children and young adults, also scheduled from February 12 to 14.
The festival will be inaugurated by Easterine Kire and Rakhshanda Jalil, followed by the launch of Forest Recipes of Goa – Stories of Tribal Food by Assavri Kulkarni, featuring Remo and Sattari Baal Vivah Kala Manch. The official artwork will be unveiled by Alexyz. UK-based food writer and editor Jonathan Nunn will make his GALF debut on February 13.
In Meet the Savarnas: Indian Millennials Whose Mediocrity Ruined Everything, Prof Ravikant Kisana will speak to Prof Vasudha Sawaikar. Fish Curry and Rice — the long-awaited, improved new edition of the iconic sourcebook on Goa’s environmental heritage — will be launched on February 14, along with Appetite: New Writing from Goa, an exciting new anthology from the Goa Writers Group.
Ace translator and editor Mini Krishnan will speak on the magic of translation. Formerly with Macmillan India and Oxford University Press, she edited and promoted English translations of works by Indian writers from 13 languages, many of which won national awards and are taught in India and overseas universities. She will also speak on the magic of translations and more.
Author Jerry Pinto will speak on his latest book, a tender exploration of the meaning, impact and necessity of a palliative approach to healthcare, in a session with recent Padma Shri awardee Dr Armida Fernandez.
There will be poetry readings by Ranjit Hoskote, Rochelle Potkar, Joshua Ip, Nor, Daryl Lim Wei Jei and David Rodrigues, along with book discussions featuring Arshia Sattar, Prof Jonathan Gil Harris, Sona Bahadur, Vidya Krishnan, Anindita Ghose, Mahesh Rao and Keshava Guha.
One prominent participant is filmmaker Paromita Vohra, a committed antakshari player known for her films, videos, art installations and television programming. Her work represents an extraordinary body of truth-telling and is kinetic and intensely sensuous, exploring feminism, gender, desire, urban life and popular culture. Director of several documentaries, Vohra wrote the weekly newspaper column Paronormal Activity for 15 years. In 2015, she founded Agents of Ishq, a pioneering digital platform that has transformed conversations on sex, love and desire in India. Vohra will speak on Love, Sex and India – The Agents of Ishq Anthology at GALF in a session with Karanjeet Kaur.
Journalist and writer Sowmiya Ashok will speak about her book, The DIG-Keeladi and the Politics of India’s Past, in a conversation with Vidya Dehejia. Her work on politics, policy, social justice, the environment and climate change has been published in national and international publications. She holds a master’s degree in political journalism from the Columbia Journalism School, teaches long-form journalism at the Asian College of Journalism, and writes on politics, history and culture.
