This year the Goa Arts and Literature Festival (GALF) 2017 was a special year for me as on one day, 8th December 2017, destiny smiled on me. The day was the first day of GALF 2017 and I was invited to do a poetry reading of my poems at 2 p.m. The dais was shared was shared by Rochelle D'Silva and Tibetologist Shelly Bhoil. Rochelle took us through a few very powerful performance poems. Shelly transported us to the world of the mandala and her poems took on a different hue.
Early that morning GALF kicked off with a retrospective on Landeg White and Eunice D'Souza who sadly are no longer with us. So I began with my recent poem 'Vanity' which I wrote when we lost dad. Later, though the mood was light, I was determined to read my poem on Gauri Lankesh, 'Weep India.' (Both these poems are featured on this blog elsewhere). I ended the brief 'concerto' with 'Good morning Goa' which I find has not been featured on my blog. Yet.
'Good Morning, Goa' was written on the eve of the BRICS summit at the end of last year in Goa on the heels of the abuse and murder of a designer in her own flat in North Goa. Through imagery it tells of the state of Goa -- a reply to the umpteen people who have asked me,'So, what's it like in Goa?'
Good Morning from Goa
-Brian Mendonca
Good Morning from Goa
Goa, the land of bricks.
Where many are gallant
but others just pricks.
Where you can take a ride
With time on your side
Get stoned. get honed,
With nowhere to hide.
The hillside is barren
The workers disaffected
No jobs, no food
Is it rhyme, wine, or mine?
Come the pretty girls
Their allure holds sway.
When the night is done
Keepest thy deed at bay?
Enjoy the season
The charters have arrived.
It's festive time, enGALFing times.
Goa's greener - not anymore
Prithee, hark now, the rents do show.
The piece de resistance was the release of the much-awaited bilingual volume, Goa: A Garland of Poems, edited by Rochelle Potkar soon after the poetry readings. The Irish-language transcreations are by Gabriel Rosenstock. This beautifully produced volume features 30 Goan poets from Namdev to Nagesh Karmali. There is a short bio note on the poet which prefaces his/her voice. But on the facing page there is a Konkani proverb which has the proverb in Konkani, the literal meaning, the implied meaning and the Irish translation. e.g. Aang udkan nitodd, mon sotton nittod. [As the body is cleansed by water, so is the mind purified by truth.] Here are to be found Joseph Furtado, R.S. Bhaskar and Edwin Thumboo.
What was electrifying was that some of us who were featured were invited to read a poem from the anthology after which Gabriel would render it in Irish. It sounded like the voice of thunder. It gave me the opportunity to read a hidden poem of mine called 'Praia.'
Praia
-Brian Mendonca
Mum, you never told us
Your middle name was seaside.
What use is it now
When I see it
On the cross
Beside your grave.
To see the world
In the language of the sea
Was not your cup of tea.
But this 'fish-fosh' fusillade
Has tamed your son
Who dreams of you
In the courtyards of the heart.
I realized later that on the same day, in different session I had marked the passing of my dad and mum.
As if my cup were not full I had to head to Fundacao Oriente, Fontainhas for the awards ceremony of the Goan short story competition 2017. My story 'Maria's Boutique' was one of the stories that was selected to be published.
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