is the novel available in bookstores in Goa or on Amazon? eugene
On Thu, Aug 9, 2018, 9:57 AM Goanet Reader <goanetrea...@gmail.com> wrote: > LOVE LOST? CLAUDIA, A NOVEL SET IN GOA IN THE 1960s > > Sophia Lorena Benjamin (soph...@gmail.com) recently wrote her > debut novel 'Claudia'. It is set in Goa during the 1960s. The > news of the intensified resistance by the Indian Government > to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule has caused sudden > distress, turmoil and conflict in Claudia's life. When she > had her first encounter with Damiano, the attractive son of > her Portuguese master, she never imagined their meetings > would grow so intimate. Claudia is a young Goan village girl. > Clever. Charming. Ambitious. With two older sisters, > unmarried because their reputation is spoiled by insensible > premarital affairs, Claudia is the family's only hope whose > arranged marriage could restore honour and lost respect > within their conservative community. Amidst advancing armed > forces, blasting bridges, a bombarded Dabolim airport, > departing Portuguese families, and chaos, Claudia needs to > consider the offer made by her Portuguese lover, Damiano to > escape to Portugal as a servant girl where their covert > affair can continue. Much relies on Claudia's choice: the > call is urgent and decisive. Will Claudia abandon her > family's honour and choose forbidden love? Will she proceed > with an arranged marriage to Ferrao, the rich sailor from her > local community and end the social stigma her family has > endured? Claudia, set in a Portuguese-ruled Goa, is an > uplifting story of a woman's struggles and the triumph of finding > hope will unravel the answers. > > Claudia has a secret affair going on with Damiano > her Portuguese master's son. > > Meanwhile, Claudia's grandmother has brought a > marriage proposal from a local businessman. The > rich man has shown interest to marry Claudia > despite knowing Claudia is not from a well to do > family and cannot afford any dowry, which is > customary in their community. > > Under these circumstances, Claudia decides to end > her affair with her Portuguese lover before anyone > finds out. As the dominating thoughts of the > freedom to romance and everything that she is going > to miss after marriage flood her mind, there is a > turn of events that take place when Damiano takes > her to a deserted corner of the house to tell her > that the Portuguese are expected to leave Goa for > good and that they may never see each other again. > > The secret meeting in the darkroom is supposedly > an intimate farewell. > > A few yards from the family house was a row of huts for the > cattle: cows, ox, buffaloes and two giant fighter bulls. Pigs > and fowls had separate fenced yards. Workers belonging to a > local Kunbi tribe worked all around the property; they were > the live-in servants of the Ferrao family. > > Fresh dung cakes, salt fish and new hay lay drying in the > sun. The backyard was full of pig slop, cattle fodder, cows > in the huts, pigs in the sty, chickens shitting on the > ground; all of it spread a peculiar, pungent odour. It was > indeed the smell of abundance and prestige; that's how it was > measured in the suburban areas, the village folk called it > prosperity. The girl selected to settle in this family would > be privileged, thought Claudia in her mind, the lavish > abundance of the Ferraos overwhelming her greatly. This was > what Father had dreamt for the three girls; Jakin, Bula and > Claudia. The dream had failed him while he was alive; if ever > there was an opportunity it could be revived it was now, > Claudia was having this conversation in her mind. > > On the way home, Gormai told Claudia that the Ferraos said > they liked her, that they were willing to go ahead with the > match even without dowry; they told Gormai that the priests > and elders of Oroshim had given a good reference about > Claudia. The news brought a strange thrill to her heart. > > Later that evening; sitting in front of the fire, while > heating up water to bathe, Claudia was lost in thought of all > the happenings of the day with the Ferraos. She understood > well that this was a precious opportunity, and that she was > one among the most fortunate girls around the suburbs. It > would be the first time in many years that something good was > about to happen for Claudia's family. > > Gormai told her that the Ferraos needed a little > more time to decide if it was going to be a new > year wedding or a summer wedding. Claudia gazed at > the fields and hills above. She would miss Oroshim > so much. If it was going to be a New Year wedding; > she would miss celebrating carnival in her village; > the humour filled intruz skit, and also the > villagers painting each other's faces and watching > little boys throwing cocotes. And then, she would > have loved to watch Damiano taking part in the > village carnival for the first time ever; she > smiled at the thought of it, just imagining his > white skinned face coated with black coal. > > Claudia also thought of the fun that went around with the > village women. Seaman Mingu visiting Oroshim every year > during carnival, when the village women looked forward to the > carnival fun with Mingu. They ran around squeaking and > laughing in the backyards, dodging around bushes, when Mingu > chased them all, one by one, and coated black coal over their > cheeks, caressing their faces with his blackened, rough > hands. > > What else would Claudia miss in the village? Maybe the summer > blossoming of the cashew trees, kokum trees and the blackcurrants > on the hills. Also, the sea bathers that flocked > Oroshim each year during the summer for their yearly health bath; > men and women, taking shelter by the Oroshim beach for three > days, cooking and sleeping under the open sky. The beachside > dwelling summer visitors were friendly, humble and thankful; > they narrated the stories of how their bodies developed > immunity by immersing in seawater every year. Claudia liked > spending time listening to the stories of these strangers, as > she offered to bring them well water, local salt and some > wood for their fire to cook food. > > Through all the wisdom as well as the silliness > that existed, she loved Oroshim, very much. > Although it had stringent rules, yet if one > followed those rules, the village elders as well as > other folk eagerly came forward to bestow their > love. They contributed generously during weddings. > They took time to assist a sick neighbour. They > were always happy when anything good happened to > someone within the community. They had a way of > altering names, more out of love, than convenience. > Someone extremely tall was fondly called Lamttu. > Francis was called Forsu. Lourenco was called > Lorshu. > > Philomen became Philu. Caetano Caitu. Magdalena was called > Magdu, and Martalian, Martu. Their neighbour Anton was called > Bullock Cart Anton because he owned a bullock cart. Araujo's > family was referred to as Pershiakar because their > grandfather once worked in the Persian Gulf. Vincent was > called Motorkar since his father had once owned a motor car. > Uncle Jose's family was called Lotterikar because their > ancestors once won a lottery. D'Silva was called Kalsaonkar > because he wore kalsao, trousers, when most others wore a > loincloth. > > As the thoughts flooded her mind, Claudia sighed at the thought > of the possibility of leaving Oroshim. The fields, the hills > and the mud paths of Oroshim had witnessed her maturing from > a child to a young woman. All of her learning had come from > Oroshim, mostly from accompanying Gormai -- hillocks, wedding > homes, child deliveries, vespers at church, crib visiting > during Christmas, working at fields -- Claudia was always > there with Gormai. In the fields, among the labouring women, > > Claudia learnt many life's lessons; weeding the grass, adult > gossip and jokes, songs with double meaning, taking rain > checks, sowing, reaping, hand-crafting palm raincoats, the > art of killing water snakes that crawled into the fields. > Lessons she would never forget, ever. > > It was early December. When Claudia and her Mother reached > the mansion, she felt it was an unusual day at Paklin Bai's > house. It didn't take much time to sense that the guests in > her sitting room were not gathered for the normal partying > like they did on previous weekends. It was strange also > because the usual excitement on Paklin Bai's face was > missing. Her loud, free laughter after a few glasses of wine > was missing too. Mother was asked to attend to the guests. > Arrange glasses for their drinks. Serve them croquettes. Pour > tea to those who didn't want to drink hard liquor. Clean up > the used cups, saucers and glasses. > > Mother was occupied, so Claudia began with the kitchen > chores; drawing well water, she filled the kitchen pots and > moved to fill up the bath area. She didn't expect to bump > into Damiano. All the while she had been thinking he was in > Daman. Both stood startled at each other's sudden unexpected > appearance by the bathroom door, staring into each other's > eyes, face to face. > > She still had the water pot balanced on her left hip. He was > wrapped in his towel, just finished his bath. Claudia shifted > her eyes from him, overwhelmed with a sudden shyness to find > him without his clothes, just the bath towel wrapped around > his waist. He appeared a bit stunned too with her sudden > appearance right inside the mansion. For a few moments, she > just stood there nervously then moved as he signalled her to > follow him. She gently lowered the water pot from her hip and > looked around cautiously, making sure nobody saw her. She > quietly followed him to climb the wooden staircase, unused > for long, the stairs opening into a dimly ventilated passage > that led into a narrow, windowless room. They called it the > dark room. > > Damiano shut the wooden doors behind them, noiselessly. > > 'Minha querida!' He called out to her softly and reached out > his hand to hold her. > > 'Bab.' > > 'We won't be here too long. You must have heard those people > in the hall talk about the evacuation; the vessel has already > come to take the people,' he said in a hurriedly hushed tone. > > 'Where are they sending us, Bab?' > > 'Not you dear. They are planning to send the Portuguese back.' > > 'Then what will happen to the people who remain here in Goa?' > > 'If the Indian Government succeeds at this, you will remain > here as an Indian.' > > His words echoed faintly in the dark high-walled room. > He clasped her hands and released them from his, circling > them instead of around her waist, his touch sending a shiver all > over her body. She had missed it for days; that soothing > touch from him. His announcement was hard on her. And then he > drew her into his arms, gasping, a bit breathless as he > threaded his arms beneath her shoulders and hair. > > 'We may never meet again, minha querida,' he whispered, > nuzzling her cheek as she hugged him viciously, wanting to > cry. Her nostrils flared nervously at the sudden > announcement. She drew closer to him and clung on tightly to > his chest as though he was about to be pulled away from her > any moment. > > -- > Send your comments to goa...@goanet.org and the author > (address above). Available online at http://bit.ly/ClaudiaTheNovel >