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"I AM NOT ALONE" MESMERIZES CHANDIGARH 'Mein eekala nahin hanh' -- the Panjabi translation, of Goan poet Dr Brian Mendonca's poignant poem "I am not alone," lent richness to Brian's poetry reading in Chandigarh on Sat, 27 Nov 2004. Organised by Professor Rana Nayar, of the Department of English, University of Panjab, the event was hosted by the Creative Circle, Chandigarh in collaboration with Kafila International -- a forum for writers. The reading was attended by faculty and students of the University of Panjab, writers of Punjab, and the public. Poet Gurdev Chauhan wrote, "Your poetry thrilled me. Your poems are deep and intense. They have the quality of a settled thing amidst storm." Mr Bajwa, who chaired the session along with Mr Chauhan found it "a richly rewarding listening experience." He urged Brian to "keep this oral tradition alive by meeting people." Panjabi poet Govardhan Gabhri who translated "I am not alone" felt Brian should write more in Konkani. Student Gundeepika wrote, "I liked the way you related the contemporary, day to day images to your beautiful poetry." Dr Neena Raina, with the World Health Organisation, S E Asia Regional Office, New Delhi felt that young people could be benefited if the poems also spoke of health issues concerning the youth today like AIDS, maternal deaths and gender discrimination.. Brian began the evening with 'Pinjore' written at the sylvan Mughal gardens at Pinjore where he had had his first "poetry reading" on the lawns with Rana and his family in 2000. Brian followed this up with his poem 'Malwa Express' written in Jammu (1998). He also read 'Takia' [Pillow] written at station, Central Uttar Pradesh (1999). 'UIMCF' [Unimpressive Indian Middle Class Family] written on the Mangala Express (1999) evoked titters from the crowd and led Mr Bajwa to step in with another "rail poem" inspired by the rocking of the rails. The students loved the love poems 'Sonya' (Betalbatim-Calangute, 2002) and 'Cut Loose' (Delhi, 1999). In 'Sonya' the listeners were awestruck at the beauty of the Portuguese language in the line which ends the poem. The line -- 'Aqui o mar acaba e a terra principia' [Here the sea ends and the earth begins] -- is the opening line of the Nobel prize-winning Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago's work The Life and Death of Ricardo Reis. 'Cut Loose' asks a kite whose string has been cut, whether it is going to meet its lover, and why it is blushing -- since its colour is red. The listeners also heartily enjoyed 'Hundra mhojea mama' which Brian played on his Yamaha classical guitar. They also sang along with him and Brian translated the words of the dulpod from the Konkani. Earlier he played the haunting Moorish melody 'Malaguena'. "Your intensity, your authenticity, your soulful rendering -- all of it made evening richer, even deeper, somewhat like the patterns of phulkari we saw at the museum," wrote Rana Nayar. Phulkari is an intricate weave done by the women of the Panjab for their livelihood. It depicts motifs from their life and way of living. Inspired by his visit to Chandigarh, Brian has written three new poems. They are 'Free Fall' (2004), a poem about children, and 'Fields of Gold' (2004) describing the ripe fields of Haryana as seen from the Shatabdi. The title is inspired by the song by Sting, He is working on his third poem inspired by the Sikh gurus.
