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Patagonia, where's that?
[Published in the Gomantak Times, on Tuesday, Aug 21, 2007]
PRINTED WORD
Frederick Noronha takes a look at the
growing number of memoirs by Goans, a
compiliation of editorials, and a book on
the monsoons. This weekly column on books
in Goa also focuses on a photocopied,
self-published model, and looks at a book
that unravels what goes into creating a
book!
----------------------------------------
Biblophile-friend Dr Nandkumar Kamat reminded me about the
upcoming release of a new book 'From Goa to Patagonia' slated
for August 24, 2007 at 4.15 pm at the Kala Academy's meeting
hall. This not only sent me scurring to my cluttered email
in-box, but it also saw me go off in a hurry to the Wikipedia
to understand what this was all about.
Patagonia?
This was how that amazing online encyclopedia, the Wikipedia
(en.wikipedia.org), explained it: "Patagonia is the
southernmost portion of South America. Mostly located in
Argentina and partly in Chile, it comprises the Andes
mountains to the west and south, and plateaux and low plains
to the east. The name Patagonia comes from the word patagon
used by Magellan to describe the native people who his
expedition thought to be giants. It is now believed the
Patagons were actually Tehuelches and Aonikenk with an
average height of 1.80 m compared to the 1.55 average for
Spaniards of the time."
This book is by Alfredo Bachmann de Mello, the Uruguay-based
Goan-bon son of renowned doctor-scientist Dr. Froilano de
Mello and his Swiss wife. Some years back, I ran into Alfredo
"Fred" via cyberspace, and we had many an interesting
exchange till (I think) we disagreed in our perspectives and
lost touch. He had then also drawn my attention to a book he
published, explaining who the 'real Columbus' was. (Frankly,
history not being one of my favourite subjects, I found that
text a bit too complex to adequately follow. That book of
his is called "El Verdadero Colón" in Spanish, and in English
it's "The Real Colon: Columbus is a misnomer".)
Head of the Lisbon-based Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades
e Tecnologias history department Dr Teotonio R de Souza,
while welcome the growing number of Goan memoirs and
autobiographies, gives a preview of the book's content. He
also refers to De Mello's father's possibly misunderstood
role in representing colonial Goa in Lisbon.
Of the book, de Souza writes: "Despite some unpleasant
memories, Alfredo de Mello does not display any hangover of
colonial past. He revealed very early in life his conviction
that all empires had their end! This understanding of history
and his joie de vivre pervade his memoirs, giving them a
seriousness and without making them dull.
"In between some colourful descriptions of his deft control
of a pony galloping downhill at Matheran while still a child;
a confrontation which ended badly for a cobra in his home
compound at Altinho in Panjim; a rub of the ring of the
Archbishop-Patriarch that left him with bleeding nose; and
his first experience of the pleasures of Eden with a young
British eve while a boarder at Bishop Cotton's in Bangalore,
there is much we can learn about social life in the capital
city of Goa as well as about the wild-life in rural Goa of
those years."
AN EDITOR'S WORDS
On his sixtieth birthday, Rajan Narayan's wife Tara compiled
some 60 editorials he wrote over the years. These are from
his Stray Thoughts series, and go back right to the 1980s.
This column incidentally featured in the Herald for some two
decades each Sunday, before shifting to a two-page spread in
his 'Goan Observer' tabloid, started in 2003.
Some read strangely familiar. These are all related to events
that happened in Goa, or Narayan's interpretation of them.
Stray Thoughts, as his readers know, is a gossipy mix of
comment, interpretation, misinterpretation and typos. It also
gives a different perspective on Goa, and is also usually
bold in saying what the other sections of the press wouldn't
dare to.
This is a very personalised story of a changing Goa. It
includes the travails of finding medicine on a Sunday. MGP
politics of the 1980s. A dog-shaped tabletop mascot being
stolen from the editor's office. His ire at a non-Catholic
not being able to become the god-father of a Catholic child.
A complaint that Mario Miranda wasn't taking him (the editor)
on a "guided tour of Loutolim". And much, much more.
'60 Stray Thoughts 1983-2007' is a 400-page book, reasonably
priced at Rs 200, and published by the Rajan Narayan
Felicitation Committee of La Campala Colony. It's available
in major bookshops here, including Broadway's. Whether one is
a fan of Narayan's writing or not, it's an interesting read.
It's not just trivia though. There's a mix of tongue-in-cheek
writing, ire directed at politicians, and a record of events
in Goa from a particularly Rajanesque point of view.
Builder and chairman of the Rajan Narayan Felicitation
Committee 2007, Anil Counto has this to write: "Rajan, though
a non-Goan ("bhailo", as he is called) has always fought
throughout his life for social issues concerning Goans."
Well, that's a different debate. But this is an interesting
book.
MONSOON SCIENCE
Physical oceanographer turned meteorologist Dr M J Varkey of
the Goa-based NIO has authored and self-published his
'Science of the Asian Monsoon' (pp 162, Rs 150, May 2007).
What's interesting is that some 5000 copies of this book have
been published.
It offers an introduction to the monsoons, looks at the Goa
case, and then shifts to themes like monsoon clouds and
mosoon rains and monsoon disturbances (cyclones and floods).
Did you know that the Asian monsoon covers 23 million sq. km.
of land, or that almost all Asian countries can be included
in the core Asian monsoon sector? And check this: Panjim gets
about 277 cms rain each year. But near the foothills of Goa,
it rains over 400 cms per year!
Don't get intimidated by the diagrams this book contains; it
has a lot of useful information too.
GAUNKARS AND DEMANDS
My one-time classmate Savio Herman D'Souza from Porvorim
comes out with these interesting booklets, mainly focussed on
comunidade issues. One he handed over to me is 'The Charter
of Demands of The Gaunkars of Goa' (April 2007,
www.geocities.com/newagegoa)
I'm not sure about the soundness of the attempt by the
comunidade campaigners to compare gaunkars with the
aboriginals of Australia. But these publications throw up
interesting issues and concerns. Of course, comunidades need
to be democratised and made more gender-sensitive. But their
shortcoming is clearly no excuse for them to become victims
of landgrabbers in a political or other garb.
Check out these books, actually booklets, or contact New Age
Society, 1140 Maina Socorro, Porvorim phone 2416573.
YOU CAN WRITE
Recently, I picked up a copy of Michael Oke's "Writing Your
Life Story" from Broadway's at Sant Inez. This title (Jaico,
Rs 150, 2006) explains "how to record and present your
memories for friends and families to enjoy".
It offers tips on how to plan your project, and get working
on it; how to deploy writing techniques; and even the reasons
for writing your life story. As the biographer-author says
very encouragingly, "If you can write a letter, you really
can write a book." You might think this is an exaggeration;
but after seeing the writing process for long, one can't feel
that it's largely a confidence trick.
Why not check it out if you have your doubts?
Feedback welcome: [EMAIL PROTECTED], 2409490 or 9970157402
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XCHR's OLDEST BOOKS ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Xavier Centre of Historical Research, the Alto Porvorim
Jesuit-run institution headed by Dr Délio Mendonca sj,
recently put together for the GOMANTAK TIMES this list of
some of the oldest books available at their library.
Says the XCHR: "All books are in good condition. The Library
is open from 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m. On
Saturdays, the library closes at 1 p.m.
Miranda, Jacintho Caetano Barrteo, Quadros históricos de Goa,
Margao, Typographia do Ultramar, 1863-1865, vols.3. (Portuguese).
Gracias, J. A. Ismael, Apontamentos para a história da
representação provincial no Esatdo da India, Nova Goa,
Imprensa Nacional, 1891, 49p. (Portuguese)
Gracias, J. A. Ismael, Agulha fixa da invenção de Jeronymo
Osóri da Fonseca no século XVII, Nova Goa, Imprensa Nacional,
1882, 135p. (Portuguese)
Gunjikar, Ramchandra Bhikaji, Sarasvati Mandala, or A
Descripation of the Maratha Brahmans, Bombay, Nirnyasagar,
1884, 172p. (Marathi)
Xavier, Felippe Nery, Collecço de bandos, e outras
differentes providencias que servem de leis regulamentares
para o governo economica e judicial das provincias denominads
das Novas Conquistas, Panjim, Imprensa Nacional, 1840-50,
vols.2, 600p. (Portuguese)
Danaita, Yashavant Fondaba Naika & Wagle, Ramchandra Govinda,
The history of Goa, ancient & modern, Bombay, Asiatic
Printing Press, 1873, 111p. (Marathi)
Gomes, F.L., A liberdade da terra e a economia rural da India
Portugueza, Lisboa, Typographia Universal, 1862, 102p..
(Portuguese)
Xavier, Felippe Nery, Defensa dos diretios das gaõcarias, e
gaõcares, dos seus privilegios, contra a proposta de sua
dissolucao, e diviso das sus terras, offerecide ao ex.
Governo geral do Estado da India, Nova Goa, Imprensa
Nacional, 1856, xvi, 104p. (Portuguese)
Pinto, Christovam, Politica Colonial Internacional Estados
Unidos da India, Lisboa, Antiga Casa Bertrand Jose Bastos,
1898, 284p. (Portuguese)
Costa, Antonio Anastasio Bruto da, Goa sob a dominação
portugeza, 2nd ed., Margao Typographia do Ultramar, 1897,
305p.. (Portuguese)
