---------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** http://www.GOANET.org ****
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Symposium on Pre-Primary & Primary School Education &
Primary School Students Chess Tournament
More information at:
http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2008-January/068222.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memoirs from Burma
Yvonne Vaz Ezdani has recently released a book, 'Songs of the Survivors'. It
is a compilation of several stories penned by some of the Goan survivors in
Burma. She shares her experiences during her stay in Burma.
What inspired you to compile and edit the recently released book 'Songs of
the Survivors'?
I grew up hearing stories of Japanese occupation of Burma, which took place
in the early 1940s and about how many Indians, including Goans, had to try
and escape the bombing by fleeing to India. Thousands walked across thick
jungles and high mountains to the Indo-Burma borders and many hundreds died
of disease, starvation and exhaustion. The details were real horror stories
and it disturbed me that wars could inflict so much suffering on innocent
people. You know how it is. When we hear interesting stories we want to
relate them to others. Besides, I wanted people to learn something about the
Goans who had migrated to Burma and now that the few surviving ex-Burma
Goans were advancing in age I had to capture their memories and put them
down in print for further generations, or else these stories would be lost
forever.
What was the journey towards writing your first book like?
I began interviewing and collecting stories from ex Burma-Goans that I knew,
about two years ago. They also helped me contact more people who had come
from Burma. An appeal was also put out on Goanet by journalist Frederick
Noronha. So that's how I got 24 chapters for my book. I edited them and also
added my own story as a postscript.Being a first time writer I knew nothing
of printing and publishing and was full of doubts, but thanks again to
Frederick Noronha it all worked out beautifully.
What does the book mainly focus on?
The focus is on the wartime experiences of Goans who were living in
British-ruled Burma. The collection of stories from twenty four contributors
are unique and recall in vivid detail how their comfortable and prosperous
lives came to an abrupt end and they were plunged into chaos and fear with
the first bombings of Rangoon. The grit and courage that shines through in
the narratives are a testimony to the universal qualities of endurance and
survival of the human spirit. Since they are oral histories, the book also
gives an insight into some aspects of the migration of Goans to Burma.
What made you migrate to Burma?
It was my great grandfather Santana Salvador Vas who first went to Burma in
the late 19th century. It was a time when job opportunities were scare in
Goa and many young men found employment on British ships and reached foreign
shores. The beauty and wealth found in Burma must have made some of them,
including my great grandfather, decide to settle there. Then my grandfather,
Louis Joseph, followed him when he was just fourteen and later established
this large Vaz family of seven sons, one daughter and two-dozen
grandchildren. I am one of his grandchildren.
What has been your experience there till the early 1980s?
I grew up in the beautiful Shan States, among warm and friendly people. We
had the best of food and other material things. We received good education
too. Except for one traumatic incident, life was wonderful in Burma. But the
country gradually began to deteriorate after the military government took
over. Many people began leaving and we too returned to Goa. I was married by
then and had 2 young daughters.
Are there Goans in Burma today?
Very few. Most of them have lost their Goan identity and have blended into
the local population. But there was Bishop V Sequeira who expired a few
years ago. He kept up ties with his family in India. Recently I heard that
two other Goan priests in Rangoon (Yangon) were still living there.
Tell us a little about what you do besides writing?
I was a teacher previously, but now I visit schools as a school counsellor
and try to give guidance and help to students.
A message for budding writer's
I think many people have stories that they want to tell, but are either not
confident enough to publish what they write, or they may feel that there are
too many problems involved in bringing out a book .So it puts them off. I
have experienced those doubts too and I would like to encourage anyone who
can write and wants to publish a book to go ahead and write. If it worked
out well for me, it can for others too.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=011952
Goanet A&E
http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=216
