Inside, out and amidst the writers...
By Frederick Noronha
[email protected]
Feels like a long time since Goa drew appreciation -- for
reasons ohter than food, football, music, crime or
controversial politicians. But a small group of writers seems
to be making the dent.
New Delhi-based Outlook magazine commented
recently: "Writers' groups usually reek of amateur
poets and vanity publishing. But the Goa Writers
Group is different. Amitav Ghosh is a member, and
Orhan Pamuk turns up occasionally. Among its many
enthusiastic members are teachers, shopkeepers,
cooks, engineers, tailors, journalists, even
publishers and a fashion designer -- Wendell
Rodricks. Growing both in numbers and confidence,
the group hosted its first litfest last December
and is planning its first anthology, Inside Out:
New Writing From Goa, with Amitav Ghosh among the
contributors. The book will be launched in all five
metros in March."
Helene Dirkin Menezes, a Briton and daughter-in-law of Goa (a
little bit more Goan than most here) has a background in
advertising and marketing. "But since making my life in Goa I
have had the luxury to be able to pursue my interest in
writing, editing and promoting reading for children," says she.
Jose Lourenco, a Margao-based civil engineer to boot, prefers
writing. He wrote and self-published the Amazing Goa
information cards and a book on the parish churches of Goa.
He has also written several short stories in Konkani and
English." FREDERICK NORONHA interviews both co-editors of the
soon-to-be-formally-released Inside/Out: New Writing From Goa.
FN: Looking back, what was the toughest part with putting
together your new book?
JL: Collecting submissions from writer-members took quite
some time. Then, of course, the process of editing and fine
tuning the works. But it was a labour of love, after all, and
as natural as breathing.
HDM: No amount of anticipation and planning can account for
all the other people involved, humans are just not tangible
logistics. Keeping momentum and interest in the venture was
something that brought its own challenges. I probably drove
the group mad with my continual stream of emails.
FN: What made you take up this project?
JL: I thought it would be a good experience, not having
formally edited anything in the past, apart from a college
magazine. I''ve learnt a lot at GW, but am still no pro.
HDM: There were members who thought it impossible and
foolhardy. Everything apart from the printing was to be done
"in-house". I wanted to be part of the adventure. Goa Writers
is a haven, some members are starting out, and others are
internationally published, but we support and help each other.
FN: Why Inside/Out? How did the title and the theme come about?
JL: If I recall right, [writer] Vivek Menezes came up with
the idea and we all thought it was broad enough to express
our thoughts on Goa.
HDM: There was some unrest in Goa at the time, bad
press, unfortunate events with "outsiders" and the
"locals" responses to the same. We wanted the
general public to have a snapshot of our Goa as we
see it, from the inside looking out.
FN: How would you describe the book?
HDM: It's an eclectic mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and
essays all united by their connection to Goa.
JL: Besides this, the writers are strongly connected to Goa,
wherein they explore their relationship with Goa.
FN: Was it a satisfying venture? Would you do it again?
HDM: I had no preparation for the satisfaction I felt when I
held the first copy in my hand. The months and hours of hard
work and frustration melted away. Would I do it again? Well
of course the immense pleasure faded a little when reality
hit. There is so much work still to be done; the behind the
scenes tasks never seem to stop. I have learnt so much so
with those lessons learnt a repeat would be easier.
JL: Very satisfying. The experiment showed that creativity
can emerge from a motley crew of individuals and organically
evolve into tangible works. Am I sounding philosophical
enough? At Goa Writers we don't take ourselves too seriously,
we believe profundity has 'fun' within it.
FN: You've gained a Directorate of Arts & Culture grant that
covers a small part of the printing costs. Does this help?
JL: Its a very good step by the government. Funds are always
welcome for such ventures, with the intent of making a book
as affordable as possible.
HDM: It does. It just takes time and patience and having
someone who is aware that there are such schemes available.
The funds are very welcome, they help with the meeting some
expenses in publishing a book.
FN: What more could be done to promote local writing?
HDM: This is a long topic which starts with education. We
need well trained English teachers and good libraries in
schools everywhere, which promote a love of reading for
pleasure, not just for academic purposes. This in turn will
lead to a love of the written word and writing. Publishing
houses do conduct writing competitions, I feel they are
better placed to judge such endeavours.
JL: Regular essay, short story and poetry contests at school
and college level in various languages are very important and
could encourage a lot of nascent writers.
FN: What are your next upcoming projects?
HDM: Organising a sponsored walk for my daughters school
library in aid of books.
JL: I'm working on a collection of Konkani short stories.
FN: A group like GoaWriters, what role do you see it playing
in building (writing, in this case) talent in Goa?
JL: We must boost the writing and reading habit
among the young. We must use writing effectively as
a tool for social change as well as to enrich and
entertain our readers. Pooling resources and
sharing knowhow in designing and publishing also
helps.
HDM: We can and do hold workshops that we often open up to
the public or at least our contacts. Goa Writers played a
pivotal role in the recent very successful Literary and Arts
Festival held at the International Centre. We have talked
about holding a writing competition for the youth, hopefully
this will happen soon.
FN: Can more similar groups (beyond just writing) exist?
JL: Why not a cooking group? A few men and women
get together once a month, to taste a dish or
dishes submitted by one of the members. Each member
then critiques the dish. With the popularity of the
MasterChef series, this group could take off and
have fun.
HDM: Parents, gardeners, animal lovers,
environmentalists -- the list is endless. You need
a driving force to maintain interest, keep the
peace and set boundaries.
Contact the editors: [email protected]
[email protected]
[First published in Planet-Goa]
