Prutha Goa

Memoirs take us back into the past, into a history that may be erased and its valuable essence lost if it is not preserved through documentation. Aloysius D’Souza’s Homeward Bound is a happy example of keeping memories of the past intact and available to future generations. Aloysius, who spent part of his childhood in Burma, recalls lively anecdotes of his life there and in Goa that prove to be a delightful learning experience. The opening pages of the book take us right into the Japanese attack on Burma in December 1941. The fear and commotion of the proceedings is told through the eyes of a young Aloysius, in very much the innocent candour of a young boy, but without negating the urgency of the situation. ‘As far as we youngsters were concerned this was a wonderful holiday. During the days, we investigated the neighbourhood, discovering Chinese market gardeners… ‘Most of these refugees, probably a million or more, trekked out through the jungles and hills of upper Burma into north e

Priyanka Borpujari has had an eventful and laudable journalistic career. Beginning with a Bachelors of Mass Media in Journalism, she has been a research scholar at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) as a result of being awarded the IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation) Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship (2012-2013) for journalism in human rights and justice. She co-founded the youth magazine Yuvaniya for the Bareli tribe in western Madhya Pradesh, in alliance with the Adharshila Learning Centre. The Asian Age and the Mumbai Mirror are two newspapers that Priyanka has worked for, besides being a guest columnist for The Boston Globe . Reporting human rights violations in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and Gujarat as an independent journalist since 2009, she has contributed to Al Jazeera , The Hindu , Tehelka , Down To Earth and many more prestigious news publications. Having donned many hats as a journalist, photographer, and researcher, Priyanka founded the Ka

Roanna Gonsalves’ first book The Permanent Resident comprises 16 short stories based in Australia, her adopted home. The stories weave their way through shattered dreams, disillusionment and the reality of surviving in an alien culture. The book was first published by UWA Publishing in 2016 and its reprint was published by Goa, 1556. Making her way to Australia as a student, Roanna has garnered accolades that are completely justified by her writing. Aside from earning her doctorate from the University of New South Wales, Roanna is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award. The Permanent Resident has been incorporated in the syllabi of a number of Australian universities and is being studied in particular in the areas of Australian Literature, Postcolonial Literatures, and Creative Writing. Merely ruling her a skilful writer would be understating her genius. Her words traverse the pages with fluidity that leaps up to greet and refresh the reader at every helpi

Goa is advertised as a land of fun, frolic and feni for the sake of tourism: sunsets on beaches and coconut trees are the superficial portrayal of the land. The Salt of the Earth bares Goa in its true form without the trappings of a Portuguese influenced Westernised culture. This book of short stories translated from Konkani brings us tales of the core of Goan culture and narratives of feminist ideology. The first person to be awarded a doctorate in Konkani from Goa University, author of The Salt of the Earth Jayanti Naik has a Sahitya Akademi Award to her credit. Besides short stories her oeuvre covers a range of genres including poetry, drama and children’s literature. Since her first book of short stories called Garjan ( The Roar ), she has written over 32 books, 16 of which are folklore based. Her passion for preserving Goan folklore also distinguishes her as folklore researcher at the Goa Konkani Akademi. There is not a story in the book that does not relate to suffering, and i

Yesterday in Paradise , published by Goa, 1556, brings us the memoirs of Cyprian Fernandes, a journalist of note who is of Goan origin. The book opens to us the world that Cyprian was witness to from 1950 to 1974 in Kenya. He was born in Nairobi in 1943 into a family that was far from being an ideal one. This novel gives rich insight into the cultural attributes of the Goan diaspora in East Africa, and Kenya in particular. The political history of Kenya as retold by Cyprian Fernandes is gripping and extremely informative. Cyprian Fernandes is an anomaly in that his professional career began on the premise of a lie, but it was completely justified by proven merit. A graduate of the school of hard knocks, Cyprian, although a bright student with immense potential, left school at thirteen after a row with Fr Hannan, the headmaster. Ensuing a trail of jobs (once as a probation officer), Cyprian landed his first job as a reporter with the Nation at the age of sixteen. Gumption and his skill

There is an insidious disease that plagues members of Indian society – apathy towards any problem that does not particularly apply to oneself and the unwillingness to battle with the powers that be to right an injustice done to a fellow human being. Ratna Vira’s new book It’s Not About You addresses the issue of bullying, a rampant problem in our society that Indians are apt to sweep under the rug. Ratna is the author of the national bestseller Daughter by Court Order , another socially evocative novel that forces us to face upfront the injustice meted out to women in India. It’s Not About You tells the poignant tale of 16 year old Aksh and his single mother Samaira taking on the school authorities and the bullies who leave Aksh battered and bruised. Bullying comes in many forms. At times it takes place within families or it could be bullying by colleagues, schoolmates, etc. The main aim of this book it to motivate the listless Indian public to recognise this averse behaviour for wha

‘I didn’t write this book for anyone above the age of 60,’ says Hartman de Souza, author of the provocatively titled Eat Dust: Mining and Greed in Goa . Goa is seen by most outsiders as the quintessential holiday destination, with its numerous beaches, shacks, and thriving nightlife. Eat Dust shatters the façade that the Ministry of Tourism has built around the true Goa, the Goa devastated by mining and the resulting environmental degradation. Hartman believes that Goa stands as a microcosm for the rest of the country. Its high standards in the areas of literacy, public health, gender equality, reservations, etc, right up to the mid 1980s, could well stand as an example of what is achievable in any state of the country. ‘In fact, Goa is so small, so easily manageable, it could be the most perfect destination in the world,’ says Hartman. Hartman has lowered his target age group from 17-30 to 17-27 because of his belief that by 27 years of age most Indians have arrived at a decision as