A review of Notes on a Marriage

[Selma Carvalho]

Overall, Selma Carvalho’s ‘Notes On A Marriage’ is a masterful work that reaffirms her place in the literary firmament. The novel’s mellow, poetic prose captures the essence of a marriage with tenderness and wisdom.

I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading literary fiction, contemporary or otherwise. The book will also enchant readers who like slow-burn novels that are thought-provoking while being ethereally exquisite.

https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2024/02/notes-on-a-marriage-a-chronicle-of-what-makes-and-saves-a-marriage/

All best wishes,

Selma

[Devika Sethi]

Amazon delivered the book yesterday,  Friday Feb 9, and I devoured it the very same day. I simply could not put it down. Absolutely brilliant Selma. Your capacity to weave poetry and rhapsody  into a narrative is truly astounding.   

Congratulations and warm regards,  

Patricia Pereira-Sethi

********************************************************************************************

--
*** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. ***
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Goa Book Club" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to goa-book-clu...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/1771456365.401360.1707474747701%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Selma Carvalho]

Dear Patricia,

Oh gosh, much blushing but ever so grateful for your feedback. The best feedback is the unscripted variety. Much gratitude and hope to meet you at Dogears or GALF.

Warm wishes,

Selma

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/681172380.397021.1707553869942%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Eugene Correia]

The youth-ki-awaaz says the review is "self-published" and doesn't say it is responsible for the views. That's a surprise. Yesterday, I attended the launch of Becoming Goa and heard the author, Michele Mendonca Bambewale, gives the background to what made her write the "home-coming"  book

She said she was  born in Pune and lived in many places, including Bombay, Dubai, Bangkok and London before come back to her native Siolim. I just started reading the book and I feel Michelle had 'rediscovered' herself. I feel once a Goan always a Goan and if we are "wanderers of the world" or words to that effect, we cannot lose the "Goanness" in us. 

I was told by a NIO scientist that I am not a "Goan" as I was born in Bombay but my father was since he was born in Portuguese Goa. It made me raise my eyebrows, coming from an educated man. These are types of people who raised walls among Goans.

I will get the full picture of Michelle's self-diagnosis on this vexing subject.

I saw another title, don't remember it fully, but the word 'belonging" is in the tile. I have to buy the book, and sure that it's available at one of Goa's bookstores. This sudden awareness maybe due to the crisis in the political climate of Goa that is stil debating the "Portuguese Goan" issue. Trying to seize back our roots, so to say, seems a new game or a new subject that writers want to explore.

it's a interesting topic in the century when the very identity of who is a "Goan" seems uppermost in the minds of those searching for an answer.

Eugene Correia

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/1025497235.943481.1707554659040%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Eugene Correia]

Oops, sorry that I thought "Belonging" is a title of a book. Rereading the post, I realize it's a subject of GALF talks. I was checking the website or news in a paper on GALF and I didn't find any "Goan" mentioned. I would again on the website to check, but would welcome if VM or someone posts a link to the writers/authors, etc who are taking part at GALF.

Eugene

[Jeanne Hromnik]

Eugene, you may be thinking of the newly published Goa Writers' anthology 'Ways of Belonging', to be launched at GALF on 16 Feb. Promises to be an amazing launch. I hope you can attend.

I think of Michelle as a kind of Delhi-ite version of a Goan (I hope she won't be offended). Or, at the least, a Keralite. That is because the only Keralite Christian I know had a very low opinion of Goan (Christian) enterprise, in which Michelle abounds. I think of Delhi-ites as people of means who can make things happen for themselves.

All these wretched stereotypes ...

But do look out for 'Ways of Belonging' -- same title as Euinice de Souza used for a poetry collection.

Best wishes

Jeanne

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_6TJ7CEFa55Z%3DTCJPRM-JpP3Qd3jZVeP2KkkXCuB-%2BgRw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Michelle Bambawale]

Thanks for coming for the discussion Eugene and for the conversation. Will see you again at GALF at the end of the week.

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_5vH7Uyy4W%2B14SKpf%2BjjrNng01EJ%3DzW3OE5jmeKdeZfrQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Eugene Correia]

Where can I get this anthology? Anywhere in Vasco is better for me. Or, need to ask Dogears

Eugene

[Gilbert Lawrence]

Belonging anthology

Of late there has been a spate of write-ups about Goa related books, especially those relating to colonial times. In full disclosure, our own book Insights into Colonial Goa is entirely on the colonial times.

I am often reflective that much of today’s problem among Goans both in the native land and in the diaspora is yearning for the train-that- left-the-station.  The novels, especially when nostalgic, reinforce that feeling which can turn into an illusion and delusion as one sees the departed train continuing to fade into the distance. By dwelling on these experiences, one totally misses and fails to accept and make the best of the current changed times; leaving us with little to do but complain.

Regards, GL

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_4iAmp0aot10eMBzvSErbzsuw9TkpbhrNYDWG4uVosy0w%40mail.gmail.com

.

[Michelle Bambawale]

Actually Gilbert my book is about contemporary Goa. I had to give a little context so there is nostalgia but it’s an account of Siolim and Goa Today. 

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/1946221660.544162.1707665013315%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Jeanne Hromnik]

Dear Gilbert

The following article by Vivek Menezes relates to the belonging anthology and may address some of your concerns
ttps://www.heraldgoa.in/Cafe/GALF-2024-Different-Ways-of-Belonging/217608

At the age of 67, on my invitation as one of the organisers of Aparanta, the path-breaking 2007 art exhibition with an activist agenda, the great Bombay Goan poet and professor Eunice de Souza did her first public reading in her ancestral homeland, under the vast spreading branches of a rain tree that no longer exists, in what is now the Old Goa Medical College heritage precinct (but was then on the verge of being transformed into a shopping mall). It was a sensational debut in a moment filled with angst. At this point of her storied career, we had been told the fierce Ms. de Souza was mellowed, but what we got was pure dynamite. I can never forget when these lines rang out in the night:

No matter that
my name is Greek
my surname Portuguese
my language alien.
There are ways of belonging.

This was potent intervention, at a time there was still considerable resistance to any cultural assertion from Goa that did not fit the familiar crude stereotypes. In his landmark essay for Aparanta, the curator Ranjit Hoskote pointed out that “Goa has brilliant, meteorically brilliant artists. But the lack of a context has left them afloat in a void of discussion. Geographical contiguity does not mean that Goa and mainland India share the same universe of meaning: Goa’s special historic evolution, with its Lusitanian route to the Enlightenment and print modernity, its Iberian emphasis on a vibrant public sphere, its pride in its ancient internationalism avant la lettre, sets it at a tangent to the self-image of an India that has been formed with the experience of British colonialism as its basis. The relationship between Goa’s artists and mainland India has, not surprisingly, been ambiguous and erratic, even unstable.”

This problem was paramount in our minds during Aparanta, until Eunice de Souza gave us another way to think about it. It struck home. Why do we all have to belong in the same way? Surely, if there is one overarching lesson to learn from Goa’s extraordinarily rich, ancient and many-layered history it is that of inclusion. Like the rest of the Konkan and Malabar coasts, this culture was born in confluence, and continuously remakes itself in dialogue with the world. Many cities and countries around the world have an impactful Goan history: Nairobi, Karachi, Rangoon, Aden, now Swindon and Southall too. They belong to us, and we belong to them. It cannot be denied there is great strength in all these different ways of belonging, with this caveat: we must ensure we can accommodate them all without getting divided for no good reason.

When the International Centre Goa approached the Goa Writers group to collaborate on creating a new literature festival in 2010, our own Damodar Mauzo had already been developing this idea for some time. Konkani literature’s beloved ‘Bhaiyee’ – who later won the 2021 Jnanpith Award – realised that Indian publishing was developing into a Delhi-centric juggernaut which consigned much of the rest of the country to “the margins”. We thought to reverse this absurdly blinkered hierarchy, and focus on the many areas of excellence that were being unfairly overlooked, both in terms of regions and genres: the North East states, Kashmir, translations, poetry. From the very first Goa Arts + Literature Festival to next week’s 12th edition, the central theme and inspiration has remained different ways of belonging, as you see reflected in the classic GALF poster artwork by Amruta Patil that runs on this page.

Since the pandemic, GALF has faced many challenges, including the down side of remaining strictly independent, non-profit and volunteer-driven. There is much to celebrate however, including some of the best and most engaged discussions in the world of literature and the arts. This year, there are also performances by the great singer-songwriter Akhu Chingangbam of Imphal Talkies (on the 15th) and Stuti Choir (17th) as well as Sonia Shirsat (closing dinner). Some of those coming to Dona Paula next week include the eminent Toronto-based food writer Naomi Duguid, the pioneering Franco-Indian novelist Ari Gautier, highly regarded debutants Devika Rege, Sohini Chattopadhyay, Yogesh Maitreya, and Manish Gaekwad, and many other national literary treasures like I Allan Sealy, KR Meera, Robin Ngangom, Vivek Shanbhag and Mini Krishnan.

Identical to the state which it represents, GALF is small but extremely diverse. This edition includes Mani Shankar Aiyar’s memoir about Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Chowdhary’s biography of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. We will showcase Rahman Abbas’s Urdu novel Ek Tarha ka Pagalpan based in the Konkani Muslim community, and Vasudhendra’s Kannada novel Tejo Tunghabhadra that tracks between Lisbon, Goa and the Deccan in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Damodar Mauzo’s Konkani novel Jeev Diun kai Chya Marun in translation by Jerry Pinto (whose amazing new translations of Tukaram will also be launched at GALF 2024). The brilliant litterateur-physician Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s translation of Manoj Rupda’s I Named My Sister Silence also travels to Goa, after a spellbinding chapter reading at last year’s edition.

Curators are not meant to have favourites, but there are some things I am especially excited about this year. We have two of the most important photographer/archivists of our times coming to Goa next week: Tarun Bhartiya from Shillong, and Sanna Irshad Mattoo from Srinagar. Do not miss their work, and especially be sure to attend the inauguration with its keynote addresses by Mamang Dai and Ranjit Hoskote and a reading of poems by Meena Kandasamy. I also recommend the joyous celebratory book launch of the new Goa Writers anthology, written by 30 members from around the world. The unforgettable abolim heart on the cover is by Chloe Cordeiro, and the title is another tribute to Eunice de Souza

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/1946221660.544162.1707665013315%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Eugene Correia]

I am reading Becoming Goan and have almost reached half of it. In the pages I read, Michelle has painted a sort of mix of grim reality with a landscape view of current Goa with Siolim as a prime example. It's a mixture of the good and bad of Goa. On my walk today on the beach, met two young women and when I asked if they are Goans or visitors. They said they were from Delhi and one of them said she's looking for property or a flat to come and stay in Goa.

If that's the appeal of Goa to a young Delhite,I feel the image of Goa is rosy in the eyes of their eyes though "niz Goenkars" can relate a tale of woe. Goa reflects many hues, as I am not a "niz Goenkar", whatever that means. I can under Michellle's efforts to be a "niz Goenkar", and she has taken the task to relay that journey in a book form. Michelle identifies herself as "pandemic Migrant", forced to abandon Mumbai to return to her roots in Siolim, though she was born in Pune. She sports a Maharashtrian look, and I sat wondering how she would resolve this dilemma of "belonging".

I joked with the girl that she could probably live on an island in the middle of the sea across the beach of Bogmalo where I am holidaying. She thinks the property is too pricey for this unmarried young adult. 

So, take Goa in your palm.

Eugene

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAO%2BEfC3ZXzkqwL%2B8-%2BQE26rz0-d%3DqH%3DK0jcsRXakfkcAyt%2BRvw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Eugene Correia]

Reading Vivek brought a flood of memories of Eunice. I can still see in my mind's eye a petite girl/woman enter the classroom as we students of St. Xavier's College look with amazement of her demure image of a professor. We boys teased her and she almost came to tears. However, she gained her poise and sort of tried to laugh it off. I think it was in the first or second year of college.

I later read her poetry and enjoyed it. To me, like Michelle, Eunice too suffered from being an "outcaste" Goan. She was, I think, a subarnite, unlike me who lived in the city and was more in the midst of Goan happenings with the tag of "Goan homeland" that was Dhobitalao, not far from where I lived.

Just as Michelle expresses her agony and the joy of searching for her roots. Now comfortably placed in her ancestral home of Siolim, which is one of villages that's on the map of the "outsiders" looking to settle down.

Eugene

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CA%2BcjhjgJQBvap0YKu5nBxZTx6gnKcmei42JuJ%3DeR%3D49s-V4yuw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Eugene Correia]

Thanks for the info, Jeanne. I am still getting the feel of Goa. Frankly, I was confussed. I did check with Dogears if the anthology is out and I was told it would be released at GALF. I tried to locate a hotel around International Centre but it's a crazy tale to relate. I saw the map and Hotel Pearl, calling the number took me to a woman who said the number is hers. I went to JustDial and it took me to a hotel in Calangute. Then I stated getting calls, one from Baga, Calangute. I think JustDial sends you mobile/land number to hotels, as one came asking me if I need hotel anywhere in Goa. I was tired and angry by then. I talked to someone who shocked me saying it would not be worth going to GALF. Truly, I have attended two GALF and for the time and money spent I feel I would rather buy the books. I tried to find Goan authors/writers among the Speakers but found none, except that Mauzo would launch his book on the opening day. Panaji is too far for me to come daily from deep Dabolim, as my cousins, who have cars, have gone to Bombay. I don't drive in Goa. That's my luck -- and problem.

Eugene

[Jeanne Hromnik]

Hi Eugene

My experience is exactly the same!

It was a big effort for me to get to the International Centre from Candolim and one that I'm not eager to repeat. I was lucky enough, however, to catch Jerry Pinto at the one and only GALF I've attended.

In general, I found Goa hard to negotiate without a car. And if I had one I would be too frightened to drive! Buses are a nightmare and taxis exorbitant.

I hope you are enjoying Goa despite the results of misdevelopment visible everywhere.

Jeanne

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/550d1631-6770-4e48-a725-2cb6bad769e5n%40googlegroups.com.

[Eugene Correia]

I will check Amazon for your book, and, I remember, reading some chapters, either they were posted here or somewhere else. I am readying to do my Ph.Dd and, hence, I made this trip to Goa. I am reading the new book, Becoming Goan, and the author, Michelle, who is member on this group, explains her own experiences of settling in Goa as else as her views on what Goa is becoming or what it's now.

While your book is "insights" into the past, hers is of the present. Perhaps, Goa lies "in between" the two. I need to find out.

Eugene

On Wed, Feb 14, 2024 at 8:41 AM Eugene Correia <eugene....@gmail.com> wrote:

I will check Amazon for your book, and, I remember, reading some chapters, either they were posted here or somewhere else. I am readying to do my Ph.Dd and, hence, I made this trip to Goa. I am reading the new book, Becoming Goan, and the author, Michelle, who is member on this group, explains her own experiences of settling in Goa as else as her views on what Goa is becoming or what it's now.

While your book is "insights" into the past, hers is of the present. Perhaps, Goa lies "in between" the two. I need to find out.

Eugene

On Wed, Feb 14, 2024 at 8:03 AM Gilbert Lawrence <gilbe...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Euegne,

Regarding your experience about the two Delhi gals liking Goa, you should read the second chapter of our book. 

It is entitled: "Today, it’s not Our Grandparents’ Goa – It is Better!"

Gilbert

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_7Muz%2BKq%2Baa3Pv0-JiF48PAZuvqDxJ9k4kigqZ6tvUXKw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Gilbert Lawrence]

Euegne,

Regarding your experience about the two Delhi gals liking Goa, you should read the second chapter of our book. 

It is entitled: "Today, it’s not Our Grandparents’ Goa – It is Better!"

Gilbert

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_7Muz%2BKq%2Baa3Pv0-JiF48PAZuvqDxJ9k4kigqZ6tvUXKw%40mail.gmail.com.