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IN REVIEW: Goa's soul -- secular, indivisible and wholesome ------------------------ Goa: a daughter's story by Maria Aurora Couto Penguin Books India 2004 Pages 436, Rs 495 ------------------------ REVIEW BY Lino Leitao <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> When I was in Goa in June this year -2004, the first book that I happened to read was GOA: a daughter's story by Maria Aurora Couto. I picked up this book, first, for my reading because Iona Loyola Nazareth, who lives in Ottawa, had recommended it to me. Maria Aurora Couto and Iona are good friends, and their friendship goes long back to their student days in Dharwar, Karnataka. It was, perhaps, eleven in the night, and as I was fully engrossed in my reading of 'Goa: a daughter's story', suddenly, I was plunged into darkness. This is a constant irritant of the undependable electric power in Goa; and, Goans endure it without much protest. One of the deductions that flashed in my mind after I'd finished reading the book is: one of the attributes of the Goan soul is perseverance. Goa's soul has persevered despite all the ignomies heaped upon her. The darkness that had emerged abruptly had come as a blessing to me, though. In that darkness my mind became active in reflecting on the reading that I'd done so far. In the Prologue the author poses a question to herself, and the question is: what it means to be a Goan? Many a Goan in Goa or in diaspora, like the author, must have asked the same question to oneself. I did; and I often do even now. Goa is a state of mind as author points out in the book; and Goans treasure this 'state of mind' in the sanctum of their heart wherever they may live on this planet. The lights had gone off when I'd just finished reading the third chapter, The Persistence of Memory. In here, the author, Maria Aurora Couto, skin-dives into the innermost depth of her soul and brings out the unforgotten memories of her growing up in Margao. Her reminiscences that pour out recollecting her father who had died alone in Goa three years before her arrival in 1962, are like steamy tears shimmering down her cheeks, tears of a grief-stricken daughter. As I was mulling over it in the darkness that I was plunged in, I actually visualised tears in her eyes; and indeed, she must have had tears gushing out com-mingling with her emotions as she was writing this chapter. Her father, who had artistic soul, gave her, perhaps, no expensive material gifts, but she inherited from him his alma, his Goan soul, the best present she could ever have. Yes, she's father's daughter; no, she's pai's daughter. She brings out that awe, deep respect and reverence associated in the Goan Catholic mind for 'pai', a Portuguese term, meaning father. In the same chapter, she makes a valid observation about women in Goa. She writes, "Women in Goa have been capable of immense self-confidence and strength." A Goan woman of any caste or class is tutored from infancy in the management of household duties. She's 'gorkani' after marriage, and her domain is her household, the welfare of her family. In the time of crisis, or when a derelict husband drifts apart, it is she who shoulders up all the family burdens to keep up the dignity of the family intact. This trait in the character of a Goan woman, the writer attributes to various cultural influences that Goa had housed, once. Her mother inherited this trait in her moral fibre, too. Maria Couto doesn't write as passionately about her mother as she does about her pai, but she does acknowledge and appreciates, and is grateful for the role her mother played in the family. "I seem to be my father's daughter", she writes, "although it's my mother's courage that sustained us all." Maria Couto's narrative -- 'Goa: a daughter's story' -- is a personal journey that she takes with a passion through Goa's soul to discover the true essence, the real meaning of what it means to be a Goan. This narrative is her quest for Goan identity; and also, it's a pursuit to find out her own Goan personality. She starts her exploration with the story of mythical creation of Goa, looks into the periods of ancient and medieval Goa, the Colonial period, Liberation movement and the governments that came after the Liberation. She interviews and talks with native and diaspora Goans who have contributed their mite to enhance the Goan soul. She cites and reflects on the works of the contributors of the past who donated their time and intellect to understand and discover the distinctiveness of the Goan soul. One of the noteworthy Goans of the past who discovered the Goan soul and awakened our collective consciousness to our mother-tongue and culture is Valaulikar Vaman Verde, well known by his pen-name of Goembab Shennoi. While I was reading about Goembab in the book, a thought flashed in my mind: why Konkani stalwarts of the stature of Uday Bhembre, Manoharray Sar Dessai, Chandrakant Keni and others do not endeavour to bring out a commemorative postal stamp of Goembab? Maria Couto's prose doesn't cascade with fury of a waterfall. It has a flow of a serene river, and as you tarry to contemplate on her reflections that she deducts from her readings of the contributors to Goan identity, I clearly understood the strength of the Goan soul. Despite all the inquisitorial barbarities inflicted on her soul, Goan soul endures. The Goan soul is secular, indivisible and wholesome. Rene Barreto has awaken Goan consciousness in the diaspora by giving us World Goa Day to celebrate; and on this occasion, we hear Basilio Magno's song, 'Proud to be a Goan', sung like an anthem. Goans in diaspora and Goa, if they want to understand the resilience of the Goan soul, should read 'Goa: a daughter's story'. It's not only a good read, it's a work of love and a discovery of the Goan soul. -- [The writer is the author of The Gift of the Holy Cross.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the 7000-strong readership of the Goanet/Goanet-news network of mailing lists. If you appreciated the thoughts expressed above, please send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate their work. 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