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PRINTED WORD
>From the screen, to the page... the story of Goa and films
By Frederick Noronha
fred at bytesforall.org
When one tried to pick up a copy of 'Location Goa', it took
me a couple of visits and more to actually get it. To be fair
to Director of Information Menino Peres, he promptly handed
over a copy when we actually managed to meet.
But one still doubts that this book -- about the strange relationship
between Goa and films (mostly Bollywood) -- has reached the
hands of too many readers. In Goa or beyond.
That's sad. Like any government-published book, once the
money is spent, there isn't any great pressures to make sure
that the book is actually read, leave alone sold. The
257-page hard-bound large-size book has a lot of interesting
information, which makes it even more unfortunate that it
doesn't get -- or at least hasn't yet got -- the audience it
deserves.
Edited by journalist and author Mario Cabral e Sa, the book
is obviously aimed at shoring up Goa's case for continuing as
the permanent home of the annual International Film Festival
of India (IFFI). While the mela that accompanies the IFFI
should definitely go and only adds to the overall irritation
of the average citizen, the IFFI itself could surely add
value to the overall package that goes into making Goa an
interesting and attractive place. Provided that it is better
organised, of course.
Building a link between the big and glamorous world of films
and tiny Goa is no mean task. Given the flak the IFFI has got
-- from a section of the outstation filmi-industry,
politicians who want to point to flaws, media-persons who fail
to see the big-picture, and also locals upset by the added
pressures in their lives -- it only becomes all that tougher.
But this book's editor, Mario Cabral e Sa, does it in style.
He attains a readable book by choosing an interesting set of
contributors. 'Location Goa' also has some critical voices,
enough to retain credibility but obviously not too much to
upset the government authorities that paid the bill for
ensuring that it came out before IFFI 2006.
This tome throws up some little-known-facts about the film
world's links with Goa. Did you know, for instance, that
since the 1950s, some 90+ films were shot in Goa? Or, we are
told, that the legendary Prithviraj Kapoor was introduced to
films by an illiterate Goan girl called Ermelinda Cardozo of
Divar? Before finishing for the 'day' at dawn, I ended up
reading Mumbai-based journo Jerry Pinto's chapter on the
uneasy relationship between Goans and Bollywood -- in terms
of how they get projected, that is.
This book continues to get peppered with unusual facts.
Whether it will convince the film-makers of the south or
eastern India that Goa is a good venue for IFFI (they seem to
be in a tug-of-war with the Bollywood lobby) is anyone's
guess. Would it convince locals that they need to take their
own, little-noticed film links more seriously? Or, do
cinematographic accidents of history make up for the lack of
a film-viewing culture in a Goa where the total number of
film-clubs, for instance, could be easily counted on the
fingers of one hand?
Cabral e Sa himself starts off with his chapter to the lady
the book is dedicated to -- Ermelinda Cardoso (Sudhabala),
"the Goan star of the silent movie era...."
Chapter 1 is titled "what's so great about Goa?" and makes a
claim for talking about the nice parts of this region. Next,
director Shyam Benegal -- who shot 'Trikaal' and 'Bhumika' in
Goa -- narrates his experiences. ("I visited Goa for the
first time in 1967, a few years after its liberation from
Portuguese rule. It was an extraordinary experience. Goa was
both a part and apart from the rest of India.")
Poet and editor Manohar Shetty writes about Goa's first two
IFFIs. Among other essays of direct relevance to Goa are
critic Deepa Gahlot's "selection of the 20 best films shot in
gorgeous Goa".
What Gahlot says almost in passing of the film 'Bobby' (1973)
gives a hint of the unflattering manner in which Goans feel
they've been portrayed in Bollywood. She writes: "The film
had terrific music, and was a trend-setter in its time. Bobby
dresses, blouses, pins, everything became a rage. And this
updated Romeo-Juliet tale spawned many rip-offs. It was a
huge hit, and one of the few popular films that did not turn
Goans into caricatures. Bobby must surely go down as the most
stunning Goan girl seen in films for all time."
Shama Zaidi, who wrote 'Trikaal' and 'Bhumika', recalls her
experiences in Goa, in another chapter. Gahlot comes in again
with a chapter on "some of the biggest stars who pranced and
danced on the sets in Goa".
Jerry Pinto argues that Hindi cinema represents Goans as
people "on the margins of society". ("It is no accident that
Goa surfaces often in the imagination of Mumbai. Since the
arrival of the hippies in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it
has always been seen as the place where one might see nude
women on the beach. That myth may have faded somewhat --
though a repressed city with a skewed sex ratio in a
repressed nation is always reluctant to abandon such
mythologies -- but it is still seen as 'different', just as
Roman Catholics are seen as 'different'.")
In another interesting piece, the late ad-man Frank Simoes
writes about the making of The Sea Wolves, based on a World
War II episode in Goa. Time-Out (Mumbai) editor Naresh
Fernandes writes on Anthony Gonsalves and other Goan
musicians in the Hindi film industry.
Andrew Greno Viegas, that great fan of Konkani film who died
so early on in life just a few weeks back, has his take on
Konkani cinema, a subject he had written an entire book on.
Renu Iyer's listing of 90+ films shot in Goa seems
comprehensive.
All in all, a book with lots of interesting content -- if
you're interested in films, in Goa, or in both.
One only wishes that after spending so much of resources to
put together a fairly decent product, the Goa government
would make sure it is visible, readable and buy-able in
bookshops around Goa. Better still it would be if a PDF
version could be made available for free download via the
Net. Governments spending taxpayer money need to look beyond
an all-rights-reserved copyrighted model for their
publications. With alternative approaches, the goal of
collating and disseminating this information would be surely
better met!
MONTE GUIRIM
Talking about alumni publications, there seem to be quite a
few coming out from Bardez. In part, one suspects, this might
be driven by the expat interest in the 'old boys networks'
from this region. You simply get more nostalgic the further
you are from Goa!
'Yesterdays at Monte: Jogging Down Memory Lane' (Aug 2006, pp
78, Rs 100, Vikram Publications Limavaddo, Porvorim) is
Edward de Lima's book on St Anthony's at Monte Guirim.
As he puts it: "Life those days was simple and hard, but we
enjoyed ourselves in different innocent ways." This book
focuses on, among other things, lunch at school, annual
concerts, Mocidade Portuguesa (there was recently an
interesting debate in cyberspace over how one could
interpret this organisation and its politics), corporal
punishments, the school's debating society, the "brown hair
episode", retreats, and the author's teachers and classmates.
"Those Good Ol' Days!" (pp 82, Rs 150) is the 2006
compilation of tributes from ex-students of students from St
Britto's, St Mary's, and St Xavier's College at Mapusa.
It shares some articles in common with 'Britto's Retro' (pp
208, Rs 50), which focuses almost entirely on St Britto's.
Maybe alumni networks could play a more active role in
building links and encouraging the growth of institutions
that gave generations a quality education at a pittance. It's
nice to see so many active alumni groups, including from
institutions like the Goa Medical College, People's High
School, Don Bosco's in Panjim, Loyola's in Margao, the old
Lyceum, and others.
TSKK WORK
The Porvorim-based Thomas Stevens Konknni Kendra keeps on
quietly and actively publishing. Recently, one came across
two, slim inexpensive publications from there.
'Dor Mhoineachi Rotti' is a decades-old monthly (once even
published from Karachi, Pakistan) in Konkani that focuses on
religious and social issues. It is now out in a new format,
and priced at Rs 10 for a single issue. Details from
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
'Hansat Gayat Nachat: Bhurgeanchim Gitam' (Pratap Naik sj, pp
52, Rs 20) is a tiny, pocketbook-sized compilation of poems
in Konkani in the Roman script.
DON'T SELL?
Books published in Goa don't sell. That seems to be the
lament of those in the trade -- specially writers and
publishers. Or, some of them at least.
If we keep repeating this argument often enough, we might
soon start believing that it's true.
Miguel Braganza, a columnist for GT, commented recently: "We
have few bookshops in Goa that let you browse through books
before you buy one. Broadways at St. Inez, The Reading Habit
at Campal and Golden Heart Emporium at Margao are the
exceptions rather than the rule. Book exhibitions are still a
treat in Goa." Maybe one could add Varsha's too.
Braganza pointed to some recent alumni publications -- of
Mapusa-based schools and a college -- and said these gave
"different perspectives of school and boarding life in Goa
from 1946 (the Mocidade Portuguesa days) to the 1990s (Boy
Scout camps and NCC days) that any person will enjoy
reading."
But he lamented that nobody seemed to be buying these. Even
if books were being sold, was Goa reading them, he suggested?
Prominent never-say-die writer from Goa based in the US
Victor Rangel-Ribeiro ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) joined the
online-debate: "I agree that, with a few exceptions, even
highly literate Goans do not count among the world's great
book buyers. That said, the books you cited might sell better
if they are placed in more outlets than just one."
George Pinto, a San Jose-based supporter of many a Goan
cause, came up with another perspective: "Inspite of quality
work, it seems to me three problems account for poor book
sales: Goan apathy. Under appreciation of the humanities,
arts, literature in the Goan community. No distributions
network in the Goan Diaspora."
He added: "I wonder how this can be solved."
There are other problems too, one would argue. Goa-related
books are hardly visible when published. They don't get the
reviews they deserve, in most of the local or outstation
media. The market is small and scattered over a huge
geographical area (the Diaspora could be a vital part of that
market too, but reaching it can be tough).
Overall, the reading habit needs to be encouraged in Goa; and
we have a long way to go here. But, then, we here too should
be reporting a spurt in reading (like much of the rest of
India, take the case of Hindi newspapers in north India) if
Goa's claims about the growth in literacy in recent years
tally with reality.
But, greater visibility for the books is crucial. How will
people buy one if they don't even know it exists, or where
they can pick it up from? Incidentally, one believes that Goa
books should also become more affordable; nobody will pick up
a copy at whatever price just because it relates to Goa.
Feedback welcome: [EMAIL PROTECTED], 2409490 or 9970157402
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Ten Goa books by, and for, children
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The Bridge At Borim
By Surekha Panandikar
Price: Rs. 14
Pp 79 /(1999)
A fascinating tale of the exploits of a young boy, Joze,
during the struggle for Goa's liberation from Portuguese
rule. (Available from: OIBS, Mapusa)
Alfie Alphonso: The search for the mystical Crystal
By Odette Mascarenhas
Price: Rs. 175
Pp337 (2006)
Ever since Harry Potter became a phenomenon, more and more
writers are trying their hand at the imaginary. Odette
Mascarenhas has penned a story of a fairy godmother who
enters the desolate world of a young Goan lad from Aldona
village and transports him to the World of Magic where he
tries to outwit the Dark Lord of Magic and his cohorts who
are hell bent on preventing him from finding the Mystical
Crystal. Will this book capture the imagination as did
Potter? Recently published, it is too soon to tell. (OIBS)
The Sea Bird
By Mangala Anaveker
Price: Rs. 100
Pp 84 (2001)
A tale set in Goa, this book offers reflections on life
interspersed in a fairly interesting narrative
Free From School
By Rahul Alvares
Price: Rs. 100
Pp.112 (1999)
16-year-old snake-loving Goan, Rahul Alvares, opted out of
school for a year, to unravel for himself the mysteries of
nature's wonders reptiles, crocodiles, spiders, earthworms
and turtles. This book reports Rahul's thrilling real-life
learning, which students and teachers will find enormously
engrossing.
The Portrait
By Frederika Menezes
Price: Rs. 100
Pp.81 (1998)
Sensitive thoughts, ideas and oodles of humour by a young,
bubbly spastic. She translates them in poems, which show a
remarkable maturity as she shares with the reader her pain,
dreams and cheer.
The Pepperns & Wars of the Mind
By Frederika Menezes
Price: Rs. 200
Pp 173 (2003)
A whimsical tale of a world wholly of the imagination
authored by a young Goan girl.
Rebecca's Inheritance
By Sushila Fonseca
Price: Rs. 55
Pp 189 (2002)
An adventure story set in Goa.
Elocution Pieces For Students
By Anita Pinto
Price: Rs. 25
Book 1: Pp. 102 (1995)
Poems and speeches for students of all ages to recite and
declaim
Mathematics Manual For Children
By Pratap Naik
Price: Rs. 25
Pp.43 (1996)
Learn arithmetic in Konkani with English translations. Simple
steps.
Aquaworld: The environment and ecosystems of coastal goa
By Theresa Almeida
Price: Rs. 270
Pp.267 (1998) LF
A resource book and activity guide.
Source: http://www.otherindiabookstore.com/index.jsp
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