As
the Goa Arts and Literary Festival (GALF) 2015 prepares to raise curtains on
its VI edition, the curators – Vivek Menezes and Damodar Mauzo – promise it
will be another banquet of readings, conversations, panel discussions, book
launches and performances, with 100 speakers from 12 countries participating.
“The study of history and
history writing has become even more relevant today. We are looking at new
trends in history and our focus this year is on the best history books. We have
a line-up of some world-class contemporary Goan and International historians
for the festival,” avers Vivek. “Among these are Ines Zupanov and Angela Barretto who
will launch their book ‘Catholic Orientalism’, Faisal Devji from Oxford,
Ramachandra Guha including Parag Porob and Rochelle Pinto from Goa along with a
host of others.”
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For countries on focus,
Bangladesh and Singapore are in the limelight at this year’s festival.
“Singapore has a long standing relationship with GALF. The country is known for
its poetry. The husband-wife duo, A J Low, will be showcasing their children’s
book ‘Sherlock Sam and The Missing Heirloom in Katong’. Bangladesh is about to
have its moment this year. The are a group of great writers on the verge of
international recognition and they are all making their debut at GALF 2015 and
for the first time in India,” the curators explain. The international line-up
of writers include six each from Bangladesh and Singapore, eight from
neigbhouring Pakistan, three from UK, four from USA and one each from
Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Norway and Portugal with over 50 prominent
speakers from Goa and the rest of India.
Poets have been given a
place of pride at GALF every year. “GALF is the only festival in India with a
major emphasis on poetry. In fact, one of our keynote addresses is by India’s
well known poet Keki Daruwalla. We are also proud of the fact that a member of
Goa Writers, Rochelle
Potkar, who was one of the few writers selected
from around the world for the IOWA International Writing Programme, will be
reading her poetry at the festival. Brian Mendonca and a host of Konkani
writers will also be showcasing their works,” explains Vivek of this
multi-lingual festival which includes six languages – Hindi, Konkani, Kannnada,
Malayalam, Odia and English.
While a slew of prominent authors will
be releasing their books at the festival, there are two that will make a larger
impact this year. “Naomi Duguid, a multiple
award-winning, world-famous food book author and expert on Asian cuisines, will
make her debut appearance at the festival; it will also be her first in India. The
surprising thing is that even though she has written so much about Indian
cuisine, she has never presented her work in India. On the other front is
India’s most promising and brightest young talents, Dr Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar, who will have an exclusive release of his second book ‘The Adivasi
Will Not Dance’ at GALF,” he adds.
(GALF will be held at the
International Centre, Goa, Dona Paula from December 11 to 13, 2015. The
inauguration will be held at Maquinez Palace, ESG auditorium, Panjim at 5pm on
December 10, 2015)
AT GALF 2015
* Countries in Focus –
Bangladesh and Singapore
* Some prominent
Historians from around the world
Faisal Devji – Oxford,
Ines Zupanov – Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
Angela Barretto Xavier –
University of Lisbon
Anjali Arondekar –
University of California
Ramachandra Guha, Jonathan
Gil Harris, Raghu Karnad, Vedica Kant, Parag Porobo, Rochelle Pinto and many
others.
*Prof Amin public lecture
Recording the Bhashas and
Bolis of Colonial India: G A Grierson,
Ramgharib Chaube and the
Making of the Linguistic Survey of India
*Exclusive debut
Naomi Duguid – multiple
award-winning, world-famous food
book author and expert on
Asian cuisines
*Ambedkar Memorial
Lectures by P Sivakami and Prof Khalid Anis Ansari
Book Launches (selected):
• Angela Barreto Xavier and
Ines G Zupanov’s ‘Catholic Orientalism’
• Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s
‘The Adivasi Will Not Dance’
• Yvonne Vaz Ezdani’s ‘Songs
of the Survivors’
• Anjum Hasan’s ‘The
Cosmopolitans’
• Bharat Karnad’s ‘Why India
is Not a Great Power (Yet)’
• Harsh Mander’s ‘Looking
Away: Inequality, Prejudice and Indifference in New India’
• Heta Pandit’s ‘There’s
more to life than a house in Goa’
• Keki Daruwalla’s
‘Ancestral Affairs’
• Narayan Ramachandran’s ‘A
Visible Hand’
• Saad Z Hossain’s ‘Escape
from Baghdad!’
• Sarah Farooqui’s ‘Distance
from Delhi’
• Vincy Quadros’ ‘Khell Zalo
Vell’
• Mahesh Rao’s ‘One Point
Two Billion’
• Zac O’Yeah’s ‘Hari, Hero
for Hire’
Performance by award winning
street magicians from Delhi
Performance by
Indian-American rapper, Himanshu Suri
