The doyen of Konkani literature Damodar Mauzo highlighted the importance of the
‘word’, and said words were not deceptive but the people who used them or
misused them that took people on the wrong path were responsible. He was
speaking on the sidelines of a three day festival of art and culture that was
inaugurated in Panjim. Speaking to this journalist he said it was important for
the reader to be choosy and know what to take from any piece of writing. He
said it was important to have the capacity to separate water and milk. He said
if they were mixed it would be difficult to understand what was true. The
capacity to find the truth in whatever they read and write was very important.
He said today when one looks at newspapers and television channels no one was
sure as to what was true anymore. Damodor Mauzo pointed out that there were
leaders who talked nonsense and people kept buying it unfortunately and it was
important for readers to develop the art to separate truth from lies. He said
sometimes truth was presented in such a way that it was already distorted.
Citing the example of Kashmir Files he
said the movie was made very well featuring good actors, techniques but he
asked if it was possible to buy the content as it was shown. He said “We have
to be very careful and we have to use our brains. I know for certain that when
the troubles started in Kashmir, it was the Muslims who suffered the most in
the beginning. The first man to be killed during the riots was a Muslim. There
were hundreds of Muslims who were protecting their neighbours. Troubles took
place and that is why the Kashmiri Pandits had to run away. But it is not the
whole truth. It is up to us to find the truth and that is very important. The
whole truth can be different.” All this he said made it obvious of the
importance of writers because they were the conscience of society. When they
write, he said, people expect them to show the correct picture and guide them
on the right path. It was unfortunate writers were not following the path but
this was due to the fact they were also people. He said he found writers
sometimes working with the dispensation which was in power which was
unfortunate. He did not mince his words on the state of affairs. Later in the
evening his book ‘The Wait and other Stories’ was released.
Another colourful personality at the festival was Lou Majaw the
legendary performing artist from Shillong. He said he was in Goa to share his
music with the people of the State. Lou said he was on the road for over fifty
years and it was a bumpy ride at times with rain, thunder, sunshine and rainbows
crossing his path but his love for music drove him on. He said the love for
western music was growing and the money earned was ok unlike those who
performed Bollywood music who would have a couple of accountants to keep track
of the monies earned. Asked when the next album could be expected he said it
would be forthcoming in the next five or six months. Work on it he said was
still going on and he hoped if people showed interest, there could even be a
tour all over the country.
Chef Avinash Martins has made a name in the state by focusing on
creating new dishes by focusing on local ingredients. He said he decided to
take that part because it was important to eat what one sowed. It was, he said,
important to support local producers, the neighbour who was toiling in the
field instead of someone who brought produce from five hundred kilometers away.
The pandemic, he said, was another motivating factor because the supply lines
were disrupted and he was forced to look closer to home. He admitted there were
challenges staying on the path because when he started he was using so called
English vegetables like peppers, corn and so on and it was a challenge to
switch to a vegetable found in Goa. He said it was important to use the right
technique for certain vegetables and it would show its usefulness. Avid foodies
he said were now coming over to the restaurant. They were offering tasting
menus so visitors were spreading the message. It was important for states to
stand by their cuisine and he described himself as organically commercial in
the sense they wanted to make money but they had to be rooted in the local
culture.
The three-day people’s festival of ideas under community
curation will see leading authors, culinary experts, intellectuals,
entrepreneurs and musicians discuss the future of all of our endeavours in an
extraordinarily changed world.
This festival has been inspired by the great Goan polymath
Francisco Luis Gomes, who wrote an impassioned plea for freedom and
enlightenment to Alphonse de Lamartine, the foremost European intellectual of
the day, a good 161 years ago: “I was born in India, once the cradle of poetry,
philosophy and history and now their tomb. I belong to that race which composed
the Mahabharata and invented chess. But this nation which made codes of its
poems and formulated politics in a game is no longer alive! It survives being
imprisoned in its own country. I demand liberty and light for India.”
That brilliant statement of purpose illuminates the inaugural
Liberty & Light Festival of Goa this weekend on 28-30 May, in the
magnificent Old Goa Medical College heritage complex where Gomes first attained
prominence for his multifaceted genius.
A vibrant people’s festival of ideas, this labour of love and
community showcases and celebrates the finest talent from Goa and beyond,
including three stunning performance evenings that are free and open to all:
Sonia Shirsat and Madragoa, Lou Majaw, pop-rock star from Meghalaya, The Braz
Gonsalves Quintet, Daniel Fernandes, Dule Rocker, Akhu Chingbangam of Imphal
Talkies, Omkar Rege, Q, Impana Kulkarniand the The Mustard Seeds Art Company.
The
show will continue over the next two days and it promises to be an exhilarating
affair.
