Her love for Konkani made her quit her career as a lawyer and follow her passion for writing. From being a youth member to finally being elected as the president of Konkani Bhasha Mandal, in 2020, Anwesha Singal has been channelling her creative energy into penning poems.
Published by Sanjana Publications, Anwesha
is excited about the release of her two new collections of poems, ‘Aasor’ and
‘Chaffo’. Sharing her love for poetry which Anwesha describes as a difficult
form of expression, she says, “Poetry is something that comes to you. It is a
skill to tell a lot with a few words, in a lyrical and musical form. I love to
play with words and to freeze a moment through poetry. It gives me happiness.”
Written in Devnagiri Konkani, ‘Chaafo’ is
a compilation of 58 limericks which Anwesha calls altakshri in Konkani. She
adds, “They are short poems written in 4-5 lines but expressing different
emotions. The poems revolve around love, nature, relationships and the everyday
lives.”
‘Aasor’ is a collection of 78 long form
poems which touches upon themes ranging from social issues to women centric
topics. “There are poems on themes like homosexuality, illicit and illegitimate
relationships, education, parenting and importance of ethics. I have also
pursued new age women and the emotions that a woman does through,” she
explains. Anwesha’s previous books include ‘Sulus’ and ‘Padsad’, her collection
of poems and ‘Dant’, a children’s story book.
Sharing her experience of being the president of Konkani Bhasha
Mandal for three years, Anwesha didn’t feel discouraged about the lull of
events during the pandemic but found suitable alternatives to keep the ball
rolling. “It has been a beautiful journey and none of us had foreseen the
impact of the pandemic. However, with the boost of the youth force that Konkani
Bhasha Mandal has with its huge team across Goa, the strength of the committee
has grown splendidly. Many events were on hold and then went fully online. The
experience has been phenomenally good. We got to explore a lot of new things
with the ample of time we had. In one way, it was a boon for the growth of
Konkani,” she reminisces.
Being the first woman president of Konkani Bhasha Mandal in its
history of 60 years, Anwesha has all the support from the committee that has
seen her grow over the last 15 years as a young member. “My journey with
Konkani Bhasha Mandal began when I was 22 years old as a member. I was elected
the Secretary in 2012 when Chetan Acharya was the president where I coordinated
some of the major events such as Shenoi Goembab Kathamal, Goa Yuva Mahotsav and
Bal Sahitya Parishad. The committee has 24 members and almost an equal number
of women. Over the years, women have held good posts including the Vice
President’s post,” she says.
Anwesha had a strong foundation in literature thanks to her
parents, late Arun and Deepa, but how much importance do today’s youngsters
give literature? “It is a challenging phase for young writers with the latest
technology and social media influence. They upload their writings online and
with the instant likes and comments, they ignore being critical about their
writing. If you look at literature in today’s time, originality is at stake
with apps like Chat GPT. There has to be commitment and dedication towards
writing. One has to be rooted to the core of Goa and go back to writing about
the folk culture of Goa by trying to hunt for information and history on what
makes us unique. We also play an important role as guides to them. In a
competitive academic world, literature is not a priority as they are still
coping with surviving with securing good marks and accolades,” says Anwesha.
Anwesha’s next literary project includes a book on survivor
stories of cancer patients. “My father was a cancer patient and passed away in
2005. I am working on compiling survivor stories and struggles of cancer
patients and their family and friends. I have seen my mother support my father
and battle it out and cancer is a disease that affect now just a single person
but everyone in the family has to bear the suffering,” explains Anwesha.
The
book release of ‘Aasor’ and ‘Chaafo’ will be held on Sunday, April 2 at the
Conference Hall, Ravindra Bhavan, Margao at 5 pm. The ceremony will be presided
over by author and Konkani activist Chetan Acharya in the presence of chief
guest, senior writer Melvyn Rodrigues and writer and folk artist, Gopinath
Gawas as the guest of honour. The ceremony will be compered by Brijesh Shet
Desai.