Vivek Menezes
When the unique, intimate and strictly independent Goa Arts + Literature Festival was initiated in 2010 by the Goa Writers group in partnership with International Centre Goa, it took inspiration from the late, great poet Eunice de Souza’s insightful lines about different “ways of belonging.” Very quickly, that framework helped establish an enthusiastic annual celebration of what “the mainstream” often dismisses as “the margins” and GALF2026 on February 12-14 next week – the fourteenth edition – is set to be yet another joyous family style gathering in exactly that vein. There will be strong delegations from the Northeast states and from Singapore, and significant book launches from right here in India’s smallest state. As the (volunteer) co-curators and custodians of this remarkable institution across its entire existence, the great Konkani writer and Jnanpith Award winner Damodar “Bhai” Mauzo and I have been privileged to watch it become a widely anticipated and deeply appreciated event on the national cultural calendar, even if our resources have remained highly limited all the while. In fact, the discipline of staying small has allowed us to burnish and improve in concentrated ways, doubling down on what makes GALF palpably different, with exceptionally rich conversations and purposefully meaningful interactions. Here is my insider’s guide to this year’s highlights. THE INAUGURAL GALF2026 will begin on February 12 at 5.30 pm with keynote speeches by Easterine Kire and Rakhshanda Jalil, two national treasures and all-round literary/cultural powerhouses.
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The brilliant Singaporean poet Joshua Ip will read from his work, and the beloved Siolim based artist Alexyz will unveil his official festival artwork. Then, our rock star Remo will launch Assavri Kulkarni’s stunning new book ‘Forest Recipes of Goa – Stories of Tribal Food’.
A GOOD LIFE: THE POWER OF PALLIATIVE CARE Starting off GALF2026 on February 13 at 9.45 am is the incredibly multidimensional author Jerry Pinto, whose latest book is a tender exploration of the meaning, impact and necessity for palliative approaches to heath care. He will be joined by Dr Armida Fernandez, the Mumbai-based physician of Goan origin who won the Padma Shri award last month.
BOOKS OF THE MOMENT Important new publications to be discussed at GALF include ‘The Girl from Fergana: Secrets of My Mother’s Chinese Tea Set’ with Jonathan Gil Harris in conversation with Ajay Kamalakaran, ‘The Dig: Keeladi and the Politics of India’s Past’ with Sowmiya Ashok in conversation with Dr Vidya Dehejia, ‘Meet the Savarnas: Indian Millenials Whose Mediocrity Ruined Everything’ with Dr Ravikant Kisana in conversation with Dr Vasudha Sawaikar, and ‘Love, Sex and India: The Agents of Ishq Anthology’ with Paromita Vohra in conversation with Karanjeet Kaur, and many others.
HOMECOMING OF JONATHAN NUNN Returning to the land of his maternal ancestors (his mother is Goan from Kenya) is the game-changing writer and editor Jonathan Nunn, who has upended the food media world in London (and, indeed, everywhere else as well). Here is how he was described in GQ India in 2024: “By showing us the city as it actually lives, breathes and eats, Nunn has given us an unusually persuasive way to understand what has been happening to our societies in the neoliberal age.”
EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATIONS This year’s festival includes several unique presentations that should not be missed including ‘The Jews of Goa: From Antiquity to the 21st Century’ by Dr Shava Weil of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ‘Caste: What Lies At Its Heart’ by Tony Joseph, and ‘Tigers, Hunters and Shamans: Ruptures and Belonging in the Eastern Himalayas’ by Dr Kaustubh Deka of Dibrugarh University. The great doyennes of Indian translation Mini Krishnan and Arshia Sattar will speak about their work, as will the award-winning nature writer Yuvan Aves, and the path-breaking graphic novelist Orijit Sen.
BIG BOOK LAUNCHES FROM GOA GALF2026 will host multiple important book launches from our own state on February 14, including ‘Appetite: New Writing from Goa’ from the Goa Writers group, and ‘Fish Curry and Rice’, the long-awaited (and seriously improved) new edition of the classic environmental resource book from Goa Foundation. Derek Almeida (the writer) and Fabian Gonsalves (illustrator) will release their innovative graphic novel ‘Guru, Girls & A Dude Without A Plan’, and Goa University professor Vithai Zaraunker will present ‘The Story of Janakye Bai’, which has been illustrated by Asavari Gurav. SINGAPORE DELEGATION OF STARS After some year’s hiatus, GALF will again host an outstanding delegation of writers from Singapore. Besides the return of previous festival favourite Joshua Ip, they include the poet, translator and critic Daryl Lim Wei Jie, the acclaimed novelist Jemimah Wei, and the multidisciplinary artist and writer Nor, who focuses “on themes of identity, community, and queer narratives through poetry and text.”
