Vivek Menezes
An interesting twist is bringing many “digital natives” back to analog, as a number of bright lights in Goa’s smartphone generation are turning to old-fashioned ink and paper to express themselves. Everyone complains about the ubiquity of screens – and the degree to which so many young people have become hooked on them – but that is not at all the end of the story. Over the past five years since the pandemic shut us all into lockdown, we can also see a clear shift towards art, crafts and “making” that represents an entirely different side of youth aspirations and abilities. In particular, a proliferation of attractive, informative and highly effective zines – small-scale self-published publications that are often folded from one page – have emerged to explore different aspects of the culture, heritage and identity of India’s smallest state.
“I work in social media, and know what goes on creating it, and the interactions that happen through it,” says 33-year-old Divya Desai from Miramar, whose new zine-centric Zibbl (@wezibbl on Instagram) aims to be “a creative archive of feeling and emotion.” After its launch at the charming new LAFA books and stationery shop at Caranzalem – itself an outgrowth of these new youth preoccupations - she told me “at the end of the day when I would reach home, I ended up doom scrolling memes and superficial content that did not appeal to my emotions. One night, I realised where this burnout is coming from. I was numb and feeling nothing, and my inner rebel spoke to me. I remembered the glorious history of zines and how they were used to spread information, express individual opinions, experimented with paper and different topics, and created awareness while being punk when needed. This became my form of quiet rebellion from superficial content. We're not here to chase trends. We're here to write with feeling, to remember, to resist.”
Zibbl has some ways to go to achieve affordability for its own audience, as its neatly packaged first edition (it includes three beautifully designed zines and a couple of shorter “zibblings”) costs a relatively steep 770 rupees. That price could easily be managed down with strategic sourcing of paper and print technology, and I hope it happens, because what Desai and team have put together is really quite lovely. I especially liked and appreciated their “scented zibbl” authored by Apurva Sawant-Gad (in collaboration with Ethan Mascarenhas and Chayne Lobo) celebrating the characteristic Suranga blossoms of Sarvan village in Bicholim. There are QR codes to access additional videos and photos, and this evocative tribute also comes with a tiny paper “tester” redolent with the flower’s unforgettable fragrance. It really does make the young zine authors’ point with palpable pride, “we Konkannvasis are fortunate to witness the gift of colour and fragrance provided by nature [with] each flower a tender treasure that captivates our spirits.”
In fact, nature and the environment are the main causes that have compelled by far the most significant zines production in Goa over the past few years, via the powerhouse Amchem Mollem campaign (@mymollem.goa) that has managed a brilliantly successful asymmetric defence of our most vital forest lands. As the Sanctuary Nature Foundation pointed out when giving these outstanding young activists and artists its 2021 Wildlife Service Award, they’re “an example of the power of the collective [that] teaches us the best environmental defense strategies are home-brewed and imbued with joy, love and dogged resilience.” All those attributes are readily apparent in their slew of zines, which 34-year-old Svabhu Kohli told me have “grown out of a simple, shared belief—that art, activism, and science can come together to protect what we love. The Amchem Mollem Zine Library has been shaped by so many hands and minds: scientists, artists, poets, researchers, writers and everyday citizens who care deeply for our beloved Mollem. Together, we’ve created over 40 zines that hold its stories—told through legal insight, creative expression, and scientific knowledge—side by side. The collection keeps growing, travelling into streets, classrooms, exhibitions, and festivals, where it becomes a public reading room open to anyone who’s curious. It’s a place where people linger, talk, question, and imagine together. For us, witnessing the zine library come alive in public spaces - is a profound moment when layered stories and imaginations come together, they spark hope, shift conversations, and turn care into action.”
That nuance – between fleeting digital presence and more permanent impact in physical form – is also something that 37-year-old Leaxan Freitas pointed to when I asked about his gorgeous, visual-heavy zine on the art deco landmark Praça do Comércio in Panjim (as well as his parallel obsession with Konkani music on vinyl records). “The physical format is not dead, be it vinyl, cassettes tapes or books,” he responded, “and experiencing something in an analog or physical format helps build a personal connection. Think about a handshake vs an email introduction.”
Freitas turned to zines for his most pressing cause of the moment: “The Praça do Comércio is slated for demolition. Through the zine I want to highlight what makes this building unique and worth saving. It is one of Goa's oldest and truest Art Deco buildings and one of the last remnants of what makes Panjim a great city to walk around. People would have looked at it a thousand times without noticing the details. I would like to ask people to look closer at the heritage around them and understand that not every city is fortunate to have so few glass and concrete buildings. Panjim has character that was built on years of global influence. It is possible to develop the city without it losing its character. I plan to release a few more with the focus on buildings at the risk of being lost to neglect. Zibbl is an innovative idea, and can be looked at as a platform too. Artists and authors can produce their best work without worrying about how to get it out there or how to present it.”