"Zoit ani Her Kovita" released in Kuwait

Konkani Book Released

Another remarkable feature of the program was the release of a Konkani book titled "Zoit ani her Kovita" (Victory and other poems) by Walter Menezes (Quepem, Goa). The book was released at the hands of Mr. Ashley Rigde-Cooke. This is the second year in succession that a Goan author/poet's publication has been released in Kuwait at the Summer Queen - the glittering dinner dance social organized by Goan Cultural Centre (GCC-Kuwait) at Crowne Plaza on Friday 25 April, 2008.

Quepem's Stars from Goa Sparkle at Kalaangann

Mangalore: Quepem's Stars from Goa Sparkle at Kalaangann

MANGALORE , Jan 6,2008 : It was certainly a refreshing change for the Konkani music and art aficionados of the city, when 'Kepemchim Kirnnam', a musical and performing group from Quepem taluka of south Goa, presented a scintillating show at Kalaangann, Shaktinagar in the city evening. Quepem or Kepem has earned its own place in the art and music world. 'Kepemchim Kirnnam', headed by its director Elvis Goes, is not new to Mangalore. This group had taken part in the historic 'Manddo Fest' in 2003 in Mangalore and had won the hearts of Konkani art-lovers of the city.

Walter Menezes impressed with his flowing style of compering.

[Richie Lasrado"Gulf Goans" ]

Goa's Very Own 'Wren & Martin' - by Walter Menezes

I was happy to see the following article in the GT the other day. I am
posting it here for wider reading.

The book, with an uninspiring light blue cover, is really the most
useful book I have seen to date for learning to read and write Konkani
in Roman script ....specially if you are familiar with spoken Konkani
or written English or both. The English-konkani and Konkani-English
vocabulary is also very helpful. The book is available at
TSKK-Porvorim, Varsha Book stall-Panaji [near Panaji-Betim Ferry
jetty], Broadway Book store-St. Inez [opposite Caculo Ford] and St.
Paul's Book store -18 June Road, Panaji. In Margao it is available at
Rhythm House opposite Hotel Meenaxi. The book is priced just Rs.250/-

Those who do not know to speak Konkani, may find it helpful to buy a
CD that comes along with Mr.Edward D"Lima's book "Learning Konkani"
available at Singbal Book Stall, near the Church, Panaji. The pair
costs Rs.200/-

Mog asundi.

Miguel

Gomantak Times, Wednesday, dated: 02/01/2008.

GOA'S VERY OWN ˜WREN & MARTIN"

By: Walter Menezes
Great persons, someone said, are no different from the
rest of us. They only do things differently! On
September 29, 2007, Fr. Matthew Almeida did just that.
He celebrated his birthday differently. To a ˜sizeable
section of Goan society and a ˜great number of
Indians and foreigners who wanted to learn Konknni
without having to learn a new alphabet, Fr. Matthew
gave a precious present: ROMI LIPIENT KONKNNI KORS.
For nearly two months the book remained on my bedside
table, always staring at me.. Then one day I had to
leave for Baroda and I picked up the book, dusted its
cover and said, You are going to be my companion for
the next few days!
All through the days of the journey, the book remained
my constant companion as I leafed through the pages
and found that ROMI LIPIENT was indeed a precious
present. The amount of time, energy and midnight oil
that must have been burned by Fr. Matthew and his
"textbook team" of Fr. Pratap Naik, S.J., Joanita
D'Silva, Fr. Ave Maria Afonso and Shilpa Salvi to
complete the Konknni Course can best be summed up
thus: the book is simply outstanding!
The Konknni Course is primarily meant for beginners
and uses the Bardeshi dialect which is adopted by all
the Church publications in Goa. The graded lessons are
based on grammatical structures of Konknni. The
grammar is explained in English and there are
extensive exercises for the learner. With structural
table drills, vocabulary at the end of each lesson and
50 pages of Konknni-Inglez / English-Konknni
dictionaries, the book at once reminds you of ˜Wren &
Martin, that old classic for a generation of students
and teachers alike.
In a brief write-up in the Nov-Dec'07 issue of The
Goan Review, the magazine highlights the advantage of
Roman script being ˜universally used script and any
one who wishes to learn Konknni can make use of this
book. This could well be the reason for ‘an
enthusiastic response that the book has stirred up.
According to Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr Report
2007, the publishers received ˜pre-publication orders
coming in from all over the world.
The course uses all the letters of the Roman alphabet
except q and w and an additional symbol â called
tilde or til with a or o to give the accurate Konknni
nasal sounds, e.g. pay (foot), and teaches one the
typical patterns of sound, forms, words and sentences
found in Konknni.
Fr. Matthew informs us that ‘the optimum age for
language learning is from birth up to eleven to twelve
years of age. But that should not discourage anyone.
Though not written as a ˜teach-yourself-tutor", the
course, with certain adaptations, ˜can be used to
learn Konknni by oneself.
Once the introductory lessons are behind you, Fr.
Matthew takes you through everything that is so
special about Goa. In Lesson 5, the children get a
taste of ˜ambeachim kapam and˜ponnsachim sattam"
when they go to Saliganv. Up the hill, they find
˜zambllam, bhennsam, churnam ani charam" and I
couldn't but remember my own childhood days when we
went in search of such berries during the summer
holidays.
˜Sobit Ghor" is another lesson that gives you an
inside view of the ancestral houses we grew up in,
complete with ˜zollvachi khomp ani dukrancho ghudd".
And with the kind of frenzied development that is
taking place all around us, we may very soon find such
houses only in history and coffee-table books.
There is a beautiful line in one of the lessons:
nisteachea nanvan mel'lim jitim zavpi ami! It means,
without fish, Goans really feel like fish out of
water. Even to read the very mention of such words
like sungttancho balchanv, sukea bangddeancho parra,
nisteachi mol ani rexiad in the book, is to leave a
tang on your tongue.
In some lessons there is sadness also. Sadness at the
way Goans are selling off their houses and properties.
At the way we celebrate our wedding receptions, where
time is always the first casualty. And sadness to find
that more and more players from Africa and Brazil are
signed by the football clubs in Goa.
Konknni uses are, ago, aga, age and the dependent
forms re, go, ga, ge. Fr. Matthew cautions us that
˜care must be taken to find out the social
acceptability of the forms to a particular group"..
Rather than run the risk of insulting some person, ˜it
is best to avoid them altogether", he suggests.
Saying numbers and fractions, too is made that much
simpler by using the old, decimal oriented practice as
in English. 23 becomes vis ani tin and 1/3 is tinantlo
ek vantto.
>From Lesson 23 onwards, if the narrator or speaker is
Hindu, Antruji dialect is used and if he is a
Catholic, Bardeshi dialect is used to prepare the
learner ˜for the real life situation in Goa.
One cannot help but notice a few slips. Xarak vortolo (page
149) should be xarant. And is dovornnem the right word
for a bus-stop?
Apart from being a basic course for learners, Fr.
Matthew Almeida's book takes the student through the
hills and houses, the customs and everything that
makes Goa truly fascinating. Like the good earth after
the first showers, the pages literally ˜smell" of the
Goan way of life as seen through the discerning eyes
of a great educationist like Fr. Matthew.
Porbim tumkam, Fr. Matthew Almeida. We eagerly look
forward to your next birthday and your next present!

Title: ROMI LIPIENT KONKNNI KORS
Author: Dr. MATTHEW ALMEIDA, S.J.
Publisher: THOMAS STEPHENS KONKNNI KENDR, PORVORIM
Pages: 252
Price: Rs.250/-

Walter Menezes,
42, The Mustard Seed,
Cusmene, Quepem,
Goa 403 705
Mobile: 9370569296

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts,
Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa
Ph 9822982676
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Natt'yangan" - collection of one act plays in Konkani

Konkani’s humorous plays… (review by J.P.Pereira)

By J P Pereira



‘Natt’yangan’ is a collection of humorous one-act plays in Konkani, written by Brenda Menezes and published by Cindy Publications, Quepem through the sponsorship of Goa Konknni Academy. The book comprises of five plays, written in a simple yet delightful language that is normally used everyday.

The first play titled ‘Eka Lognak Sotra Vidhna,’ narrates the tale of an elderly spinster who refuses all proposals and when she finally accepts one, other hurdles crop up. ‘Aai Bhandavelean Dhanvli,’ is about a mother, her naughty kids and a ‘good for nothing’ husband. Frustrated at not being able to control the misdeeds of her family, she contemplates suicide…

In ‘Hantrun Polleun Paim Soddunk Zai,’ a poor peon, in an office, is under tension. His sister-in-law is getting married, his children want new clothes, and his wife wants to buy an expensive gift and he has no money! ‘Eleisanv’ tells about corrupt politicians and the new candidates who also will become corrupt while the last play, ‘Aplem Thoddem Chintchem Papia,’ warns a retiring employee to save the terminal benefits or face the consequences.

Written in Devanagri script by a lady who was weaned in Konkani from her childhood by her parents and uncles, especially a maternal uncle who won laurels for his poetry, the five plays make for great reading. Besides the humor that is present, there is also a message in each play. The book would be a great buy for individuals and schools, which could perform the
beautiful plays for variety entertainment programmes and annual days.

With great support and encouragement from her husband, Walter Menezes, who is also a writer, Brenda will continue writing more plays. Maybe someday, the will write a full-fledged Konkani drama. All the best to Brenda, keep on writing.

More details of the book from Walter Menezes

Book Review of "Rendermam Ani Tachem Jivit" - By Walter Menezes

Book Review of “Rendermam Ani Tachem Jivit"
Author and Publisher: Fr. Ave Maria Afonso
Pages: 64
Price: Rs.60

By: Walter Menezes

I met Fr. Ave Maria Afonso at Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, Alto Porvorim on a day when Fr. Mathew Almeida, SJ was celebrating his birthday. The book release ceremony of Fr. Almeida’s Romi Lipient Konknni Kurs was over and we were helping ourselves to a piece of cake and a cup of tea when Fr. Ave Maria presented me with a copy of his book, Rendermam’ ani Tachem Jivit.

This book was released in Margao a couple of days earlier at a function organized to celebrate the first anniversary of the Konknni magazine, Jivit, and although I was present for the same, I had to leave the function half-way through, without buying a copy of the book, whose seeds were sown when Fr. Ave Maria was pursuing his post-graduate studies at TSKK, Alto Porvorim.

I finished reading Rendermam’ on a relaxed Sunday when the nation was celebrating the triumph of good over evil and realized how little I knew about the toddy-tapper who, like the poder and the pagi, (baker and traditional fisherman) has been an essential part of every Goan household. For who can imagine a life without our daily bread, our fish-curry and a peg of feni? Or our feasts without sannas and our mouth-watering dishes like sorpotel, sausages, vindaloo, fish parro and mol without vinegar?

My father-in-law had a bar in Kepem and, on days when he was indisposed, I was the one who was summoned to help him out on such occasions. We normally catered to the aam admi who would flock to the bar in the afternoons and the evenings and help themselves to their favourite drink. I had the opportunity to interact with some of the rendermams, and in one case the wife of a rendermam’, who would come from as far as Sanguem with their kollxo (earthern pot) of feni and deliver the same to Ruzar-irmao, as my father-in-law was respectfully called. He would then measure the grau of the feni by dipping the alcohometer in the bottle, nod his head when it showed 18 degrees, and then make the payment.

A kopin of feni is what I normally had in the night just before supper was served. And on days when I was too tired after a hard day’s work, my wife would not mind at all if I had some ‘extra’ ones! What she never knew was that sometimes I would join my friend at a village bar, where dukhsiri, a strange combination of feni and medicinal roots, was a great hit at that time. Meant for those who labour and sweat it out in the fields, dukhsiri is a soothing drink and like vodka, there is not a trace of smell at all. But just to be on the safer side, once the bill was settled, my friend would remove a couple of cloves from some secret chamber of his trousers and off we would go, munching them merrily on our way home. We were happy and so were our better halves!

Fr. Ave Maria’s book is a treasure of information. The tools that the rendermam’ uses, the sign of the cross that he makes on his forehead before the risky climb to the coconut tree-top and the process of distilling feni, these and other details make the book interesting. It is a male-dominated world, but, strange as it may sound, Fr. Ave Maria reports of the only lady-render from Verna who once did the job. With a colourful ‘dose’ of photographs by Egidio Fernandes and a cover designed by Willy Goes, Rendermam’ ani Tachem Jivit is a great offering in Romi Konknni.

There is one chapter dedicated entirely to Rendrachim Gitam-Kantaram. The toddy-tapper leads a lonely life, hopping from one coconut tree to another, three times a day. Seated on one of the palm fronds high above the ground, sharp-edged kati, dudinem to collect the sap and the clay pot, damonnem, firmly in place, the poet in the rendermam’ awakens and he
sings:

Jivit chintlear
amchem,

Xirxirta ang
lokachem.

Maddar choddun
denvpachem,

Jivit amchem
Rendranchem!

Yes! Life is a hard grind for the rendermam’. And very risky too. Fr. Ave Maria informs that the All Goa Toddy-Tappers’ Association, headquarted in Margao and established in 1961,
has been in the forefront to protect the interests of the render community. A few welfare measures are in operation and a “Pension Scheme” formed by the Goa Government for
toddy-tappers above 60 years of age, awaits implementation.

The rendermam’ is a fascinating person and Fr. Ave Maria has observed him from close quarters. Even going to the extent of spending a night and a day with his family. The rendermam’ is a god-fearing man. There is rosary in his house every day and once a year, villagers gather at his residence for the ladin (litany) in honour of the patron saint. On the last
Sunday of February every year, he attends, along with his entire community, the Thanksgiving Mass at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

Like any niz Goenkar, he loves football, khell-tiatrs and tiatrs. His breakfast consists of pez with kalchi koddi and kharem nustem and his house is full of Konknni cassettes. He gambles a lot, plays the moddko and has, on many occasions, squandered his hard-earned money on such vices.

Arthur Hailey, best-selling author of such ‘subject-specific’ novels like Airport, Hotel, Wheels, Overload and Final Diagnosis, who used factual research to his advantage, once said, “I don’t think I really invented anybody. I have drawn on real life!” Perhaps Fr. Ave Maria’s next ‘stop’ should be a novel, with characters drawn from real life.

Prof. Jose Salvador Fernandes, in his foreword, shares his own experience of maddar choddpachem when he used to assist his father in ‘toddy-tapping’ whenever the manaim-render (helper) used to be absent. Both, Prof. Jose’s father and the rendermam’ where Fr. Ave Maria spent a night, felt that this is not only a tough job but one where there is no respect at all. “Ami tras-koxtt kaddtat te puro. Amchea bhurgeank tem naka”, they said, expressing in a way, the sentiments of the entire community.

Such a view may just be the reason why the population of toddy-tappers has reduced drastically from a strong force of around 22,000 in 1964 to only around 1100 in 2006. The death-knell has already sounded for many such ancient traditional occupations, Prof. Jose laments in his foreword. In the distant future, books like Rendermam’ ani Tachem Jivit will become a rich repository of information and a window to our fascinating past.


__________________
As a critic “par excellence” you have done great justice to Fr Ave Maria Alfonso and his fascinating book “Renderamam ani Tachem Jivit”. You’ve crafted an glowing overview within a lovely idyllic setting, exquisitely framed with folk lore and consuetude. While focusing on the toddy tapper your remarks are astutely enriched with also discussing cognate trades.
This added feature gives a robust, well-rounded picture of rural Goa in its pristine glory.

Although an expatriate native of the Konkan coast, it’s the first time I’ve been introduced to the indigenous word “Renderamam”. Recalling rustic Mahim, Bombay of yore, I’ve scaled quite a few coconut trees in my salad days. I knew professional palm climbers fairly well too. But we referred to them as Bandaris. We had high reverence
for them as they could scramble up tall trees in a jiffy while we struggled even with mid-sized ones. Of course our climbs were mainly juvenile pranks to purloin a couple of the fruit to share among mischievous comrades. As part of the cult of amateur tree-hugging stegophilists, we not only had a lot of fun but were part of the culture and traditions of the littoral scene in the shadow of the Ghats. I’m highly obliged for stirring my deep visceral feelings with heartwarming nostalgia of my halcyon days of naughty innocence.

I’m surprised you’ve not yet autogenously undertaken writings of your own within our Motherland’s ambit of geography and ethnography. You seem to dynamically live, breathe, sweat and adulate our native soil’s ethos and topography so endearingly. Shades of the
genre of my eminent Goan writer friends-in-correspondence, Messrs Valmiki Faleiro and
Edwin Fernandes !!! So why not document this treasure from your seminal perspective? In conclusion, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your elegant tribute to Fr Ave Maria’s impressive work. Your generous cachet should make a big difference to its circulation and
special place in our libraries. Regards Arnold

–
mog asum di, walter

Comment by Arnold Noronha, by way of Walter Menezes and FN — September 7, 2008
Source:
http://goabooks.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/a-life-less-known-walter-menezes-reviews-renderamam-ani-tachem-jivit/
& Walter Menezes

cartoons as published in Gomantak Times (Goa) - 3

Walter Menezes' cartoons as published in The Gomantak Times (Goa)