There are many treasures of
literature hidden in regional languages. I laud Teresa' Man and other
stories from Goa for its effort to bring regional gems into the
English language. Indeed had these stories not been translated from
Konkani into English, I would have definitely missed a great deal.
Damodar Mauzo is a Sahitya
Akademi winner. He writes in Konkani language. Xavier Cota has
translated his stories into the English language. Teresa's man is
compilation of stories written by him over a period of more than four
decades.
There are fourteen stories in
this compilation. The stories deal with a variety of subjects with
human emotions at its core. In the land of humans, is a poignant tale
of a starved, drought affected farmer who hankers to live a human
life by migrating to the city. It exhibits the conflict between the
farmers who are compelled to sell their cattle for they have nothing
to feed them and the city bred animal activists. She's dead narrates
how difficult it is to break the news of a woman's death to her
husband who is keen to enjoy those little pleasures of life which his
deceased wife would not have allowed him to. The Vignaharta is the
story of a man waiting for a birth or death in his family so that he
will not have to spend on Ganesh Chatuthi festivities. We find
characters like Kustha, who bring only the news of death, illness and
other misfortunes, in our everyday lives.
Bandh is a dramatic story
showing the effects of a bandh called in the name of language, on
those who have hand to mouth existence. It portrays the motor-cycle
taxi culture unique to Goa. Coinsanv's cattle displays man animal
relationship. It is a sad story with a happy ending. Teresa's man is
the story of a woman who has to work because her husband stays idle.
His ego is hurt by the sneers and comments from the society. He does
the only thing which he could – battering his wife. For death does
not come is one of the most interesting stories in the book. Its
protagonist is a water snake who has to live for death does not come.
The best story in the
compilation comes at the fag end. A writer's tale is an intriguing
narration of idiosyncrasies of a near nymphomaniac writer.
The narration is simple and
crisp. You will enjoy reading these stories. They will sensitize
today's software bred pizza-burger generation to the realities of
life.
The title Teresa's Man and
other stories from Goa is deceptive. All the stories are not from
Goa. The first story in the book From the Mouths of Babes is a bit
out of place. The line on page 159 “Shami and helps us,” makes
no sense and is grammatically incorrect. The meanings of Kokani words used in the stories ought to have been given in the form of a glossary. Still these translations are
not to be missed. They have definitely enriched the English
literature.
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