by Monica Malik
Who is a poet? Is he someone who scribbles down random musings to make sense or is he someone who brings life to places and events with his words? Someone -who inspires millions in so many different ways, whose approach towards life gives you hope and opens new directions. A poet is someone who wouldn’t settle for monotony of life but rather will keep exploring life and certainties till his last breath and beyond. Being a poet is not just being someone who breaths but someone who lives in the moment. And when his journey ends- another soul inspired by him takes the courseRequiem to a Sal
They came
Armed with axes
And split its bark with gashes
In a frenzied madness
The glistening blade
Laying bare
The oozing gum, the ebbing life…
Stroke after stroke
They hack relentlessly,
Until,
With a mighty shudder
What was, ceases to be
‘New buildings coming up’—they said.
O hear my cry piteous Mankind!
As years roll by, and you multiply,
Will we be befert of Nature’s supply?
REST in Peace dismembered One,
Condemned to oblivion by thankless
Sons.
Your sprightly shade, your laden boughs
The carefree twitter of morning birds.
Forgotten.
We will miss you.
The world is too much with us!
Alas man! You exact too high a price
To fashion yourself shelters through
Ruthless device.
1987)
The above poem by Dr. Brian Mendonca portrays skyscrapers dotting Goa and what we miss out on while raising the structures. This book showcases geography, culture, ethos, myths and ways of life in seven different languages. From Delhi, Mumbai or Goa depending on where his base was he travelled from Kashmir to Trivandrum and from Kutch to Kohima to peel the skin of India. ‘Last Bus to Vasco’ is a journey to places, and the past coming to halt’.
Dr. Brian Mendonca is a travel-writer. His first book Last Bus to Vasco is a collection of poems on his journeys by trains, ships and airplanes across different place. This book was showcased in the India pavilion as an expression of contemporary Indian writing at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Oct 2006). It was lauded in the journal of Commonwealth Literature published by Sage, London (2007).
At present Dr. Brian teaches English literature at Carmel College for women in Goa. On weekends he would rush frantically across India to discover his adopted ‘family’, making India itself his canvas. In his second book A Peace of India: Poems in transit. He lets the places speak for themselves through his work. He doesn’t just observe the tradition and transformations in a place and its history in the blend of time but in fact lives it.
Yes I will go
To see my friends
The rivers, the birds
And the trees
Where the wind calls
And the forests wait
In the stories of India
Yet to be told
2007)
His poems helps the reader take a virtual trip across India, diving in to the culture of various states, drinking in the delicacies of their favorite food: “Bujiya of Rajasthan..Rawa ke pakode..Methi ki pudiya..kulfi in delhi..”
During the three decades of his journeys through the length and breadth of India, Dr. Brian discovers how despite the diverse strains of culture and regional variants, there is an inherent unity in the patchwork quilt. “Does a river pause when it crosses the state boundary?” He thinks as he makes his way through cities and villages on a window seat of train.
He mostly chooses to travel in sleeper class bogey of trains. In old days when he might miss the bus to college, he would happily hop into Vasco-Kulem express: He says,“Travelling in ‘General Class’ across India hones one’s senses. Travelling unreserved helps me think on my feet, weigh the options and act, in challenging situations. You see life in an urgent and fresh new perspective; you reach out with in yourself and find your truth in the rhythm of rails”. Sometimes he would get into a train for ticketless travel on purpose just to see how different ticket collectors would react giving him an inspiration to write about. He believes that “Travelling through India, especially by train savoring various sights and sounds, is a learning experience.”
He mostly chooses to travel in sleeper class bogey of trains. In old days when he might miss the bus to college, he would happily hop into Vasco-Kulem express: He says,“Travelling in ‘General Class’ across India hones one’s senses. Travelling unreserved helps me think on my feet, weigh the options and act, in challenging situations. You see life in an urgent and fresh new perspective; you reach out with in yourself and find your truth in the rhythm of rails”. Sometimes he would get into a train for ticketless travel on purpose just to see how different ticket collectors would react giving him an inspiration to write about. He believes that “Travelling through India, especially by train savoring various sights and sounds, is a learning experience.”
Dr. Brian apart from being passionate about poetry is fond of music, playing guitar and is a freelancer. Having travelled to so many places, experiencing the thrill, peace and warmth that all these places had to offer, Dr. Brian roots for Goa. His love for Goa has only grown stronger in the river of time. “I work in Delhi, but breathe in Goa” he said when he was based at Delhi for his work. One would often find him driving on the roads of Goa enjoying the changing seasons, the sunrise and the sunset. All one needs is a vision and an open heart and Dr. Brian has it all.
I remember seeing him once at the Vasco market where he came across three Chinese tourist and five minutes later he was enjoying with them playing guitar and communicating in what seemed to me hybrid of English and Mandarin. I wasn’t surprised either when I got to learn he had accepted a lift on a bicycle to the morning mass of St. Francis Xavier. Being dressed in suit and well-polished shoes he sat on the barrel of the cycle enjoying the breeze. “How well one can write depends highly on how close one is to the character and the place where the event takes place.”
I remember seeing him once at the Vasco market where he came across three Chinese tourist and five minutes later he was enjoying with them playing guitar and communicating in what seemed to me hybrid of English and Mandarin. I wasn’t surprised either when I got to learn he had accepted a lift on a bicycle to the morning mass of St. Francis Xavier. Being dressed in suit and well-polished shoes he sat on the barrel of the cycle enjoying the breeze. “How well one can write depends highly on how close one is to the character and the place where the event takes place.”
It wouldn’t strike one as odd when would find him flying kite with his little kid on Baina beach. He says and I quote “Everything in life is worth trying at least once” enjoying and appreciating everything that comes across: “Lessons of Life may not be learned in many lifetimes. You just need to be open to these experiences. Life waits for you.” he continues.
His fondness of rains is evident in his poems and articles. People visit goa but he explores it. “Having worked elsewhere away from Goa before this, driving in the rains in Goa is a true return to paradise-- a return to the roots. Where does one get unfettered roads to ride on, with lush greenery on either-side and the rain gods in a belligerent mood?” Driving slowly and responsibly through the slate of grey surely bring utter pleasure says Dr. Brian. Having being born and brought up in Goa he has seen a lot, experienced a lot and yet hasn’t had enough of it. “No matter how time you spend here, it’s just not enough to savor Goa. No matter if the vowels are out of sync, the heart is in the right place.”
Dr. Brian is a person who makes sure to appreciate, to be thankful, to be true. A person with the instinct of a journalist and the heart of a rain-gauge, a traveler by heart and a Goan by soul.
In the past two years I have got to learn a lot from him. Being an avid reader, a persistent critic, a weekly columnist for Gomantak times, and a full time professor his schedule is hectic. He is on the verge of publishing his third book soon and yet he makes himself available to those who need his help and guidance. He often sits in the library with his laptop and a bag full of books, working through free hours. His poems and articles are varied and are yet bound with similar strings. I was introduced to the world of writing because of him and the very fact that I have been able to finish the first draft of my novel is because of him. I owe it to him for walking me through different styles of writing as I am discovering my own along the way.
Who needs big shot role models to follow in the footsteps of, when you have teachers like Dr. Brian on the bank of your side of the river? He often says: “You can’t get it wrong if you are in Goa, the place and the people will ‘sea’ to it.”
Who needs big shot role models to follow in the footsteps of, when you have teachers like Dr. Brian on the bank of your side of the river? He often says: “You can’t get it wrong if you are in Goa, the place and the people will ‘sea’ to it.”
Compiled from:
Mendonca Brian: Narrative of a nation, Tribune, Chandigarh, July 22, 2012.
------------ 'Unreserved India,' Navhind Times, Goa, October 14, 2011.
-------------'Enigmas ignored,' Indian Express, March 22, 1990
-------------'Enigmas ignored,' Indian Express, March 22, 1990
------------- 'Protest against destruction of humanity and nature, Tribune, Chandigarh May 5, 2002
------------- 'Only babies make sense,' Pioneer, New Delhi, October 1, 2000.
-------------lastbustovasco.blogspot.in
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Source: Monica Malik, Rambling Thoughts. http://atblink.blogspot.in/2014/03/dr-brian-mendonca.html. 1 March 2014.
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