SALF '23

Brian Mendonca conducts a poetry workshop. 

 

-Brian Mendonca

                         

                              Happiness can be found , even in the darkest of times, 

                              if one only remembers to turn on  the light.

                              -Dumbledore, the wizard in the Harry Potter series

Once more I found myself at Sunshine World School, Goa, for the Sunshine Arts and Literature Festival this year. This was through the good offices of Sandeep Doifode who always seems to remember me. 

Amid the hustle and bustle of the Festival who would be interested in poetry? Seriously. A few of the students straggled in to the wide open classroom and tried to figure out what it would be like.

Ambience at SALF'23

Soon more of them trooped in and we were on our way to poetry land. We first started with making haikus - short poems with 5-7-5 syllables in 3 lines. As they laboured through the lines, they tried to connect the three lines which sometimes just did not seem to happen. I liked the way they were so comfortable on the floor. It made them feel rooted.

Since it was an international school I asked them to write a poem in the language of their choice, Indian or non-Indian. They seemed to connect well with this activity and there were samples of poems in French, Arabic, Malayalam, Hindi, and English. I also asked them to attempt a translation into English for the benefit of the others. Many were shy and reluctant to reveal their local language. This was something I wanted to help them overcome.                                                                                  

The penultimate activity was to write a longish poem on any theme of their choice. This assignment was met with seriousness as the students had a go at it. Many wrote soulful, stirring lines of being unloved and not being accepted for who they were. 

The final stretch was reserved for performance poetry. We put a chair in the front centre of the room - which was now imbued with poetry - and the kids came and read their poem to the rapt audience. You could make out how poetry had transformed these souls into a community of poets - each with something unique to share. As they cheered one another along I felt they would take back happy memories of this hour. 

As they suddenly made a beeline for the door - no doubt being summoned to another theatre of activity - I arrested their movement by bringing out a stack of kites. The kite festival of Makar Sankranti
(15 Jan) was still fresh in our minds. I asked each of the 15 odd students to choose one and they walked away giddy with happiness.  

As I made my way out I ambled through the concourse at the entrance and gifted myself a spotless white Sunshine T-shirt with the SALF logo and a water bottle (ditto) which I carry to work everyday. 

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Photo taken at Sunshine World School on 23 Jan 2023. Quotation above taken from Looking Forward (2023) a memoir by Sindu Hemanth, Principal of Sunshine Worldwide School, Goa. Updated 12/4/23.