5 - 7 December 2019 , Thu - Sat.
GALF 2019 : Speakers | Programme | Partners | Performances | Artwork | Videos
Photo Gallery: Inaugural Day | Day 1 | Day 2
Sandesh Prabhudesai
Sandesh Prabhudesai is an author, a journalist and a cultural activist, based in Goa. He has been writing for the last four decades, since 1979, street plays, radio plays, columns, articles as well as literary and cultural reviews in Konkani, Marathi and English, besides his journalistic writing. He has published five books of his ‘original writings’ ??????, ???, ????? ?????? ? ?????? ?????? (Konkani); ????? (Marathi) and Clear Cut (English). He has also translated Bhagat Singh’s ‘Why I am an Atheist’ in Konkani, for the National Book Trust. Since 1978, he has worked in the Student, Youth and Workers’ movements. He initiated the Street Play movement in Goa, in 80s, writing over 20 scripts and songs. He edited and wrote for Student and Youth magazines. He has been actively participating in organising cultural and literary festivals, especially for the students and youth. Sandesh joined professional journalism in 1987, and has since worked in local Konkani, Marathi and English dailies in different positions, from Reporter to Editor. He has also worked for national and international media, including rediff.com, The Sunday Observer, The Pioneer, BBC etc in Print, Radio and Internet. He has also headed Goan TV channels, anchoring debates, election analysis as well as interviews. He edits Goa’s first news website goanews.com, since 1999. He writes opinion columns throughout his career for several newspapers, periodicals as well as Internet portals in Konkani, Marathi and English. He sometimes also plays with Poetry. He has bagged several awards in Journalism as well as Literature, besides Theatre. Presently, he is the Consulting Editor of Goan TV Channel Goa365.
Yvonne Vaz Ezdani
Yvonne Vaz Ezdani stays in Saligao, North Goa but lives for some months of the year with her family in Brisbane . She is an ex teacher turned school counsellor and an author of two books, 'Songs of the Survivors' published by Goa 1556 and 'New Songs of the Survivors' published by Speaking Tiger. Although the genre of these books is oral history, she is also interested in psychology and stories of the human mind and spirit. She loves reading ,writing and gardening.
Sethumadhavan
Sethu (A.Sethumadhavan) has been writing in Malayalam for the past five decades. A banker by profession and a writer by passion, he has around 40 titles to his credit, consisting of novels and collection of short stories. Many of his works have been translated into other languages, including English, Hindi, German, French and Turkish. His novels translated into English include Pandavapuram, The Saga of Muziris, Aliyah, The Wind from the Hills, Once Upon a Time, The Cuckoo's Nest and Jalasamadhi & other Stories. Kadambari, the Flower Girl is under print. Pandavapuram has already appeared in 10 languages. It has been filmed in Malayalam and Bengali, the latter titled Nirakar Chaaya, which had won recognitions abroad. Four of his works have been filmed, the latest being Jalasamadhi. A winner of all the major awards like the Sahitya Akademi award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi award(twice), etc, he was the former Chairman of the National Book Trust, New Delhi. Joining the State Bank as a Prob. Officer, he had retired as the Chairman & CEO of the South Indian Bank.
Ritwik Sanyal
Pandit Ritwik Sanyal, is one of the most eminent Dhrupad singers,disciple of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Zia Fariduddin Dagar ,he got Sangeet Natak Academy Aword for Music in 2013, he is also a great academic, writer and philosopher.
Retired Professor of the Banars Hidu University, where he was vocal teacher in the faculty of performing arts for 39 years, he has been also Dean of the faculty and Head of the department for several years.
He has been travelling across the globe since childoohod and tha is why he received a very special input to express with his own words and philosophy the ancient musical tradition of India.
His father was an eclectic philosopher and scholar, Prof. Batuk Sanyal and his mother, Shri Mati Ranu Sanyal a great writer and singer.
He assimilated his parents gifts and the Dhrupad tradition with a deep research in the indian tradition, both musical and philosophical , becoming a unique Master that combines the finess of singing with the logical way of Philosophy.
His master work Philosophy of Music is a book where he explains the sublime concept of music in philosophycal language.
Santiago Lusardi Girelli
Born in Buenos Aires in 1979, Santiago Lusardi Girelli is an Argentinian-Italian Music Conductor, Composer and Scholar of the music and philosophy of the traditions of the East and West. Dr. Lusardi Girelli has worked as lecturer and choir and orchestra conductor and in more than 20 countries in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia for the last 20 years. He holds Master degrees in Orchestra, Choir Conduction, Philosophy, and a PhD in Music Aesthetics and Philosophy. As the result more than ten years of research on Indian Philosophy he has published his Thesis on Buddhist Phenomenology and Hindu Ritualism and its links with Western Music & Art Tradition. Santiago has conducted choirs and orchestras, professional and amateurs, around the world throughout more than 300 concerts, and leaded music tours in several countries, from the Amazonas Rain Forest to Leipzig-Germany (J.S. Bach´s city); and from Peruvian Machu Pichu to the Indian Himalayas. His enthusiasm, leadership and passion for music, philosophy and cultures have led him to accomplish several important achievements and recognitions that have earned him the esteem of the local and international press alike. Currently located in India, Santiago holds the Anthony Gonsalves Chair as Visiting Research Professor at the Goa University in India, and he is the conductor of the Goa University Choir -the very first University choir of India-, he also collaborates as Lecturer, Composer and Guest Conductor with different Universities and professional orchestras and choirs from South America, Africa, Europe and India.
Hanuman Kambli
Hanuman Kambli teaches art at the Goa College of Art. He is one of India’s foremost print makers and widely regarded as an outstanding artist, painter, and teacher. His works address his personal experiences of Indian mythology and philosophy. Hanuman enjoys an international reputation, and his works have been exhibited in major centres in India and abroad. He is the recipient of several awards and honours. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Western Michigan University (1999); an Artist-in-Residence at the Wimbledon School of Art (1994-95); Lincoln University (2003); and the Central TAFE, Western Australia (2005); and an International Visiting Scholar at the Montclair State University (2009). In 2012, he was conferred with the Rashtriya Swasti Samman (Ujjain, M.P.) for his consistent contributions in the field of visual art form; the Goan Achievers Awards by Navhind Times and Viva Goa for his contributions in the field of art and culture; and in 2013, the Government of Goa conferred its highest award for cultural excellence in the field of fine art. He was a juror for the Seventh Bharat Bhavan International Print-Art Biennial (2006) at Bhopal; and for the 53rd National Exhibition of Art organised by Lalit Kala Academy. Hanuman prepared the original artwork for the eighth edition of the Goa Arts & Literature Festival (GALF).
Mona Zote
Mona Zote is a poet living in Aizawl. Her poetry has appeared in various journals including the Cordite Poetry Review, Indian Literature, IQ Magazine, India International Centre Quarterly, Carapace, Sangam House as well as in anthologies such as Dancing Earth: An Anthology of Poetry from North-East India, the Oxford Anthology of Writings from North-East India, and The Borderlands of Asia: Culture, Place, Poetry.
Arjun Subramaniam
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam is a retired fighter pilot from the IAF who has flown MiG-21s and Mirage-2000s. He is also a military historian, academic and strategic commentator with an interesting post-retirement career. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Harvard and Oxford universities and Visiting Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is currently a Visiting Prof at Ashoka and Jindal Universities and has lectured extensively at war colleges in India and the US and at a wide range of Universities and think tanks in the US and UK including Harvard, MIT, Georgetown University, Oxford, Carnegie Endowment, RUSI and IISS. He is the author of ‘India’s Wars: A Military History 1947-1971 with the sequel being published next year. He writes extensively in the public domain on diverse strategic and national security issues.
Vincy Quadros
Vincy Quadros is a Konkani author, recipient of Bal Sahitya Puraskar of National Sahitya Akademi and Goa Konkani Akademi. He is also recipient of literary awards from Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Thomas Stephens Konkani Kendra and Dalgado Konknni Akademi. In all, he has penned down 30 books n different genres. He is versatile with Roman & Devnagri scripts of Konkani. Presently he is a Honorary Secretary of Dalgado Konknni Akademi (funded by Government of Goa). He has served Goa Konkani Akademi as Vice President and Konkani Bhasha Mandal as Secretary. He was also an Advisory Board Member for National Sahitya Akademi. He has presented several Research Papers at State & National level. In his home village of Raia, he actively participates in the field of education, sports & social fronts. He writes for Konkani newspapers & magazines besides All India Radio and TV channels. He is the Editor of Konkani Monthly Divine Voice from Kerala and Editorial Board member for For Mhoineachi Rotti (monthly magazine). He also takes part in debates on social and Konkani language issues and does the cover stories for Gulab, a monthly magazine in Konkani. He is an organiser, compere, translator and transliterator.
V.Srinivas
V.Srinivas is a leading urological cancer and robotic surgeon working at Hinduja hospital and Asian Cancer Institute, Mumbai.
He did his schooling at Lawrence school Lovedale, Nilgiris, undergraduate medical studies at Christian Medical College, Vellore and super specialisation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
He has published over 100 scientific papers in International medical journals and authored a surgical text book.But, this is his first foray into creative writing.
He was an avid tennis player and an enthusiastic martial arts student in his younger days. However nowadays, while relaxing at Raven’s nest, he sticks to watching movies , pottering around the garden (more aptly chasing the gardener!) ,going for long leisurely walks with his lovely wife and playing a lazy game of tennis before hitting the bar!
