Discussions on writing and poetry marked a recently-held literary event at Atta Galatta, featuring Sampurna Chattarji and Zenisha Gonsalves. Organised by Toto Funds the Arts, the event centred on noted poet, novelist, translator and children’s author, Sampurna’s latest collection of poetry, Space Gulliver: Chronicles of an Alien . Sampurna began the event with a discussion on writing with the talented Zenisha, who is a student of English Literature and Journalism at St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, and has written for publications such as The Ladies Finger , Yahoo! Originals , and The Seattle Globalist .
Sampurna spoke of the difference between writing in a personal space and exposing one’s work to public criticism. “It is self protective to be in your personal space. When you take your work to the public, it toughens you,” said Sampurna.
Zenisha, who was shortlisted for the Toto Award for Creative Writing in 2015, read her short story, I mean, I tell you . The story, revolving around the lives of young women living in a hostel, was remarkable for the realistically etched characters and powerful dialogues. Sampurna was intrigued by the Portuguese lines that were interspersed in the dialogues. Zenisha said she inserted those lines as she thought in the rhythm of Portuguese she had heard as a child.
Sampurna then read excerpts from SpaceGulliver. The poems are an exploration and journey of the alien protagonist, Space Gulliver. “This is my first book of poetry that is a sequence of poems. I wrote these poems while in residency at the University of Kent, Canterbury,” explained the articulate Sampurna, adding that the writing process of this particular work was different. “I had written10 books in the comfort of my home, adding humorously. “I did wonder why I came to a cold country to write poetry.” Through these poems, Sampurna said, she wanted to “explore the autobiography”.
The room where she wrote overlooked a hill. The beautiful cathedral was particularly inspiring. “Even though I hated Chaucer,” she said to laughs, “the sight of the cathedral was the only saving grace.” Speaking about how Space Gulliver came to be, Sampurna said: “ Space Gulliver popped in, I don’t know from where. She reappeared a few years later and I could not chase her away.” Space Gulliver is a HarperCollins publication.
