‘Appetite: New Writing from Goa’ explores land, culture & identity

“This land is not a piece of meat in a butcher shop to be carved up and distributed. It is a home, and it needs to be treated like one,” stated Justice Gautam Patel, former judge of the Bombay High Court, during the recent launch of the book, Fish Curry & Rice.

This statement will resonate in your mind while you are reading the book, Appetite: New Writing from Goa, an anthology by the Goa Writers Group. It is edited by Shivranjana Rathore and Tino de Sa and published by Penguin Random House. The book features 33 contributors, including writers, poets and artists from Goa.

Launched at the Goa Arts and Literature Festival (GALF) 2026, the anthology brings together short stories, essays, poems, and cartoons by Alexyz, exploring themes of hunger, longing, love, land, migration, and belonging. Rooted in Goa’s layered histories and contemporary realities, the book captures the textures of everyday life while navigating the intersection of the personal and the political, offering a tribute to the state and its many yearnings.

WHAT’S INSIDE

In many of these short stories, Goa emerges as a muse. This historic land has inspired creative souls, who interpret it in their own ways. Some stories address land issues and their repercussions directly, as in ‘A Morning with God’ by Pamela D’Mello, which deals with the Mundkar Act and how Goa’s land and resources are up for sale. In the story ‘The Happy Hearts Beach Resort’, Tino de Sa explores the effects of tourism, land mafia, etc.

The satirical piece by Michelle Mendonça Bambawale, titled ‘The Real Housewives of Assagao’, speaks about real estate and restaurants in Goa. It is about the elite women who live in high-walled gated communities with swimming pools, situated in Assagao. It reflects the typical scenario where non-Goans complain about the Goan way of life, the reason they thought of coming here in the first place!

Appetite also has a Konkani story by Damodar Mauzo, ‘The Cream of the Milk’, translated by Xavier Cota. It is a story of a woman and her desire for motherhood.

In the essays section, journalist Seema Mustafa, in her essay titled ‘The Wannabe Colonizers or Some Such’ writes an account of being an ‘outsider’ here and talks about the contemporary issues of Goa, right from taxi operators to language, etc. Another essay, ‘A Meditation on Appetite for Goa’ by Hune Margulies, talks about Goa through its culinary heritage.

Speaking of cuisine, as the title also means hunger, there are some direct references to food in essays like ‘A Vegetarian Goan Wannabe Writes to Digest’ by Rachana Patni; or in the short story, ‘Sorpotel’ by Clyde D’Souza, to name a few. But, the book doesn’t have recipes!

HOW IT HAPPENED

Interestingly, the idea for this anthology emerged during a shared meal with members of the Goa Writers Group, which comprises around 80 members. Also, this is their third anthology, the first being Insider-Outsider, and the second being Ways of Belonging.

The book is an engaging read, presenting contemporary Goa, the issues it faces, and diverse perceptions.

Appetite is also well designed, with the cover illustrated by the co-editor, Shivranjana Rathore (who has also written a short story). It depicts the theme well and probably also points at the capitalist system through its lustful eyes. This illustration is also part of the poem by Salil Chaturvedi titled, To Paula (name changed) and Her Mum.

What stayed with me is this paragraph from the essay titled, ‘An Appetite for the Writing Life, Without End,’ by centenarian Victor Rangel Ribeiro, who is also the founder of the Goa Writers Group. He writes, “We writers are often possessed with the hope that something — anything — we write next will change the course of civilisation. It is because of this splendid delusion that, for the past sixty years, I have never gone to bed without making sure I keep pen and paper beside my pillow.”

The discussion on the book, ‘Appetite—New Writings from Goa’, will be held at Café Mira, Panjim, on 14 April 2026 at 4 pm. The event is open to all.