Ramesh Veluskar

Nature in all its vivacious exuberance takes centre stage in much of Veluskar's writing. This is not surprising, considering that he was born and brought up in the picturesque and pristine environs of a tiny village in a state richly endowed by nature. Palem is a scenic hamlet on the banks of the quietly meandering Siridao River, and boasts of a rich folk tradition, where Konkani folk forms like Zagar, Dhala, and Fugdi flourish even today. It was in this milieu that Veluskar grew to be a litterateur full of vigour, finesse and originality.

His father is an accomplished dramatist and a consummate exponent of Hindustani classical music. Veluskar also had the privilege of basking in the glory of another renowned son of the village, the late R V Pandit, an acclaimed Konkani poet and writer, as well as a photographer. All these influences find expression in Veluskar's poetry; its roots dig deep into the soul, yet the fragrance of its concepts and reflections suggests an ethereal origin. Precisely the reason why Veluskar's writings showcase the forgotten and undiscovered wealth of the Konkani language.

Multifaceted Personality

Ramesh Veluskar is a multifaceted personality. This otherwise sentimental poet took up the rather sedate vocation of a teacher, joining St Andrew's School in the village of Goa Velha in 1969. He opted for voluntary retirement in 2002, to devote all of his time to his writing.

In between, he served on the Board of Studies for schools in Goa, and on the editorial board that prescribed textbooks for Standards VIIIth to XIIth. He conducted hundreds of literary broadcasts for the Panaji station of All India Radio, and translated a number of plays and other programmes into Konkani.

He also wrote a large number of songs for AIR, some of which have been set to music by renowned music directors like Ghodkhindi Venkatesh, Yeshwant Dev and Somnath Chari. Veluskar has also been the editor of a children's magazine, Bhurgeancho Rajhauns, and a family magazine, Bimb. He has translated a large number of works from other languages into Konkani, and has a great deal of critical writing to his credit.The sheer sweep of his writings is vast. It encompasses poetry, one-act plays, short plays, translations, children's literature, novels, short stories and reviews.His anthologies of poems for children include: Bhook Bhook Bhishu (Bark, Bark, Bhishu!), Chandimama (Uncle Moon), Fulpakham (Butterflies), Chu Chu Chani (Choo, Choo Squirrel) and Churu Churu Varo (Sound of the Wind).

Collections

His collections of poetry include Morpakhan (Peacock Feathers), Maati (Earth), Angani Nachta Mar Morya (The Dancing Peacock), Savulgori (Dusky Beauty) and Hiranyagarbha (The Sun). The varied situations and moods in these collections reveal his intense observations of the subtle interplay between nature's offerings and human urgings, like the transcendental revelations of a man emboldened by all the longings within.
His play, Apowne Aailan Saiba Navchpaku (An Invitation to Dance), is a scathing rebuke for the proponents of astrology. His novel, Parvanava (The New Age) followed Moni Vyatha (Silent Suffering), a novella.

Winner of the acclaimed 'Kaviraj' award of the Konkani Bhasha MandaI, Ramesh Veluskar has won awards for his works like Morpakham, Maati and Bhook Bhook Bhishu. Goa's Kala Academy has also honoured him with two awards for Bhook Bhook Bhishu and Moni Vyatha. He is also a recipient of the B B Borkar Award from the Goa Hindu Association, Mumbai, in 1997. In recognition of his services to the Hindi language, he was honoured with the 'Rashtriya Hindi Seva Sahastrabdi Samman' at the Sahastra Vishwa Hindi Sammelan, 2000.

He has written numerous short stories, short plays for children, and extensively reviewed the work of contemporary poets. He has toured the country, participating in various literary meets and assemblies, in Kerala, Karnataka,Mumbai, Gujarat, Allahabad,Kolkata, Delhi and Orissa.

Humble to a fault, Veluskar credits much of his literary finesse to his experiences in Shantiniketan, the university set up by Rabindranath Tagore, where he spent some months in 1981, after two months of learning Bengali at the Purbanchal Bhasha Kendra at Bhubaneshwar. This stint at the cradle of India's renaissance culture, he says, brought about dramatic changes in his thinking.
Veluskar's wide-ranging explorations into the literary world have expanded his horizons. Freed from the tyranny of a job, Veluskar has started writing in Bengali and Hindi, apart from Konkani and English. An anthology of his Hindi verse'called Samudra Mudrika (Stamp of the Sea) is due for publication shortly.

Associated with several literary organisations for long, Veluskar was elected chairperson of the Konkani Bhasha MandaI and an associate member of the Goa Konkani Academy (1991), and has also served on the advisory board of the National Book Trust, India.

Veluskar's literary work, especially his poetry, can at once dazzle, mesmerise and enlighten the reader, imbuing him with a delicate sense of deja vu, as he takes a joyride through a literary wonderland of authentic, original and earthly writings grounded firmly in the folk heritage of the Konkan.
 

Brief Chronology