Goa, desired and disputed: Review of Appetite, an anthology of stories, essays and poems

The Portuguese may have departed after more than four centuries of colonial rule, but Goa today finds itself under a different and more insidious form of occupation. Economic colonialism — driven by outsiders armed with massive buying power, political patronage and cultural indifference — has begun to displace local communities, monopolise resources and steadily reshape the state’s identity. What is at stake is not merely land or livelihood, but the very idea of Goa itself.

It is against this backdrop that Appetite, a new anthology of stories, essays and poems, positions itself. Distressed by the transformation of their homeland into a commodity, Goans continue to push back, seeking an authentic sovereignty over land, ecology and culture, one that privileges community over commerce. This collection, edited by Shivranjana Rathore and Tino De Sa, attempts to capture that struggle by looking beyond postcard tourism and sun-soaked clichés to reveal a more complex, unsettled Goa.

Composed around the central metaphor of appetite, the book gathers the work of members of The Goa Writers — those who live or have lived in Goa. Appetite here is not restricted to hunger or consumption; as one story suggests, it also means to seek, reach, beseech. It becomes a way of engaging with a place in constant flux, provoking debates around belonging, settlement and identity.

Varied narratives

The fiction section is rooted in the local milieu. Clyde D’Souza’s opening story, ‘Sorpotel’, is a darkly comic yet unsettling portrait of simmering sibling rivalries. What begins as a convivial gathering over beer and sorpotel (Goan pork delicacy) spirals into something dire.

Michelle Mendonca Bambawale’s ‘The Real Housewives of Assagao’ lampoons the entitled returnees: women who live in Delhi or abroad, who descend upon their second homes in Goa and pontificate on fashion, travel and local governance, oblivious to the lives unfolding around them.

Land, inevitably, emerges as a persistent issue. Pamela D’Mello’s ‘A Morning with God’ examines the misuse of the Mundkar Act — legislation originally intended to protect tenants and tillers but often weaponised to facilitate land grabs.

One of the anthology’s quiet triumphs is ‘The Cream of the Milk’ by celebrated Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo, the only translated piece in the book. Tender and humane, it reminds readers of the centrality of Konkani to Goan identity and the importance of translation. One wishes there had been more such inclusions to deepen the anthology’s linguistic authenticity.

Meghana Karanjkar’s ‘Paying Guest’ is a chilling departure in tone, a grim look at the dark side of Goa’s idyllic image where unsuspecting migrants get swindled.

The poetry section acts as a welcome interlude between narratives. The six poems range from political unease to intimate praise of a lover and her mother, to an affectionate nod to Vikram Seth’s The Golden Gate.

Sip it like feni

The essays provide the anthology’s most wide-ranging reflections, probing Goa’s past and present through appetites for food, writing, love, hobbies and even hate. Victor Rangel-Ribeiro’s ‘An Appetite for the Writing Life, Without End’ is a candid and inspiring opener, tracing a centenarian writer’s lifelong devotion to the craft. Heta Pandit’s ‘An Appetite for Memories’ follows, evoking food as an archive of personal and cultural history.

Alisha D’Souza’s forthright essay on matchmaking and marriage in Goa is laced with puckish humour, while Pragya Bhagat offers a comical take on dating apps and modern romance. Frederick Noronha tackles a perennial taboo in ‘Why is Sex a Four-Letter Word in India?’

One of the more revelatory essays is Edith Noronha Melo Furtado’s ‘Craving for the Chic’ which explores France’s largely forgotten cultural influence on Goa — an influence that faded after liberation. Mehru Jaffer’s ‘Such Hunger for Hate’ strikes a darker, political note, lamenting how intolerance and violence are eroding the country’s moral core.

Amid the insider-outsider debate, Seema Mustafa offers a pragmatic appeal in ‘The Wannabe Colonizers or Some Such’ — that newcomers must learn the language, respect social norms and embrace the Goan way of life.

The anthology closes with Hune Margulies’ reflective ‘A Meditation on Appetite for Goa’, a fitting finale that circles back to migration, identity and authenticity, asking searching questions about what truly constitutes Goan culture.

Appetite is a breezy yet layered read; creative, vibrant and alert to the present moment with fresh perspectives on Goa. At a time when India is grappling with issues such as identity and cultural changes, the anthology is timely. Like Goa’s beloved feni, it demands to be savoured slowly, not consumed hastily and greedily.

The reviewer is a Bengaluru-based independent journalist.

Appetite: New Writing from Goa

Ed. Shivranjana Rathore & Tino De Sa

Ebury Press

₹499

Published – March 13, 2026 06:15 am IST