Panaji: Underprivileged children from Goa, Portugal and Brazil have joined a literary project, Stories from India and Beyond, by Goa-based Communicare Trust. The initiative brings students from different countries together through storytelling under the UN Sustainable Development Goal, Life on Land.Class VII students at St Bartholomew’s High School, Chorao, wrote a story about children rallying their parents to persuade the village panchayat to protect a wetland threatened by a bridge project, safeguarding the habitat of otters and crabs.“We should not build complete concrete bridges where crabs and otters have their homes,” said one of the student writers, Zevlyn Ramos.The students drew inspiration from Biopod+Co, a project using fungal mycelium and native plants presented by Harvard students at the Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Altinho, which TOI reported on Sept 7. Followed by classroom discussions and a documentary on otters, students explored how concretisation and construction can affect ecosystems.Nalini Elvino De Sousa, director of Communicare Trust, said the project enables students to learn about other cultures by writing, illustrating and translating stories rooted in unfamiliar landscapes.“The Brazilian students’ contribution will draw on Serra da Capivara, in Piauí, known for its ancient rock paintings. Next month, the Portuguese students will write their short story,” said De Sousa.Students in Portugal will illustrate the Brazilian story, while Goan students will illustrate the Portuguese contribution, and Brazilian students will in turn animate the Goan short story. The Goan students will also translate the stories from Portuguese to English and Konkani.Each short story in the book will be published in English, Portuguese and Konkani, with illustrations alongside the text.The Portugal-based school is Agrupamento de Escolas de Gavião, while the Brazilian school, Unidade Escolar Rosa Teixeira de Castro, São Raimundo Nonato in Piaui, will participate with Goa for this project.“Approximately 400 to 500 participants are expected to contribute across the three countries. Copies will be distributed to students and made available through mobile libraries and bookshops,” she said.For the young Goan writers of St Bartholomew’s High School, Chorao, the experience has sparked ambitions beyond the classroom. “I hope to become a writer when I grow up and explore subjects ranging from animals and wetlands to human life,” said student Akshaya Mhapari.
