HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Frederika Menezes (born 1979 or 1980) is an Indian author, poet, and artist best known for her book ''Unforgotten'', a love story for young adults published in 2014. Her poem ''"The Different Normals"'' has yet to be included in the English textbook of the
Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) is a corporate statutory body established by the state legislature through the enactment of the "Goa, Daman and Diu Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board Act, 1975" (A ...
(GBSHSE).


Early life and education

Frederika Menezes was born in either 1979 or 1980, to physicians, Jose Menezes and Angela Fonseca e Menezes and grew up in Altinho,
Panjim Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...
. She was diagnosed with
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
when she was one year old. She has been a supporter for the cause of the differently-abled. Menezes completed her schooling at People's High School, Panjim in 1996.


Career

Menezes began writing poetry when she was encouraged by her teacher to do a class project, and it was at that point that she discovered her passion for writing poems. Menezes's other literary works include ''The Portrait'' (a collection of poems, published in 1998), ''The Pepperns and Wars of the Mind'' (a fantasy novel, published in 2003) and ''Stories in Rhyme'' (which was a book of verse for children, released in 2014). She is also a budding artist. She does her paintings digitally (on a tablet, smartphone or PC), using only one finger. Some of her paintings include ''The Grieving Madonna'', ''Tourada'', ''Mother Sea'' and ''First Kiss''.


Awards and recognition

Menezes was awarded the
Yuva Srujan Puraskar The Yuva Srujan Puraskar (Navsarjan Chetana Puraskar) is an annual award conferred by the Department of Art and Culture of the Government of Goa. The main objective of this award is recognizing and observing the achievements of young individuals ...
Award in Literature in 2016. Her first book received praise from the late Dr. Abdul Kalam, the then
President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
. She was also given the opportunity to recite from her book of poems in the
Goa Legislative Assembly The Goa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Goa in India. The Assembly meets at the Goa State Legislative Assembly Complex in Porvorim, Bardez. The Eighth Goa Legislative Assembly consists of 40 members. The assem ...
, in front of him. In 2019, Samraat Club, Panjim, felicitated her at her home on the occasion of International Women's Day. Also in 2019, Menezes was invited as a Chief Guest for an art exhibition of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association (MFPA), was chosen by the
Election Commission of India The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by Constitution of India, the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a Chief Ele ...
to be the "disability voting icon" for
North Goa district North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnatak ...
during the
2019 Indian general election General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and vote ...
and spoke at TEDxPanaji on optimism, positivity and determination.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menezes, Frederika Living people Writers from Goa Poets from Goa People from North Goa district Indian poets Year of birth missing (living people)