While growing up, people found it fascinating to know that my mum’s family was from Goa. I had been exposed to the beautiful cuisine and the Konkani language since birth. But it was only in my teens that I realised that I could converse in Konkani as well. Over the years, I have tried to nurture this half of my identity through the language, food and of course through the literature. So when an email from Avid Learning popped up in my inbox talking about a celebration of Goa – I booked a ticket for myself.
A few weeks later, I found myself at the Royal Opera House, my first time there since it reopened to the public many years ago. My tickets took me to the Grand balcony, two stories above. And from there you needed a monocular to see the stage below, and the large screen behind was completely obstructed from view (Opera Houses didn’t factor in PPTs!). I chose a seat and sat down after making a note to never buy grand balcony tickets.
But the kind attendant told me that there were empty seats on the ground floor and that I could occupy them if I wanted to, so I went down just as the first panel was settling in and occupied a seat next to Bachi Karkaria (?). The first half of the festa was a series of panel discussions. The talks featured some prominent names. It was a joy listening to the nostalgic conversation and recollections of Abhay Sardesai, Jerry Pinto and Damodar Mauzo. The presentation by Jane Borges on the ongoing project documenting the living history of Soboicar – Sobo + Bomoicars – the Konkani Catholics from Goa who settled in South Bombay showcased a side of migrants that I had witnessed first hand.
A book launch documenting six houses of Goa followed the presentation. My attention wavered a bit here. But the next segment on F N Souza brought it back. To hear about one of the greats from the Progressive Artists Group was interesting. I had read about Souza first back in 2019 while researching about Saligao (do subscribe to the excellent newsletter – Heta Pandit’s Saligao Balcao!). Saligao has been on my list since 2019, but each time since then I have always passed through it but have never been able to make a stop.
It was good to hear about the stories and his work in the context of today but the most illuminating was to see the two of his Bombay works. And finally the discussion veered to the musicians from Goa. Naresh Fernandes masterfully brought out the role of Goan musicians in helping bring Hindustani Classical music to the modern studio. He even introduced various musicians to the audience and played Amancio D’silva’s Ganges before ending the talk.
In the interval I met some interesting folks and had a few thought provoking conversations especially about the state of affairs of today. With those thoughts playing in my head, I went back up to my grand balcony seat to experience the musical half of the evening featuring a Fado performance by Sonia Shirsat and a choral performance by the Stuti Choral and String Ensemble. I had only read about Fado – the soulful Portuguese form of music but never actually heard any of the song before. Sonia Shirsat also featured in the book – Susegad written by Clyde D’souza, so I was very eager to watch her performance.
She took to the stage and over the next 45 minutes she introduced us to the origins of Fado and sang in soulful Portuguese. She spent a few moments before every song setting the context of the song and its history, which was a nice touch. Most of the songs were about longing and separation of sailors and their loved ones, of those who have left the land in search of treasures. But Sonia’s voice brought them to life along with the musicians accompanying her on the string instruments. I was certainly inspired to listen to more Fado songs later on.
Within a few minutes of that performance, about 100 singers and musicians walked in and occupied the stage. The Stuti Choral and String Ensemble was on stage. Parvesh Java the conductor of the orchestra took the stage and with the lights on – they began. The program was published on their website which helped to understand the meaning of some of the pieces that they performed. The final act was a joint performance featuring Sonia and the Stuti Choral. It was very memorable.
It was a good evening. I have always struggled with the idea of identity of self. Who are we really? While I have struggled to define it fully, being Goan has been a part of my identity. That evening I was introduced to it a bit more deeply than before, only to strengthen my resolve of visiting Goa as often as I can.