‘Noman Tuka Goa’
Konkani music has been the mainstay of every Goan household since time immemorial. The flavor of Konkani music is unmatched. Add to that the creative genius of the Latin touch and we have a superlative musical experience.
In the days of when radio dominated the entertainment scene, Konkani music became very popular. The daily dose of relaxing Konkani music at 2.10 pm to 2.30 pm got the lazy afternoon to really brighten us up. It may have been just a 20 minute of listening, but that daily doze still resonates in the senses even today. There was also the one hour programme on Saturday evening that no one would miss. We go about our daily chores in Konkani. What is heartening is that today it is no longer considered the ‘language of the kitchen!’ There has been a lot done for Konkani, which we fondly call our ‘Mai Bhas’, but we can do more.
Konkani music has really been featured in a big way with our entertainment today. We hum those tunes by greats like Chris Perry, Frank Fernand and others and we realize the richness of the melody and verse. The Konkani music composed decades ago still cause a few heads to turn in admiration. This goes especially for tourists. When they hear music by Goan greats, their immediate reaction is: “Wow, this music is great!”
And we are proud of Konkani music. This goes without saying. Yet the exposure for Konkani music has been very limited within Goa. We have had a few programmes around the place. Many entertainers sing Konkani songs when they perform. Tiatr contributes immensely to Konkani music. But that is just not enough. It does not give our music the pride of place we would want to give ‘Konkani Mai’.
‘Noman Tuka Goa’ is a programme that has been aimed to give Konkani music the real pride of place. This is going to be an evening dedicated to Konkani music. Put together by the Goa Entertainment Association, this show is Goa’s contribution to World Music Day celebrations on June 21. This day also happens to be the longest day of the year. So the celebrations will also be lengthened.
We salute you Goa, we salute you Konkani. This is the theme of the evening. We have made a major contribution to the musical prowess of India and also a small contribution to world music as well. Our music is all about extreme passion, glorious melody and a lively disposition. The emotions are mixed to give depth to the music and the verse. We have new composers coming into focus every day around Goa. All of them are trying to incorporate these aspects and are attempting to get there with the Konkani Music Revival.
June 21, Blueberry Hill, Verna… This is the date and venue everyone will be looking forward to being at. We will begin at an early evening hour. Eventually it will grow into an evening dedicated to Konkani music. There will be musicians galore. Therefore, there will also be music galore. This idea was put forth by Goa’s popular bass guitarist and a great lover of Konkani music Filipe Neri Fortes. This kind of an evening has happened before. We intend to enhance it further this time round. Besides Filipe Fortes and his wife, the mellifluous Lulu, there will also be Seby Fernandes, of the Seby and the Wings fame and also the original singer of Chris Perry’s hit composition ‘Meera Meera’. Emiliano da Cruz will also be part celebrations. There will be musicians from the North and South of Goa. A host of others will also come up on stage and sing and play their hearts out. Probably for the first time ever, you will be able to listen to an exclusive DJ mix in Konkani. It will all be happening for Konkani music. What is most important is that the musicians will be playing only live music. Rehearsals to make the day a memorable event have already begun.
Another place that has contributed very dedicatedly to Konkani music is Mangalore. The evening will also feature many a song by Mangalorean artists. In fact Konkani has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records because of the contribution of Eric Ozorio and his team from Mangalore. Though the programme is named ‘Noman Tuka Goa, the contribution of Mangalore to Konkani always have a prominent place in the history of Konkani music and in the heart of every Goan as well.
World Music Day has grown out of an event that was started in 1976. ‘Fête de la Musique’ first started in France that year and is now celebrated all over the world as World Music Day. It has a two-fold purpose: One - Amateur and professional musicians are egged on to perform together. A slogan was coined to suit the day. They created ‘Faites de la musique’ which simply means Make music. This homophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to prop up this objective. Two - Many concerts need to be organized on the day, making music available for the people to enjoy.
Contributing our mite with Konkani music has been thought of as an exciting prospect. This is an opportunity for all to participate. The older folk can spend times with memories of the erstwhile programmes ‘Kanllam Ollam’ and ‘Manazoptim Guitam’ on All India Radio while the younger folks can get better acquainted with our rich cultural heritage of music.
