Goa needs to celebrate its renowned musicians in a big way
Festivities are in the air, and it is the perfect time to remember the precious yet endangered species known as the Goan musician. Over the decades, this individual from this small region has earned considerable name and fame for the state in ways that are often hard to understand and easily forgotten.
The 2015 Konkani film Nachom-ia Kumpasar is still screening across Goa. People love this musical by Bardroy Barreto, which is an emotive telling of the Goan musician›s tryst with Bollywood. Beyond the usual masala of love and tragedy, the wider story here is about how Goans shaped Bollywood music in its most popular phase and yet were often overlooked, not recognised, or relegated to the fine print in the credit lines. Local audiences return home with a mix of sadness at this tragic story, tinged with pride at knowing how much musicians from this land have accomplished over the longue durée.
Minguel Rod’s birth centenary was celebrated recently. Remo Fernandes, arguably Goa’s most popular pop star for nearly two generations, was honoured with a chunky autobiography not long ago. Anthony Gonsalves, Chris Perry, Hema Sardesai, Lorna, Alfred and Rita Rose, Antonio de Figueiredo, Lourdino Barreto, Micky Correa, Chic Chocolate, Sebastian D’Souza, Frank Fernand, Antsher Lobo, Tolentino Fonseca (Karachi), and so many others feature in the hall of Goan greats. The list of bands from Goa (online) is long and diverse. There are Konkani musicians who have their own fan following. But it is not only musicians who learnt in parish schools that made Goa proud over time. Hindustani and Indian musicians have earned name and fame across India and the world. Lata Mangeshkar, Kishori Amonkar, Anjanibai Malpekar, Kesarbai Kerkar, Moghubai Kurdikar, Vatsalabai Parvatkar, Shrimatibai Narvekar, Dinanath Mangeshkar, Jyostna Bhole, Anjanibai Lolekar, Dattaram Parvatkar, Baburao Kumthekar, Shridhar Parsekar, Tulsidas Borkar among others are the names that come to mind. Goa needs to celebrate its own in better ways, for today many Goans might not recognise these names.
The Goan musician, however, faces pressure today. The old village, church, and temple music schools no longer operate as they once did. While Goa offers near-free music education through state-run institutions, not enough young people seem to be taking advantage of these opportunities. Meagre payments, limited performance opportunities, and seasonality contribute their fair share of blows, not to mention the lack of regular gigs in the gig economy. Further disrupting musicians’ livelihoods is the demand for royalties from ‘copyright societies’ from bands playing cover versions. Facility support is also lacking, with musicians feeling the need for rehearsal spaces and affordable recording studios. Threats from canned and electronic music cannot be ignored too. To ease the pressure on musicians, sound-pollution laws need to also factor in their needs along with those of people. Traditional Konkani music faces its own challenges, including a need for more training opportunities and better networking prospects. Musicians can surely play a bigger role in promoting Goa as a tourism destination. Government support, community building (among musicians and promoters), tech integration (using digital platforms and social media for wider reach), and audience education could give our musicians a leg up. Let it not be said that Goa’s inaction and ignorance killed its universal and favourite language.
