FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Aalokshi Awade
Good food when accompanied by good music, just leads to a satisfactory smile. The state known for its tourism, Goa is a tourist destination for its diverse music, food, beaches, cafes, nightlife, and rich heritage. The lo-fi or jazz music playing while the hot food is served with some classic booze in shacks is one of the most Goan enjoyments the tourist engage themselves in. Goa’s independent musicians are a close-knit fraternity, largely inspired by Western tunes and church music. They mostly participate in local bands not restricted to a particular language or a genre of music. As Heinrich Heine once stated, “Where words leave off, music begins”, there is no language to music, and when it comes to tourists and musicians, music bonds them together more than a language.
The musicians of Goa, play all different genres in their
live performances including jazz, pop, Latin, Bollywood, and rock. One of the
biggest challenges faced by them over a few years now is having a limited time
for their performance. But, the recent move by the current government has
earned a mixture of responses from these musicians. The performers can play
their music till midnight on special occasions including the Last day of
Carnival, Easter eve, the second and first day of Ganesh Idol immersion, the
last day of Navratri, Diwali eve, and from Christmas eve to New Year’s eve,
according to the new permission.
Sharon Rodrigues, a musician who has been in pop, Bollywood, and Jazz music for almost thirty-five years thinks that “Goa is a tourist state. People come for good food, shacks, music, and other stuff. I think music just starts giving vibes to all of it. As long as it is played loudly in the residential area, it should have a curfew as it is now, till 10 pm.”Colin D’Cruz, a bass guitarist for over four decades stated, “The government should realize entertainment is the key to any tourist destination. Special permission for a few days isn’t helping the economy. Curbing entertainment with ridiculous deadlines is killing tourism. It’s high time we stopped calling ourselves a tourist destination.” Angelo, a drummer who has also been a musician for more than twenty years in Jazz music, band, rock, pop, and Latin music thinks that “A musician’s livelihood is music. And nothing should bind them as long as it is found disturbing for residents.”
Not only did the musicians active in this field had their
opinions, but the music teachers had a take as well. Dominic Pereira, a music
teacher added’ “Nobody looks up and understands what a musician’s perspective
will be,” he continued “The real question would be are the musicians getting
paid for these extended hours of performance? It is a plus point if they are
having an extended time for performance. But personally, the restaurants that
indulge in live music shouldn’t be allowed to open in residential areas. So
that the customers, as well as the performers, enjoy a hearty evening, and a
mindful performance respectively.” Darryl Rodrigues has been a musician since
1976. He described music for a musician as ‘Bread and Butter’. He strongly had
his take “We are just doing our jobs as musicians. We are engaged in this field
of work as other people are engaged in theirs. Goans earn from music, it is a
big part of our culture. The same rules should be applied to any kind of music,
be that the EDM or the concerts as well,” He considers himself a senior citizen
and hence also stated, “Motorcycles should be banned. The amount of noise
pollution it causes is more than equivalent to the decibel of sound produced in
live music.”
Estela Pinto, another music artist who is into Rock n Roll,
Pop, Country, and Jazz music said’ “I think it is pretty healthy for everyone.
The residents, the audience, and even the musicians. There’s always a certain
limit till which a performer can play.” She also added, “Musicians can have a
good time as they play, and their rest is also assured. I think their schedule
is pretty balanced in terms of a healthy lifestyle.” Lester Rodrigues, a
musician for the band A26 feels’ “Why should only the live music be restrained
to a time? I think this should be implemented to all kinds of music including
the one played at occasions and weddings as well.”
Live music has been the essence of shacks, and restaurants
where the tourists and locals can both indulge in hearty conversions, meet-ups,
good food, and booze. It is a platform for artists to interact with each other,
and communicate and explore each other’s music. Apart from that, it also
preserves the wannabe tourist definition of Goa, as a travel destination along
with the beaches.
