13 Dec 2017 | 06:37am IST
THE ORIGINAL LOVE SONGS OF GOA
Goa Cultural and Social Centre will be organising the All Goa State Level Mando Festival on December 13 and 14, 2017. In its 51st edition, Café finds out how the love of Mandos and Dulpods is still prevalent in the younger generation of Goa
The melody of the Mando is a sound that can be
picked up by any Goan no matter how far
they are from Goa. The melodious voices accompanied by the violin and ghumott
create a work of art, right from the lyrics to the composition to the emotions
with which they are sung. The Goa Cultural and Social Centre has been
encouraging young talent to shine by presenting them with a grand stage at the
All Goa State Level Mando Festival. With the much needed boost, the groups have
travelled the world, carrying the love and legacy forward.
This year, the All Goa State Level Mando
Festival will be held on December 13 and 14, 2017 at Kala Academy, Panjim from
5pm onwards. The festival has categories like Children, Teenager, Original,
Traditional and Dance. Speaking about how the festival, Francisco Noronha,
President of the Goa Cultural and Social Centre, states, “The festival is open
to different age groups including children, teenagers and adults. Besides the
singing and participation, there are many youngsters who’ll be musicians for
the adults and senior categories. Right now, we have 50 per cent of youngsters
and adults in the competition, which is the right proportion. The Mando voice
is a more seasoned and youngsters may not be toned for Mando. However, they are
encouraged to carry the tradition of Mando forward as they grow up.”
The origins of Mando can be traced back to South Goa. “Mando
originated in Curtorim among the elite class. But now, it has evolved and
everyone is involved in appreciating and singing the Mando, which is a song of
Goa. It is no more restricted to the elite class,” explains Francisco.
Mandos are the songs with a western influence while Dulpods are
songs of the masses. They showcase the beautiful poetry, lyrics and music,
highlighting the splendour of the Konkani language. The seeds of the love for
Mando have been scattered across parishes in Goa through the efforts of
music-loving priests. “They are not only participating in the performance of
the Mando but are also writing music and lyrics for different groups. Priests
have a higher knowledge of music and even if a layman is writing the lyrics,
the song is composed by a priest. Through the parishes, they can encourage
children and youngsters to participate and even if the priest is transferred,
the youngsters can still continue performing,” says Francisco.
He
further adds, “Fr Romuldo Gonsalves has formed nearly 3-5 groups over different
age groups that perform in the competition. Fr Olavo Caiado and Fr Bernard
Cotta have been writing music for a very long time and the groups have been
winning awards.” There are even groups which have been performing consistently
for the past decade including Goenchim Kirnnam, Goenchim Noketra and Oll’lechim
Mogrim.
