31 Jan 2015 | 10:35pm IST
Recognition so befitting, Awards so deserving
Daniel F de Souza
Getting recognition from the State
Administration for your contribution in any field is always a dream come true
for many. This year, the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa,
chose three senior artistes from the tiatr field for the Goa State Cultural
Award. Josefina Dias, Antonette Mendes Lourenco Fernandes aka Lawrence de
Tiracol were the ones who had their day in the sun, a recognition they so
rightly deserved for their lifetime contribution to tiatr.
It’s a difficult task to highlight the
contribution of each of the above artistes. Each one has their own unique way
in enriching the tiatr stage from a young age. They did it simply for the love
of it, without any expectations. With their dedicated contribution, they have,
over the years, established their own brand image on the tiatr stage. And their
efforts have not gone in vain. Winning the State Cultural Award and receiving
all the attention and adulation from fans and tiatr lovers from across the
globe is like the proverbial icing on the cake.
Antonette Mendes is special and inimitable
in many ways. She can get your feet tapping or bring tears to your eyes with
equal ease and elegance. Playwright and director Late M Boyer wrote defining
roles for her in his tiatrs as well as heart rending ‘kantos’ that Antonette
put her heart and soul into. Antonette’s rendition of ‘Piti PIti Mog’ can put
back the romance in the heart of a septuagenarian, and in the same breath, her rendition
of ‘Pixem’ can equally break the heart of a teenage lover. Her popular mando
‘Dothi Magon’ is a timeless hit and no Konkani music lover will ever grow tired
of listening to it. Antonette has immortalised the ‘Kunbi woman’ on stage with
the rendition of her duet ‘Pipirmitt’ which she sang with late Robin Vaz.
I have had the privilege of hosting
Antonette Mendes at several Konkani Musical shows. The warmth and camaraderie
this queen of hearts exuberates is simply amazing and her simplicity and down
to earth attitude is something our younger generation on stage should try to
emulate. Having taken to the Konkani tiatr stage from a very young age, her
contribution has brought beauty to the performing art. She, once in an informal
chat, said to me, “I am happy and content; I have achieved everything. There
are no more goals left for me.” That may be true for you Antonette Bai, but,
your fans have one goal in mind, and that’s to see you sing their favourite
songs live on stage for a long time.
Josephine Dias is one among the few ladies
of the tiatr stage who is bestowed with a clear and powerful voice. Singing
duets and enacting comedy and semi-comedy roles have always been child’s play
for her. Some of her best duets have been along with Jr Rod. But her real forte
has been doing the Kunbi woman’s role. Coming from a family where tiatr was a
part of living, Josephine impressed the tiatr fans from young when she acted in
her father Casiano D’Costa’s ’s home production ’Ti Mhoji Zav’ and ‘Bhirankul’.
Josephine is not seen much on the professional stage now, but, when opportunity
knocks, she is seen acting in the tiatrs staged for church feasts.
A gifted composer, he is Lawrence de
Tiracol for thousands of Konkani music fans, but for his close friends, he is
just ‘Larry’. As a youngster living in Mumbai, he has acted in many tiatrs and
sung duets too. Having worked overseas for the better part of his life, Larry
never let go of his love for composing song lyrics. His contribution to Konkani
music is enormous. But unfortunately, he is a low profile man and shuns
publicity. Working silently behind the scenes, Larry has from 1994 to 2012
produced 44 high profile Konkani music albums over a period of just 18 years.
If this is not an amazing feat, I do not know what is. He achieved all this
when he was not a full time tiatrist but a qualified engineer employed with a
multinational company in the Gulf. Most of his Konkani music albums have been
exclusively cut with Lorna. For me personally, his biggest and most significant
contribution towards Konkani music was to bring back Lorna after a long hiatus
of 27 years with his super hit album ‘Hello Lorna’, in the year 1994. For the
people of Goa and especially the people of the coastal village of Tiracol who
are fighting to preserve their beloved ancestral land from land sharks in the
name of tourism, the State Cultural Award to their son of the soil, Larry, is
surely something to cheer about. Three cheers to all the three State Cultural
Award recepients in the tiatr segment.
