There is much information about Goa out there, if only you know where
look. It’s sometimes better to leave the bigger names behind, and trust instead
in those that aren’t yet jaded by the system. Those that make you sit up and
see things from a new perspective. Documentaries are one medium that is slowly
gaining momentum in Goa, with many individuals chronicling aspects of Goa that
they think need highlighting.
Quinston Menezes speaks of his group’s endeavour that spawned as a
college project, but could put more than academics in the spotlight. Under the
guidance of their professor, Agnello D'souza, the documentary was put together
by five students – Oliver De Mello, Aahan Phillips, Shawn Fernandes, Nadim
Sheikh and Quinston himself. Shot and produced over a relatively short period
of two months, ‘The Glorious Brass Bands’ aims to highlight the very core of
Goa’s music, the brass section.
Speaking on the choice of topic that he aimed to explore, Quinston says
“The choice of topic of our final year project is something left at our
discretion, as students, and since music is something I enjoy, I wanted to do
something related to it and its links to Goa. Since the mando, dulpods and
the like have already been covered, I thought about the music in tiatr,
which was then widened to brass bands in general. So the documentary takes one
through the history of brass instruments, how the whole culture of brass bands
came into Goa, the present day scenario, the significance of a brass band in
Goan culture, and the future of the art form in the state.”
The documentary showcases many authorities in the art and culture
circle, including Victor Hugo Gomes, Arlindo de Miranda, Braz Gonsalves, Roque
Lazarus, Vince Costa and others, who take viewers through the documentary,
narrating their own stories about how they encountered brass bands, and how
their ancestors have contributed to this culture.
And Vince himself is no stranger to the documentary circle, with his
latest endeavour, ‘Shaxtticho Koddo – The Granary of Salcete’, a
documentary that focuses on the state of the agrarian culture of his village,
Curtorim, only just having wrapped up its production schedule. Owing to the
extensive and, at the same time, intense nature of the topic, the entire
project took four years to completeand is a labour of love/tribute to the
village’s agrarian ancestors and present day farmers.
“Curtorim has been synonymous with agriculture, especially rice
cultivation, thereby earning it the title of ‘the granary of Salcete’. Various
factors influence the trade today adversely and it hangs in balance amidst rapid
change. Our choices and attitudes today will determine the future of this
economic activity. In a bid to document present day realities of this agrarian
community, it also shows how agriculture and our cultural heritage interact
with each other to create our unique communal identities. The ultimate goal is
to finally create awareness amongst today's generation in and outside Goa,”
Vince shares, in a bid to highlight what he aims to achieve through his work.
Dunstan Dias, a videographer par excellence is also on the documentary
trail, having completed producing what he believes is a work of empowerment,
albeit in a more left-of-field sense. Along with a crew comprising Khloe Lobo,
Genevieve Fernandes and Marise Barbosa Noronha, he set out to complete his four
month-long project, ‘Paws and Love’, which the team refers to as a
‘dogumentary’, given what its focal points are.
“We started out on this project owing to the fact that all of the crew
members are animal lovers. Sometimes we need to stop and remember that animals
don’t have a voice, and there is a huge need for humans to understand animals
better. I find that as humans, we are no longer in sync with nature. We’ve
reached a point where we read in the news about people raping dogs, and so on.
So we went through a process where we looked at different ideas being thrown
around, and visited NGOs and animal behaviourists to get a better understanding
of things. In fact we began our work in the latter half of November, and after
having met an animal behaviourist, the whole project was spun around because he
changed our point of view on certain things too.
I think that through this documentary, there will also be a fair bit of
enlightenment about what one can should and shouldn’t do when in a given
animal-related situation,” Dunstan highlights, explaining what the gist of the
group’s work is.
Storytelling has always been a part of the state’s rich culture, and
though the medium may have changed from balcão banter to the
smaller screen, at least the secrets that the state bears, will clearly live
on, at least for now.