Herald
Café: Tell us about your Goan roots.
Shounak Abhisheki: Being originally from Mangeshi, I used to visit my ancestral house and spend my vacations there during my childhood. Memories of performing the puja in the temples and hanging out with friends and cousins are still afresh. My father moved to Mumbai to follow classical music and then we settled in Mumbai. But I have perhaps sung in every major classical music festival in Goa as well as nearly all the temples across the state. We are blessed, encouraged and loved in Goa not only because we are Goans but because of my father’s popular compositions. And though I don’t stay here permanently, from within, I’m a Goan and proud to be one.
HC: Tell
us more about the motive behind having this festival.
SA: This festival is organised from a non-commercial perspective. One of the motives is to pay tribute to my father. This same festival is organised in eight different cities in India all year round. But doing it in Goa is special for me and I feel privileged. The bigger objective behind having this festival is to spread awareness about classical music and provide a platform for young artists to perform. The festival is a healthy mix of veteran and young artists, including Goans. I want these talented Goan artists to go outside Goa and show their talent to the world and make a name for themselves.
HC: You’ve
always said that Goa is a land of artists. Why is it then that despite being
from here, most of them get their popularity only after going outside Goa?
SA: There have been lot of composers and artists that Goa has generated who have then done big work in preserving and spreading Hindustani classical music. These include my father, Kishori Amonkar, Mogubai Kurdikar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, etc. I think that the soil of Goa has rhythm and music in it. All the temples here have serenity that the artist needs for his music to grow. People from here have gone out with all their born musical genius, learnt and spread it all over. The Art and Culture Department of Goa is doing a lot of things to promote music. According to me, it is one of the most active departments in India. But the crux or the market is in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Delhi where one can flourish as an artist.