Teachers can enter the life of a person at any time to guide and enlighten the mind. Many people meet their teachers at a later stage in life, out of their academic life and these teachers create a huge impact in forming a new path for these students.
Simonie Rego from Arossim is a graduate from Goa College of Art, Altinho, in the painting department specializing in murals. During the Covid lockdown, she came across late Valentino Gaspar, a ceramic and terracotta artist, who ran Red Earth Pottery Studio, Verna. He guided her in the right direction and was a great teacher to this budding artist. As a tribute to her mentor, she now signs every piece of art with a ‘V’ under her pots. She had her first solo exhibition at Lorenz imaging, Quadro Art Gallery, Porvorim in 2022 and has exhibited her works at various cultural fests across Goa.
“I would call Valentino Gasper a jack-of-all-trades. When I started my training under him, it was not the best time of his life. He was almost bedridden but did not give up on teaching me. I was the last and the luckiest student. He told me that “at this stage of my life, I want to train students to be maestros”. Not everyone understood his ways of teaching, but those who did are going places today. It was hard for both of us. There were a lot of tears involved. These words of his, “learning only takes place when you are willing to teach yourself,” I will forever carry with me. Even a few hours before his death, when he could barely speak, he made sure to check my first glaze fired mugs and give me some suggestions. That day I understood what it means to be responsible towards your work and the meaning of the saying, “work is worship,” says Simonie, who is now known for her intricate cutwork on vases.
Fr Myron Sequeira, the Director of Pilar Music Academy, is in-charge of four centres, Pilar, Porvorim, Margao and Sanguem with students learning different musical instruments. He has done grades from Trinity College London, in violin, piano, western vocals, and theory of music.
“As a child, my brothers, Malcolm and Grayson motivated me to learn music. In Pilar Seminary Fr Mateus Fernandes, provided the opportunity to learn the violin which was the start of my musical Journey. Late Tony Noronha was a great pianist from my village, Carrem, Socorro, who used to perform at Cidade de Goa and also play for our chapel Masses. When I use to come home for holidays from the seminary, he always encouraged me and waited for me to play alongside him with whatever instrument I carried for mass,” says Fr Myron about his early teachers.
He further adds, “In the seminary, I was amazed by Fathers Peter Cardoso, Dominic Alvares, Ransom Pereira, Max Gonsalves and Neri Mendes. I witnessed a performance by versatile musicians, Roque Lazarus and Schubert Cotta, which inspired me to try out various instruments. After ordination, I learnt wind instruments under the guidance of Jerome Rodrigues and violin under the guidance of Victor da Costa, both from Goa. Presently, I am learning piano with Irina Mishra and Tatyana Dichenko, both From Russia. In all of them, I have noticed a sense of discipline, dedication, determination. The joy they express while they compose, perform or guide others cannot go unnoticed. Music is a refreshing energy that enters our ears and strikes the chord of our hearts, making our lives more joyful.”
Liza Pinheiro from Vasco da Gama is a graduate of the second batch from the Don Bosco College of Agriculture, Quepem. After graduation, Liza started her own brand, Fruits of Hard Work that deal with kitchen garden and plant health Consultancy. She is currently the secretary of Agricos Alumni Association, an association that is part of various green festivals across Goa including the Konkan Fruit Festival, Festival of Plants and Flowers in Siolim and Plant Utsav.
“I never imagined that a professor I met in 2016 while pursuing my degree in Agriculture would create a significant impact in my life. Sir Miguel Braganza is not just my mentor but he is my living guardian angel. He believed in my capabilities from the start when I didn't even imagine that I could achieve some things. What truly inspires me about him is his selflessness and generosity. His advice has helped me to improve and prevent certain mistakes, and his constant motivation has built my confidence. He's the driving force for getting agriculture graduates and youth together for a greener Goa. His motto is that teamwork creates a powerful impact because ‘Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM)’. It's rare to find someone who sees good qualities in every person and I'm glad, and blessed to have that rare gem in my life,” says Liza.
Percussionist Carlos Gonsalves from Mapusa, formed his first band, Deep Red with four friends when he was in Class 12. After performing with a few wedding bands as a drummer, he attended a concert by Shivamani in Goa and was mesmerised with his versatility. Carlos went on to Mumbai to study music with Shivamani. Performing for the past 20 years, Carlos performs his solo act, ‘Talking Drums’. He has performed abroad with renowned musicians at various music festival and feels that his decision to
train under Shivamani was a life changing moment.
“I was performing in wedding bands which I found very restrictive with few occasions of improvising. I was introduce to Shivamani through Ravi Chari and after moving to Mumbai, I met greats like Trilok Gurtu and Zakir Hussain. I learnt about music and how you can experiment with it and musicians can jam and do solos. It gave me the confidence to jam with musicians from Goa as well as musicians visiting Goa from across the world and play any genre. It was a whole different game when I came back to Goa, thanks to these brilliant teachers,” says Carlos, who is now on a mission to take the ghumot to the world.
Sagar Naik Mule is a noted artist from Adpai, Ponda, who is reviving Kaavi art. Praised by the Prime Minister of India, he shot into the limelight for his artistic initiatives. However, when he was still a school student, it was his teacher who guided him to pursue art. “Teacher Resha Gaunekar was my science teacher at Saraswati High School, Kavle, Ponda. Looking at my diagrams in the Science class, she would always motivate me to take up arts. She used to call me an artist, when I was still a student. Even after I completed my SSCE, she would and still give my example as an artist even before I would become an artist. I pursued my Bachelor of Fine Arts and then I was influenced by artist Viraj Naik, who is also from my village. He gave me the boost to exhibit my work at my first group show, outside Goa. Most students are often confused after graduating from the art college but Viraj guided me to find my individual style. Another important teacher in my life is nature. Nature has been with me since my broth and there is so much to learn from this great teacher, Goa’s red soil,” says Sagar.