‘Goenchim Noketram’, a Goan folklore and musical troupe, was founded by Marianela Gina, a chemistry lecturer at GVM’s SNJA Higher Secondary School, Ponda. The motive behind creating ‘Goenchim Noketram’ was to preserve, protect and promote the unique cultural heritage of Goa through song and dance; and that’s precisely what they have been doing for the last ten years.
“By the grace of God, we were able to take
Goa to 19 countries, with a total of 45 international shows, besides shows in
Goa and the rest of India. To commemorate our journey as the cultural
ambassadors of Goa, we are cutting an audio album, titled ‘Goa -Tuzo Mog
Mhaka’. The album is about Goa but have the rhythm and genres of six countries
that we were privileged to have performed in,” says Marianela. “We are 26
members who are a part of this amazing family and all have been a part of the
CD too. Everyone is equally dedicated,” she adds.
George Gonsalves, Elvis Mascarenhas,
Sharon Vaz Gomes, Leena Vaz Gomes, Cely Fernandes, Frenzie Vito Rodrigues,
Selwyn Menezes, Orville Lourenco, Inacio Sardinha, Bernardo Furtado and Abraham
Fernandes have been with Marianela and Goenchim Noketram for the last 10 years.
Over the years, more members like Nezba Fortes, Avina Furtado, Nadia C Dias,
Konrad Rodrigues, Ninoshka Rodrigues, Chriscenia Dias, Soniya Gaonkar, Kimarone
Rodrigues, Sereno Godinho, Rolfan Vaz, Cresida Afonso, Anthea Dias, Anvil
Furtado and Berna Vales joined it to make the group stronger.
The songs in the album are influenced by the different countries
and their musical genres. With seven songs in the album, two songs are Goan
songs, the Mando and Dulpod ‘Dis(u) Kazaracho’ and Konkani duet ‘Ambadeachem
Mogrem’. The beats of Soca were influenced by the Grenada Carnival that the
group experienced in the Caribbean and that’s included in the title track of
the album, ‘Goa - Tuzo Mog Mhaka’. Argentina was the first country that the
group travelled to that has been featured in this album through the song ‘Rum
Pum Pum’. ‘Piki Piki Kazule’ has a Reggae style, thanks to their trip to
Trinidad and Tobago. ‘Parkonnem (Riddle)’ will have the feel of a broadway
musical, inspired by their visit to New York, while ‘A Mistura’ is a Portuguese
and Spanish song influenced by the Lusofonia Festival in Macau. The music of
the album is composed by Mukesh Ghatwal and the mixing and mastering is being
done in Mumbai by Rupjit Das.
Nezba Fortes, a singer from Orlim, says, “The best part is that
we get an opportunity to represent the Goan culture at various levels – state,
national and international. It helps keep alive the traditions that are slowly
losing their essence. People are slowly forgetting the authenticity of our folk
arts; by being a part of ‘Goenchim Noketram’, we are able to keep the
traditions alive.”
Frenzie Vito Rodrigues from Sarzora calls ‘Goenchim Noketram’ a
great start to his early music career. “In Goa, there are many youngsters who
make fun of our rich cultural heritage, the folk dances, songs or the way folk
artistes dress up. I used to be one of them till I was invited to join this
group at the age of 17. My whole perception about our Goan folklore has
changed. I am very excited to explore the various folk songs,” says Frenzie.
He adds, “’Goenchim Noketram’ has taken me across the globe and
I have learned things about our culture that I feel every youngster ought to
know. I also got the opportunity to explore new places and learn more about the
culture of other countries. I feel privileged to showcase Goa and India
internationally and to revive the true Goan spirit, which is slowly dying.”
The
album ‘Goa - Tuzo Mog Mhaka’ will be released on November 19, 2017 and the
video of the title song will be available to view on social media