Music is the essence of Goa and the love for music is ingrained in the
people of this soil. Varun Carvalho is one such Goan, who, despite being a
dentist by profession, is pursuing music with an unmatched passion. Varun’s first
album ‘I got to go home’ was released in the year 2009, followed by ‘You walk
alone’ in 2012 and then the Konkani album ‘Dii Tekha’ in 2015. With the new
album ‘Reloaded’, a plan to release the music video of a new track every 2
weeks has been initiated.
‘Feel the moment – Paka Paka’ is a song on savouring and feeling every
moment. The word ‘paka’ means ‘goodbye’ in Russian. The idea for this song
dates back to the time when Varun was performing at a festival in Moscow.
“After the festival in Moscow, we were sitting on the banks of a river, jamming
up with other musicians from the festival. In few hours, it was time to leave
and the Russian musicians said ‘paka paka’. I then told them, ‘don't say paka
paka; let's feel the moment as this time will never be back’.” And that is how Varun
ended up playing music till the Sun came up, bringing with it the inspiration to
compose ‘Feel the Moment – Paka Paka’.
Contemplating the experience while shooting the music video in Moscow, Varun
shares that they tried to create a lot of the Moscow vibe in the video. Travelling
all over Moscow to shoot the video at different scenic locations was
thrilling for all the members involved in making the video. The modus operandi was pretty simple: They
would set up a boom box in different locations and play the song, while people
would automatically start grooving and dancing. That’s how most of the shots
were captured, making them feel the moment.
Goa has always been a part of Varun’s music and he asserts that a lot of
inspiration for his songs has come from Goa. Hence, the Forca Goa Anthem became
the most popular song in Goa. It is this love that keeps him attached to his
culture even though he travels for concerts over the world.
Varun reveals that as a kid, he had a speech impairment that caused him
to stammer. He even encountered bullying but he regained his courage after
watching Goa’s very own artiste, Remo Fernandes, performing at a concert. Varun
then started singing and soon realised that he did not stammer when he sang. As
time passed, his love for singing became his biggest accomplishment and source
of happiness.
He relates to music as an essence that lifts and lightens up an
individual and considers being true to oneself as the most important thing
while writing a song. “You literally have to become the song,” he says. Talking
about ethics, sticking to one’s own style is another principle that a musician
must remember.
In his message to h is fans, he advises them to always be positive and stay
with music as only music has the power to evolve a person, relieve, soothe,
aspire, inspire and take one to a higher space.