It was an impromtu decision. A day before the whirling
Egyptian group Mawlawiyahh could steal the show on the first day of the
festival, the troupe welcomed Goan boy Carlos Gonsalves with open arms to
perform along with them. While Carlos made his presence felt on the stage right
from the opening act, the only other Goan artists to perform at the
international festival, Elvis Lobo had to wait a little longer till he could
step onto the stage as a part of the East West Local comprising urban and rural
musicians of West Bengal. The difference did not matter one bit because magic
did they create!
Carlos, a percussionist, was invited to play with the
Egyptian group as well as the Spanish group. “This festival was a wonderful
experience in my life as different artists came together and we all learnt
something from each other. I practised overnight to perform with the Egyptian
group while the Spanish group just explained the beats during the sound-check
for the performance. Music from each country has its own traditional roots and
has to be played in that particular style,” says Carlos about the entire
experience.
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Amitava Bhattacharya, Founder Director of banglanatak dot
com, had been planning to get the festival to Goa for over a year. “The
response has been fantastic and unbelievable. The hall was packed with music
lovers with a cross section of people. People realised that this was a unique
opportunity to experience this exclusive kind of music. I came across people
who travelled from places like Arambol, Sattari, Margao and Canacona to be a
part of the festival,” says Amitava.
While the evening performances had enough spectators to
ensure that the auditorium was full to the point that even the aisles were
packed, the workshops held during the day also went full house. “The audience
turned up for the workshops to learn more about the music and showed great
enthusiasm towards the festival. 70 per cent of them asked me if the festival
will be an annual event. The Kala Academy has been excellent partners in
hosting the event and with a seating capacity of 988 seats, I had to
accommodate people in the aisles and even backstage,” adds Amitava.
Talking about the Goan connect, Amitava says, “The collaboration
with Goan musicians started six months back. Through this festival in Goa, we
have been invited by Youth, a music producer from Grenanda and by Ninza,
another music producer, to be part of the Silk Road Music Festival in Italy and
Turkey. In four years of organising Sufi Sutra in Kolkata, we have been invited
to 55 festivals across the world. This is just the start for a greater fusion
of Bengali and Goan music.”
The cultural amalgam appears to be the beginning of an
enchanting future for tradition, music and people.
