The Centre for
Indo-Portuguese Arts or Centro de Artes Indo-Portuguesas (CIPA) in Panjim, is a
world of arts created by Orlando de Noronha. The entire space in the buzzing
city of Panjim is where time stands still as Fadista Sonia Shirsat guides the
limited audience to the nostalgic era of Fado and Mando. The centre based in
Orlando’s ancestral house has been refurnished to give the audience a true
experience of Fado, the first of its kind in India.
The performance
begins with a ring of a bell, quite literally, to summon the audience into the
performance area. The performance gives equal weightage to Fado and Mando as
Sonia explains the significance and nuances of each folk song. The musicians
accompanying Sonia are Orlando and Carlos Menezes, while visiting musicians Oscar
Do Rosari and Allan Abreu also perform at Madragoa. What is even more
impressive about this performance is the wholesome experience that includes
Portuguese cuisine surrounded by Portuguese arts and literature. Queijadinhas,
Fofos de Bacalhau, Pastéis de Santa Clara, empadinhas de carne, chourico do
reino, torradinhas com pate and Pasteis De Nata are few of the bite size snacks
offered to participants as they chat and celebrate the Indio-Portuguese history
of Goa. What requires a special mention is the attention to detail to the
backdrop of the performance. The beautiful lighting gives a peek into the susegado
time in one of the city by-lanes of yore where people had the time to look out
of their shell-adorned wooden windows and street lamps that lit the streets.
Dr Saidutt
Kuvelkar from Panjim shares his experience at Madragao, “It was fantastic and
absolutely scintillating. They are trying to revive and maintain the Portuguese
legacy. The day I came to know about Madragoa, I was very fascinated by the
fact that somebody in Goa was doing it. You need to support such people, who in
their own very small way are contributing towards maintaining the cultural
legacy of Goa. I had some guests who had come to Goa and I took them to
experience good music and part of the fantastic history. It is not a new structure or an auditorium
where something is happening in a big way. All across Europe, these local
experiences are held in small places compactly, catering to a very niche audience.
It is never for the masses. It is for the genuine inheriting taste for the
experience,” says Dr Saidutt.
The performances
takes place on Saturday and there are two shows, at 6:30pm and 8:15pm. Be sure
to get there early for the shows so you can soak in the Indo-Portuguese
experience by viewing the art on display at the centre.
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My experience at Madragoa was amazing as I have never been to Casa de Fado in Portugal and this is one of the first of its kind in Goa. The ambience was out of the world. I have only seen pictures of Casa de Fado and heard about it. I have sung with Orlando and Carlos before and I knew that Sonia would be there but the ambience was something different. I didn’t expect it to be so grand. My sister was accompanying me and she was equally happy to be there. This is very inspiring for us as young singers.
Shrushti Prabhudesai, Margao
I have seen Orlando play at so many places and I am a big fan of his. I very respectfully always address him as maestro. I attended the inaugural session and it was fantastic. He and Sonia Shirsat put up such a formidable performance and I hope that they really do well. On the opening night, it was house packed and the entire Noronha and Tavora family attended the performance. Fado is a dying Portuguese folk song especially in Goa. Fado is good music with meaning. Unfortunately, people in Goa don’t speak and understand Portuguese anymore. I know he can revive and make it popular. He is a fantastic musician and I wish him all the best.
Carlos Tavora, Panjim
It was superb and an unusual experience. We are normally accustomed to sitting at a table to watch Fado. Here we had to sit for a concert. Food was excellent with typical Portuguese snacks, which were very filling. Culturally, it is very nice for the new generation to see what we experienced during our lifetime. These photographs and drawings at the centre are absolutely marvellous. Earlier, there was Fado in Goa but very few people used to sing. It was mainly Mando which was very common. Sometimes, they used to bring people from Portugal to sing for us in Goa but we had our local artistes too.
Dr Carmo Gracias, Margao