Radio Mango Toronto, the first radio programme in Konkani in
North America has many firsts to its name; here’s yet another. In celebration
of ten years of Konkani broadcast, Radio Mango is hosting a Konkani Idol
contest that is open to all Konkani singers, of any age, from around the globe.
The two main criteria for eligibility are that the song must be sung in Konkani
and the singer must be an amateur. Those with professional careers in singing
are not eligible.
Radio Mango which went on air on September
29, 2012, on FM 101.3 has gained popularity all over the world. Providing a
voice and platform for the very first time, to the South Asian Diaspora from
the Konkan coast, a segment that has been part of the Canadian mosaic since the
early 60’s, but had never been spoken to in their own language before. Their
excellent programming has made them a favourite with Konkani lovers all over
the globe, from Australia to Zanzibar, even inspiring other Konkani programmes.
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The three judges of the competition are renowned musicians and
singers themselves and will judge the entries for the top three prizes. The
first prize of $500, is sponsored by Reynold Sequeira of Remax Realty
Specialists Inc. and Romeo Jack Barbosa of Green Pi. The second prize is
sponsored by Max Mendes Group Real Estate Consulting and Investments and the
third prize by Flavian Pinto of Sunlife. Winners will also get a certificate of
merit. In addition, for Canadian participants only, there will be two
additional prizes, a food hamper, donated by Noel D’Souza of Goan Spices and
two Amazon gift cards, donated by Cynthia Gomes James. Many loyal supporters
and listeners have made contributions to help make this history-making contest
a success.
Radio Mango was started a decade ago by Goan Milena
Marques-Zachariah, an accomplished writer, columnist and blogger with over 25 years
experience in multi-national advertising in India, Dubai and Canada, she has
gained critical international experience in creating and building brands. Her
creative shop, Out of My Mind, is focused on the South Asian and ethnic markets
in Canada. She has worked as Creative Director and Multicultural Communications
Specialist with leading agencies, helping major national and international
brands relate to their consumers by aligning their messages to ethnic markets.
Canadian Chronicles is yet another creative pursuit, where she blogs the
extraordinary journeys of new immigrants to Canada – waiting to be published as
a book. Her current blog, ‘Chasing the perfect Curry,’ has gained international
popularity among foodies and those seeking unchartered adventures.
She now runs Radio Mango solo, as a not-for-profit. To make it
possible to reach more listeners across the globe, this popular program, which
used to air on CMR 101.3 FM, has now evolved into a podcast. It’s available
every Saturday evening. True to its name, Radio Mango’s unique format caters to
both the Mangaloreans and Goans, with songs played from a wide repertoire
within both communities.
“Since Radio Mango caters to the Mangaloreans and Goans and
everyone who speaks or understands Konkani not only here in Canada but around
the world, I thought it was essential that everyone except for professionals
singers to showcase their talent in celebration of ten years of Konkani
broadcast. Konkani is such a powerful and beautiful language, and the way we
can express ourselves, there’s no substitute to Konkani,” says Milena
Marques-Zachariah.
She further adds that it does not matter if the song is a cover
or an original and the wining songs will be aired, “I will connect them with
professionals to further develop their talent.”
By
organising the Konkani Idol Contest, Radio Mango hopes to provide a larger
platform to Konkani artistes to showcase their talent. This would also give the
Konkani language a boost amongst the Konkani speaking Diaspora of North America.
The last date to send audio files is September 15. For more details on the how
to enter the contest, visit www.radiomango.ca
