A Goan family get-together is incomplete
without music and even with the simplest of instruments, we can proudly sing
the fast tempo Dulpods or the heart-warming Mandos. Though there are many books
written about this type of music, documentary filmmaker Ruth Lobo wanted to
further explore the origins of this music. Her 50-minute documentary, ‘Aamchem
Cantar’, was recently screened for the first time in Goa at Fundação Oriente,
Fontainhas, Panjim.
Documentary filmmaker and editor Ruth Lobo
from Worli, Mumbai graduated from St Xavier’s College with a BA in History
after which she switched to filmmaking.
She worked at the Surabhi Foundation as an assistant on several feature
length documentary films for the National Geographic Channel network. With her growing interest in filmmaking, she
joined National Institute of Design, Ahmadabad to complete her masters in Film
and Video Communication.
Her early memories of Goa include coming
down to the state for her summer vacations with her grandparents. “I used to
come to Goa with my sister for our summer break in the village. But we hardly
went out, and instead enjoyed our holidays at home. This stopped gradually and
now we don’t have any immediate family in Goa. For the filmmaking of ‘Aamchem
Cantar’, my graduating film for the National Institute of Design, I got closer
to Goa,” says Ruth. The film was shot in Goa and Mumbai.
Exploring the subject for the film was more
of a personal journey for Ruth. “I was part of the church choir and my father
used to conduct choirs as music was something that the family was involved in.
We used to sing at home and for family functions, we would start singing Mandos
and Dulpods but I was more interested to know about the connotation and the
historical references of the lyrics. This was a unique sound different from
most music genres In India and you won’t find it in fusion. It helped me come
to terms with my Goan identity, where I am coming from, the Goan struggles, the
societal upheaval and the history of colonisation,” says Ruth.
As Goa has many talented musicians and
singers, Ruth also spoke to people who knew this music well. Her elaborate
research started by 2013 end and the film was completed in September 2014. The
film includes performances by noted musicians and singers from Goa and Portugal
like the Cotta family from Margao, Goenchim Noketra Mando group, Gonechim
Kirnnam performing at Monte Music Festival, Judy Fernandes on the violin with
vocals by Preeti Coutinho, and Ekvott – a group in Portugal that keeps Goan
music alive.
“I had to meet a lot of people who did
research on this topic, read books and search for anecdotes, and study research
papers to get a deeper understanding. Mandos were for marriages and love songs
but how the introduction of western music plays a role was also interesting.
Parish schools taught music and every family had one member who would play an
instrument. This was a rich heritage,” says Ruth who features six Mandos and
Dulpods and a Dekhni medley in the documentary.
She hopes to screen the film through Goan
groups in Goa, India and abroad. “As the funding was provided by National
Institute of Design, it is difficult to screen it on national television.
However, the documentary is approved for the Goan section in the Indian Music
Experience in Bangalore, India’s first experiential music museum. Making a
documentary film is hard as there is a lot of research involved and it is not
economically viable,” concludes Ruth, who has also worked on a film for
adolescent girls and a few short films for advertisements.
