TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: While the two Goa Vikas Party MLAs, Francisco Xavier Pacheco (Mickky) and Caitano (Caitu) Silva have welcomed the government’s plans to censor tiatr in the State, saying the move will help regulate the traditional art form. Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado feigned ignorance about any such government move, but said it would amount to ‘stupidity’ if tiatr is censored by government authorities.
GVP supremo Mickky said, he fully supports the government move as it would help curb the tendency of a few artists to defame and target people from the tiatr platform. Mickky, who, had lodged an FIR against tiatrist Francis de Tuem over a year ago for a speech from the tiatr platform said, the government was not wrong in deciding to censor tiatrs. “I am not saying that the entire lot of tiatrists is bad. There are a handful of artists who have misused the platform by even targeting the family life of politicians. I have no issue if public figures are being targeted in the songs, but certainly no one has the right to target families of politicians and other public personalities,” Mickky opined.
When pointed out that since songs are composed and sung spontaneously at a tiatr, the censor will hit hard this art form, Mickky said a mechanism will have to be put in place to clear the songs on a day to day basis.
GVP’s Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva has also welcomed the government decision to censor tiatr. “We needed some sort of mechanism to regulate tiatr. I support the government decision. Criticising politicians is not bad per se, but one cannot stoop low and target families of politicians and sing songs at the behest of political rivals,” Caitu said.
Acknowledging contribution of tiatr to art and culture, Caitu lamented that a handful of tiatrists are involved in defaming politicians at the instance of rivals.
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Parrikar pleads ignorance of move
MARGAO: As the government decision to censor tiatr threatens to snowball into a major controversy, Defence Minister and ex-Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar has said he has no idea of any such government decision. “Mhaka Kobor Naa”, Mhaka Kobor Naa”, was how Parrikar reacted after the waiting media sought to know his reaction to the government decision to impose censorship on the Tiatr. The way the Defence Minister rushed to his waiting car instead of commenting on the controversy showed that he wanted to wriggle out of the situation. Incidentally, President of the Tiatr Academy of Goa Prince Jacob had told the media earlier in the day that the BJP government would not have even thought of censoring tiatr if it was headed by Manohar Parrikar. “Tiatrists have sung songs directed at the ex-Chief Minister, but he had taken the songs in the right spirit,” he said.
