Prutha Goa

India is very fortunate to have talent galore. From time to time, this is a country that has gifted prodigies to the world. Marialena Fernandes is one of our shining examples in the sphere of music. Her fingers run effortlessly across the piano keys, evoking the classical masters as well as entertaining with improvisational compositions and fusion music. Needless to say, this native of Mangaluru (Mangalore), who has laid claim to her Goan roots, enthralled her audience at the Art Chamber in Calangute in the month of February, 2015. She was in India on tour with the folk group Hotel Palindrome. Though she was born and bred in Mumbai, she seems to have a strong affinity towards Goa and supports her Goan ancestry, citing her own research and history saying, ‘The Mangaloreans were Goans, who left Goa for several reasons in the late 16th century.’ Marialena’s talent was discovered at a very tender age. She says, ‘My mother reminds me that I dared to correct her wrong note on the piano, when

Music should be judged by the images, sensations and emotions it helps one conjure up rather than by purely technical standards. Jazz is one such genre of music that defies being straitjacketed by a particular definition. Seen as a universal unifier, jazz was conferred a privileged position by UNESCO by declaring April 30 as International Jazz Day in 2011. In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly formalised the decision. The goal is to foster respect for human rights and freedom of expression, encourage intercommunity dialogue, promote peace and gender equality, and create a platform for the youth to be instrumental in the movement for social change. It draws the attention of various schools, artists, academicians, historians and communities to learn about the origins of jazz and appreciate the power it wields to impact the world. An entire month is devoted to the education of the public about jazz. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, which ends with International Jazz Day.

In January 2015, Goa was privileged to have Dr Eugene Alcalay perform at various places. It is rare treat to encounter a pianist of such excellence and one of considerable humility too. From the moment he stepped on to the performance stage, he had the audience enchanted, be it his humorous explanations of the pieces of music he was to play or his stupendous command over his art. The Institute Menezes Braganza had people who were taken up in rapt attention to call for encores at the conclusion of the recital. Presently a professor at University of Wisconsin—Platteville, USA, this native of Bucharest, Romania, proved he was of exceptional calibre when he began playing the piano at the age of two and composing at the age of eight. It is no wonder then that his genius, reminiscent of Mozart, brought him to the attention of Leonard Bernstein and in time caused him to be the first recipient of The Leonard Bernstein Scholarship at the Indiana University School of Music. Bernstein was a famed

Rarely is it witnessed that Goan potential is tapped to take it to international standards. This could only be achieved by someone who has had training of a high degree, someone who can gauge latent talent where others might be dismissing of the same. Choir master Santiago Lusardo Girelli, a native of Brazil, is one such person. Goa University has provided an opportunity to international educators and scholars to enrich their students and enquiring minds with knowledge of various subjects. These academics are welcomed by the Visiting Research Professors Programme (VRPP). In maestro Girelli’s case, it is specifically the Anthony Gonsalves Research Professorship in Western Music that brought him to Goa University. Girelli has an interesting background. An Argentinian of Italian origin, he has been a student of music and philosophy from his early years and has built a career patterned on these two spheres of knowledge. He is a choir and orchestra master, a performer in his own right and a

When something precious is taken away from you, Divine Providence enables compensation of significant magnitude. However, it takes a resilient spirit to recognise and embrace this ‘gift’ in the throes of adversity. For Jolene Dias, her life could have fallen apart when she was confronted with a seemingly insurmountable catastrophe, but for the support of her mother and her reliance on the power of God. Jolene began life as normal as any human could relatively be. At the age of fourteen she was dealt a devastating blow: she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Before this she was an avid sportsperson, participating in football, tennikoit, badminton. She was learning Bharatanatyam too. It was a shock to her parents who had seen her as an active child. ‘Who would expect a person who was into sports and dancing to be handicapped at a later stage?’ says Jolene, who also suffers from ADHD. She is very demanding of love and attention from her family, friends and others, because of her condi

Sherrin Varghese appeared on the music scene as the effervescent Cherokee with the famed Rubber Band from the hit talk show Movers & Shakers . He wooed the audience with his pristine, melodious tones. With next to no training in music other than being part of his school choir, Sherrin was able to make the most of the opportunity to climb the ladder to musical fame. Sherrin has a diploma in mechanical engineering and had one more year to complete his bachelor’s degree in the same when the monotony of the education system and bad teaching began to wear him down and he opted for a career in the music industry. The music bug had already bitten Sherrin while still in engineering college. Before Movers & Shakers and during his engineering days he was involved in rock bands and had won best vocals (IIT Mood Indigo). ‘I literally strolled into it... didn't really look for a career in it till it came to me,’ says Sherrin about his move from engineering to melody. After auditioning f

Denzil Pereira and Trisca Fernandes form the well-known musical duo, DnT. They come from unlikely educational backgrounds, so far removed from the world of melody that it is quite surprising that they have anything to do with music at all. Trisca has a B.Sc. in Home Science (Food and Nutrition) and a post graduate degree in educational psychology. She has worked as a co-ordinator for an HIV based project in Chimbel. Later she was part of Sangath as a research officer dealing with adolescent behaviour. Trisca has also worked as a sexuality trainer besides engaging dyslexic children and children with ADHD in constructive activity. Denzil has completed courses in hotel management and the Merchant Navy, but he concedes that this was the solitary alternative offered up to him by the prevailing economic environment. Family pressure made it difficult to cultivate his innate love of music. However, the magnetic hold that melody had on him took him full circle right back to his passion. Encoura

Vince Costa is a singer and songwriter, and now documentary filmmaker from Goa who has put Curtorim on the world map, specifically its rice fields. His documentary Saxtticho Koddo-The Granary of Salcete has won Best Short Documentary at the Asia Independent Film Award 2018 and has been shown at the Royal Anthropological Institute’s Film Festival in Bristol in March 2019 as well as the Ethnografilm Festival in Paris in April 2019. The founder of Red Mackerel communications company, Vince Costa is driven to research and document stories of Goa that encapsulate its culture and distinct identity and that are threatened into oblivion by development and indifference. Saxtticho Koddo is the commendable result of the efforts of Red Mackerel. Curtorim is a primarily agrarian village that is famous for its rice cultivation, a feature that defines its intrinsic character. This definition is extended to the rest of Goa while the documentary weighs the socio-economic implications of rice farming

Milroy Goes is a self-taught filmmaker who has proved that conventional education does not necessarily translate into success. This son of the town of Cuncolim has come far from making short films shown at IFFI (International Film Festival of India) to having his film Welcome M1LL10NS selected as part of the general category at the 91st Academy Awards. The 32-year-old Milroy speaks candidly about dropping out of school. ‘I dropped out of school as I was anxious about my finals at SSC level. And then I took up home-schooling and learnt to use software and studied other educational material on my own. I'm a self-learner.’ Since 2008, Milroy has been making films, beginning with short films like Unexpected, which was shown at the Chota Film Centre (IFFI) in 2009 and gave him much needed confidence to continue. The Chota Film Centre specifically showcases Goan talent. The film was remade as Expect the Unexpected in 2011 under the mentorship and production of French national Anthony

In an atmosphere of nationalistic brainwashing and blind subservience to an ideology that is taking this country down the path of socio-cultural regression, the documentary Building Bridges comes as a respite from political propaganda that imbues one’s countrymen with hatred towards another nation. First-time filmmaker Rahul Chandawarkar brings us an image of Pakistan that is vibrant, hospitable and culturally exuberant. It presents a Pakistan that could have emerged as a progressive nation had it not been strapped down and shackled by the effects of Talibanisation. The decision to document this journey was made just before leaving with a hurried purchase of a Sony handycam that was made functional through trial and error. The 45 minute film is grainy and shaky almost throughout its length, but it lends authenticity to the images captured. Though filmed in 2004 it was only in 2012, after years of discussion, that Mihir Apte, a film editor and a friend of Rahul, edited the footage to c

(This article is based on a programme featuring Dilip Prabhavalkar at the Black Box, Kala Academy, Panjim) Versatility is the man’s middle name but, to the public, he goes by the name Dilip Prabhavalkar. I grew up watching his Marathi movies, television serials and dramas, and was entertained by his comedic timing and his fluid ability to fit the mould of any character he had to play. Dilip Prabhavalkar has acted in Hindi and Telugu cinema as well, thus adding to his repertoire of films beyond a single regional language. One of India’s finest actors, Prabhavalkar is renowned for his roles as Nandu in the critically acclaimed Chaukat Raja and the spirit of M K Gandhi in the Bollywood blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai . By Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43366352 It was an uncharacteristic career move for someone who had established himself in the field of science. He had never planned on becoming an actor. Along with a Master of Science in B

Nachom-ia Kumpasar is one of those films that surprises and delights the senses, especially if you are an aficionado of Goan jazz music and the powerful and scintillating tones of Lorna Cordeiro. Set in the 1960's, the film has the authentic air of Goa and Bombay of the bygone era. A Konkani film of this standard is rare and it is no wonder the movie bagged three of the 62nd National Film Awards: for the best feature film in Konkani, best production design, and a special mention. The film is meant to be director Bardroy Barretto’s tribute to the erstwhile musicians of Goa who have had their music integrated with Bollywood melodies and have received little or no acknowledgement of their talent. It was to be a biopic focussing on the lives of Lorna Cordeiro and Chris Perry, until Lorna withdrew her consent for that. With minor alterations, the story follows along the same lines as the biopic might have. The movie finds Lawrence, or Lawry, trying to gain a foothold in the music scene