Prutha Goa

From 13th to 17th February, Gallery Gitanjali will bring to us Kama, Interrupted , an exhibition of drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations and assemblages that propose to reinterpret the Sutra of desire. The seventy five artworks, which form the core of the exhibition, will be inaugurated by eminent psychoanalyst and writer, Dr Sudhir Kakar. The exhibition has voluntarily been rated 18+ by the organisers. Apurva Kulkarni treads on contentious grounds as he prepares to present his latest curated art exhibition. The political atmosphere, as it is today, subscribes to Victorian Age prudery. We, Indians, enjoy the pretence that there is no such thing as sex and refuse to address concerns of sexuality and sexual desire. By feigning asceticism, we hope to portray ourselves as virtuous beings, on a higher rung than our Western contemporaries. A section of the Indian population, enlightened by education and experience, has opened up to the reality of Kama or desire. These would best co

Goa is one place where fame is not an impossible dream, as long as you possess the talent. Age does not seem to be a determining factor either as proven by the late thirties and forty something rockers of a music group called Bad Blood. Consisting of a crew of musicians from diverse backgrounds, Bad Blood is making Goa proud with their first single, 'Tomorrow’s Yesterday', which has aired on VH1, MTV Indies, R-Vision and 9XO. Nixon Soares was a college going teenager who wanted to make a bit of pocket money and indulge his passion for rock music at the same time. This was the beginning of Bad Blood. Only Nixon remains of the original line up that came together nearly twenty years ago. Today Bad Blood is made up of Blasio Pinto, Aurvile Rodrigues, Anthony Fernandes and Frazer Andrew Pacheco. Blasio Pinto, a pharmacist, lends his powerful tenor voice to the vocals of the band. For the most part, he performs with his band, Skye High, along with Aurvile Rodrigues. Aurvile is a soun

Savia Viegas, the accidental artist, for whom painting has been an escape, a respite from the pressures and routine of life, brings us a collection of vibrant paintings under the title of Mementos. As an academic she has had an enviable career, having graduated from Elphinstone College, received a PhD in Satavahana Sculptural Art from the University of Mumbai and awarded the Senior Fulbright Fellowship (2003-2004), which earned her a residency at George Washington University and the Smithsonion. She is also the author of Tales from the Attic , Let me tell you about Quinta , Abha Nama, and Eddi and Diddi . The latter two are graphic fiction works and a testament to the balanced integration of her pictorial depiction and her textual narrative. The lack of training in fine arts has been advantageous rather than a hindrance as it allows her free flowing expression and innovations in her paintings. Savia says, ‘I paint images I cannot express textually.’ She alternates between writing and

The first time I heard Selwyn Menezes play was a pleasant surprise. Having been accustomed to village violinists squeaking out notes on improperly tuned violins, my surprise grew into tremendous appreciation as Selwyn worked his violin to produce upbeat melodious music, accompanied by the equally talented Omar de Loiola Pereira at Child’s Play India Foundation’s Monsoon Concert 2019. Selwyn is the quintessential Goan, brimming with love for his land and a sure sense of social awareness. He says, ‘I come from Curtorim, a scenic green village, untouched by the building mafia.’ After completing his schooling from Manovikas High School, Selwyn obtained a bachelor’s degree through correspondence from Osmania University. He opted for a correspondence course because by 16 he had already begun working as a music teacher at Music Circle. He finished his 8th grade in music from the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College London while he was in the 10th standard. By 18 years of age Selwyn was

Child’s Play (India) Foundation is an NGO that nurtures musical talent among underprivileged children in Goa, giving them a sense of accomplishment and confidence that helps build character and enables them to envision a better future for themselves. The NGO, which was founded by Dr Luis Francisco Dias in 2009, has completed ten years of transformative work.  Child’s Play (India) Foundation (CPIF) has had two major concerts every year since 2014, the Camerata Child’s Play India performed at the Monte Music Festival in 2014, Dr Luis has spoken about CPIF’s work at the INK Talks in 2010 and 2014. Aside from these achievements, CPIF’s work has been highlighted in well-known national and international publications such as the Reader’s Digest , The Hindu and Deutsche Welle . This year’s celebratory events started off with the successful Monsoon Concert on the 21st of September, which had performances by the Baridisi Quartet and the duo of Omar de Loiola Pereira (guitar) and Selwyn Menezes

Communicare Trust has been prodigious in the good work it has accomplished thus far by drawing the best out of young people through training in the arts. Some of the Trust’s collaborations have been with NGOs such as Bethesda Life Centre and Margaret Bosco Bal Sadan, leading to plays and other activities that explore and hone previously unbeknown skills of the children housed at these homes. Now Communicare brings us a musical called Raga Rock based on the life of Goa’s famed jazz musician Braz Gonsalves. The musical, which bears the same name as Braz’ own jazz album, is the result of a collaboration with Lotus Film and TV Production and the NGO Help India. Raga Rock , the musical and the jazz concert which will follow, are aimed at a jazz revival and commemoration of Braz’ life. The programme will take place at Kala Academy, Panaji on the 14th of June 2019 and at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on the 15th of June 2019 at 7pm respectively. Jazz saxophonist Braz Gonsalves was instrumental in

It is a rare breed of humans who look for more than establishing their own worth and engaging in the pursuit of ambition. Indian-American Lara Saldanha is one of that rare breed. 14 January 2018 saw her playing a benefit concert for Goa’s own Child’s Play (India) Foundation, which was founded by Dr Luis Dias to bring the skill of reproducing Western Classical to underprivileged children on the lines of El Sistema. The 25-year-old pianist entertained the audience with a programme that included works by Bach, Haydn, Clara Schumann, and Messiaen. Lara Saldanha has a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and studied under the acclaimed pianist Alan Chow. She has an additional bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University, USA and is at present in the process of attaining a Master of Music at The New School’s Mannes School of Music in New York City, being mentored by Vladimir Valjarević. An accomplished pianist in her own right, Lara has won prizes at competitions such as Gen