Of Lush Green Roads and Living Newspapers
A Vibrant Goan Academic Sojourn
30th January 2026
The road from Bangalore to Mapusa is less of a
highway and more of a green tunnel carved exclusively for the nature lover - yes! I hazard a wild guess! 😊
I began the journey at noon from Bangalore,
surrendering myself in toto for a ten-hour drive through the winding roads,
flanked by lush green forests. And yes! there is this one particular stretch -
a dense jungle road spanning 40 kilometres - where the drive became a rhythm of
thrill and lubtub, the heartbeat too accelerating with every curve of the wild
terrain. 😊
I arrived in Goa to a warm welcome by Prof. Subhash. My
Sahridaya (kindred spirit), Dr. Ganesh, had already reached two hours earlier.
The next morning – 30th January - began with a ‘ceremonial
ritual’ that Dr. Ganesh and I hold sacred for more than two decades now,
whenever we travel on academic pursuits – our early morning’s long literary
walks.
En route to our delight, we also found a small, local tea jaunt, the kind that served special Goan tea that was a joy for the tastebuds.
What followed was a discussion on literature so spirited
and consuming that we committed the cardinal sin of academia: yes! we both lost
track of time - as usual! 😊
Well, we had promised Dr. Shanthi, the Vice-Principal of DMC
College, that we would depart by 9:00 AM. But the discussions were too good to
end. We eventually rushed downstairs, guilt in tow, to find our good friend Dr.
Bishnupriya Dutt from JNU waiting for us.
We arrived at the beautiful Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s
College (DMC) campus just in time.
The atmosphere was electric, set by an
inaugural song composed by a student just two days prior - a lovely testament
to such raw and vibrant talent. You may want to listen to that traditional welcome song HERE on our YouTube Channel.
 |
| The Composer of the Welcome Song |
Following the traditional lighting of the lamp
(kuthuvilakku) and the warm welcome by Principal Prof. D. B. Arolkar, the stage
was set for a deep dive into culture. This was followed by the release of the Book of Abstracts and the Conference Proceedings.
The Chief Guest, Shri Tomazinho Cardozo, spoke next.
A former Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, a
playwright, and a teacher, Cardozo is a titan of Goan culture, who also has a
road in Candolim bearing his name. However, his true legacy lies in his mastery
of Tiatr – a unique theatrical art form of Goa.
Shri Cardozo’s address on ‘Tiatr in Goan Culture’ was a
revelation of sorts. Tiatr is not merely musical theatre; it is a rigid, unique format
specific to Goa, acting as a vehicle for socio-political dissent, he observed.
What follows - is taken from the PPTs that Mr. Cardozo had shared with us on screen.
Tiatr is a unique form of musical theatre
specific to the state of Goa, India. It has a rigid structural format and a
socio-political role that make it distinct from any other dramatic form in the
world.
In between the acts of the serious play, singers appear
on stage to perform songs called Cantaram. Interestingly, these songs have
absolutely no connection to the plot of the play.
While in all other musical theatre traditions (like Broadway
or Bollywood), songs are used to advance the plot or express a character’s
inner feelings, in Tiatr, the songs are standalone interludes that break the
tension of the drama.
One reason they are called, the “Living Newspaper” of Goa,
since it is not just entertainment; but also a primary vehicle for political
and social dissent.
Like for example, if a political scandal happens in Goa
this week, it will likely be referenced in a Tiatr next week. The songs
(Kantaram) are almost always satirical. They openly mock corrupt politicians,
criticize government policies, and expose social hypocrisy. Tiatrists
(performers) are known for their fearlessness in naming and shaming public
figures on stage.
The story is divided into six or seven acts,
called Podd’dde. Each Podd’ddo has a canto related to the story. Comedy is
interwoven in the story.
Kantaram
(side-show) – is totally unrelated to the story. While the story deals with one
subject, each Kantar highlights different subjects.
17th April 1892 - The first Tiatr ‘Italian Bhurgo’ in
Bombay.
It
was an adaptation of English drama – ‘Italian Boy’.
Lucanzinho
Ribeiro is the pioneer of Tiatr.
Joao
Agostinho Fernandesis is the Father of Tiatr.
He
produced the first Konkani gramophone record in 1910.
Zagor
and Khell were dramatic forms before Tiatr took birth in 1892.
They
were folk dramas.
The
songs – Kantaram – sung between the Pordhes of the tiatr are equally
responsible for the success of the tiatr.
The songs presented in the tiatr should also
be of varied nature, i.e., Solos, Duets, Trios, Quartets, and so on.
If you analyse the songs composed by Kid Boxer, Alexinho
de Candolim, M. Boyer, C. Alvares, Minguel Rod to name a few, you will find
rich lyrical value in their songs. Such compositions will always remain for
posterity.
The singer, lyricist and musician who made
Konkani Kantar popular throughout the world was Alfred Rose.
The only musician and lyricist who had taken the Konkani
songs to the highest level is Chris Perry. He created Lorna – the singer.
The other musician who has given excellent
music to Konkani songs is Frank Fernand in the Konjani films, ‘Amchem Noxib’
and ‘Nirmonn’.
Other
singers – Minguel Rod, Dioginho D’Mello, Mohana, Cecilia, Robin Vaz, Star of
Arossim etc.
In
modern times, Lawrie Travasso, Anthony San, Sharon Mazarello are well known
singers.
Types of Tiatr
Any drama in any language in any state or country can be
categorised into -
a)
Historical b) Social c) Political d) Religious
These tiatr highlights different aspects of our lives.
Woman on Tiatr stage
On the tiatr stage, it was Regina Fernandes
who acted first, way back in 1904, in the Tiatr Bhatkara. Regina also could act
on the stage because she was the wife of Joao Agostinho Fernandes who wrote and
directed the tiatr Bhatkara.
Formation of Tiatr Academy
Boosted
all round development of tiatr.
During
the first three years of TAG’s existence, it formulated 34 schemes in order to
develop every aspect of tiatr.
Besides
research work in tiatr and academic study of tiatr was also undertaken.
Tiatr
literature was published.
Children’s
tiatr was organised.
Popularity of Tiatr
It
is the most popular dramatic form of Goa.
Each
is performed over a hundred times that too without tickets.
There
are about 20 commercial troupes some of which produce two tiatrs a year.
Religious
tiatrs in Lent season are also a great success.
No
feast in the village or wards is complete without staging a tiatr,
signed
off Dr. Tomazinho Cardozo.
It was a very informative talk for all of us on Tiatr.
Following the group photos, the keynote
address was delivered by Prof. Bishnupriya Dutt on “Theatre in the Streets,
amidst Protests and New Modes of Feminist ‘Artivism’.”
During our interactions, in the Principal’s room,
we were delightfully surprised to discover she is the daughter of the legendary
Utpal Dutt.
He revolutionized Jatra (Bengali folk theatre), taking it
from open fields to political weaponisation. Much like the Tiatr artists of
Goa, he used the stage to challenge the establishment, proving that comedy and
revolution often walk hand in hand.
The day concluded with Dr. Ganesh’s talk on “Shifting
Shapes: Texts, Spaces and Cultures”.
This was followed by a brilliant solo performance titled “The Other Half” by
Mr. Prasad Kalangutkar. The piece was so witty and observant about
relationships that during dinner, Dr. Bishnupriya couldn’t help but ask, “Prasad,
are you married?”
He nodded a solemn “Yes”, and the table
erupted in laughter.
Dr. N. S. Gundur (Senior Professor and Chairman, Department
of Studies and Research in English, Tumkur University, Tumakuru, Karnataka)
spoke next on the topic, “Doing the Right Action: Theatre & Yajna”.
In the afternoons we had the technical sessions.
Dr. Ganesh and myself, we chaired one technical session
each in the Conference Hall. We were so delighted to see lots of discussions
and interactions from audience and chairpersons alike.
The Paper Presenters for Dr. Ganesh were –
1.
Ms. Urvashi Mohinani & Dr. Jolly Puthussery: Reimagining Maricha: Mythic
Textual Transformation through
Autoethnographic Choreographic Practice.
2.
Prof. M. Shanthi & Dr. Deepa Prajith: Relishing Secular Verse in Sanskrit
Drama: A Rasika’s Interpretation.
3.
Dr. Tanvi Bambolkar & Ms. Sanchika Almeida Sharma: Aesthetic Variations of
Angika Abhinaya in Classical, Folk and Modern Performances: An Insight
4.
Dr. Shantanu Shivajirao Patil: Voice and Agency in Classical Sanskrit Drama: A
Feminist Socio-Cultural Study of Gender and Power in Abhijnanashakuntalam.
5.
Dr. Rajashri Barvekar: Decolonising the Epic: Indigenous Folk Theatre and
Subaltern Voice in Mareech The Legend.
I was happy to Chair the session for the following delegates.
1.
Dr. Reetika Negi: From Ritual to Performance: A Sociocultural Evolution of the
Jāgar Ritual of Kumaon.
2.
Priyanka Raju Verekar: Rereading Rasa Theory in Kathak Theatrical Performances.
3.
Ms. V. Sharon Susannah: Beyond Adornment: Bangles and Bells in Tamil Theatrical
Narration.
4.
Ms. Mishail Sharma & Ms. Barkha: History in Performance: Delhi’s Mandi
House as a Repository of Culture and History.
5.
Mr. Niranjan Prabhakar Arondekar: Dashavtar (folk drama) of Sindhudurg as a
Beacon of Moral Education and Ethics: A Study.
Later in the evening, we had a lovely time of
fellowship over dinner at the Chairman’s hotel. The Chairman and the Vice
Principal joined us for dinner. We had a hearty time of discussions over dinner
that lasted for upto three hours, and little did we realise time flitting us
by.
Then, while dropping back Dr. Bishupriya and her daughter
back to our hotel, I exhorted her to publish a biography of her father.
She
said, “Yes, personally I’d love to. But I am a wee bit afraid that the personal
/ emotional element of being his daughter might subtly come in the way and have
a sway over my writing”.
Valid observations at that!
From the lush jungles of the long drive to the
intellectual precincts of theatre at DMC College, it was indeed a rewarding day
in every way - truly Sahridaya.
And the evening and the morning were the first day! 😊
So happy to note that, like last year, the Organising
Committee gave us all, lovely potted plants as souvenirs for the occasion. A
beautiful thought, worth emulating!
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