Report: Lezima Gomes e Coutinho
Pics: Sunil Crasto
Celebrating Goa… with culture, cuisine, customs, music and language
Doha, Nov 12: Goan Welfare Association (GWA), one of Qatar’s leading and most notable community associations, celebrated World Goa Day 2015 with traditional pomp and splendour recently at the Mercure Grand Hotel in Doha. The event saw Goans of all ages and classes in attendance, making the annual event a huge success.
"The basic idea was to promote Goan culture, cuisine, customs, traditions, music and language," explained GWA president Simon D'Silva. It displayed all grandeur and pageantry with immensely captivating traditions and delicious cuisine that displayed the real essence and identity of Goa.
"I am not really surprised by the number of people attending. Back home, in Goa, we have celebrations and get-togethers so regularly and people miss it here in Doha, so this event was a perfect setup for people to socialise as well," he added.
Chief guest of the function Fr Anand Castelino inaugurated the function by cutting a cake and appreciated the efforts of Goan Welfare Association in getting the community together with such celebrations. Guest of honour Mohammed Habib Nabi said that Simon D’Silva and his team have been doing a marvelous job for the last 16 years by putting up such magnificent events for the community.
The sizzling young, dynamic ace compere and Doha resident, Mahesh Prabhu kept the audience engaged with his unique style of compering. DJ Glorio set the floor on fire with beautiful Goan songs followed by GWA committee members joins with their spouses on the floor for ballroom and waltz music followed by the guests.
The event continued with live music, duo Joyce and Aggie rendering popular Goan melodies to cha-cha and jive beats, which had senior couples taking to the dance floor with gusto.
Vanessa, who has been born and brought up in Doha, said, |There are so many people here I haven’t met in ages. So, there is much catching up to do and these events are perfect."
There were lots of valuable spot prizes to keep the audience entertained, but it was the couple performing a Dulpod, which is a Goan dance song that got the attendees excited as they made their way to the front of the stage to enjoy the performance. The highlight of the event was Fashion Show by the managing committee members with their spouses depicting various traditional occupations, as well as festive costumes of Goa.
The excited crowd was seen lined up along the (imaginary) ramp to witness the fashion show that was choreographed by Effey Noronha and well co-ordinated by the GWA committee members. Each member was clad in a traditional outfit and walked the ramp to songs with apt music for each of them.
The fashion show depicted the Batkar (landlord), Poder (traditional Goan baker), Render (toddy-tapper), Kunnbi (the earliest settlers of Goa), Kharvi (the fishing community of Goa), while others depicted the traditional attire worn by the Christian bride and bridegroom, the attire worn during Sao Jao and Carnival, the clothes worn during the Portonne (when the new son-in-law is invited for lunch at his in-laws’ house for a reception on the second day after the marriage). While the groom wears a suit, the bride is expected to wear a bright red sari.
The fashion show also depicted traditional outfits worn while performing the Manddo and the Corridinho. Manddo is a musical form that evolved during the 19th and 20th Century among Goan Catholics of Goa. While the men wear formal coats, showing Portuguese influence, the women wear a unique Indian costume called panobaju. The Corridinho is a form of Portuguese dance performed in Goa, where the girls wear long skirts and tie their hair in a scarf and the boys wear formal black trousers with a waistcoat and hats.
Throughout the fashion show, most parents were seen explaining outfits to their children. "This is actually very educational, especially for the children to learn a little about our fast-disappearing traditions," said Sandra, who has spent over 30 years in Doha.
Following the fashion show, the buffet was thrown open. The organisers tried to include a few Goan dishes such as chicken vindallo and a beef version of the tantalising Sorpatell. "We tried, but since the chef is not Goan, we could not include more dishes. Initially, we thought of having something like a potluck but that was against the hotel’s policy, though the crowd did say it was a good attempt," GWA president Simon D’Silva said.
After lunch, a lot of the attendees were seen relaxing and enjoying music performances by young and old alike. Some were even seen taking a snooze, typical of the susegad attitude used to describe Goans. The music performances included songs of popular Goan musicians such as Alfred Rose, Rita Rose, Lorna, Frank Fernand, Remo Fernandes, Anthony Gonsalves, among others.
Music is said to stream through the blood of every Goan and this seed is planted from a young age. Music is encouraged, whether it be singing, playing an instrument or creating beats, and this was on full display as youngsters took to the stage to perform various English as well as Konkani numbers.
Krystal Rodrigues, a 14-year-old, who has been born and brought up in Doha, sang a Konkani number to perfection. She said, "I love to sing Konkani songs, though I don’t talk as fluently, neither do I understand it well."
Figo, a 16-year-old, said he feels proud that he can speak Konkani, but regrets that he cannot write.
John De Sa, who also sang a Konkani number, said, "To pick up music and lyrics is not hard for Goans. When you hear it repeatedly, it’s easy to learn. It is good that the youngsters are taking up learning these songs.
As evening came, the celebrations gained momentum. "When the music starts, you will see that no Goan can stay seated, exclaimed D’Silva, as he hurried to dance with his wife, when their favourite number came up. The crowd was seen foot stomping at Goanmanddos, jive numbers, the popular birdy dance and not forgetting the Goan masala (mix of Konkani, Marathi and English verses, which are mostly sung during festive occasions).
The party that didn’t seem to have an end in sight, did eventually come to an end, with the all assembled joining in the singing of the popular song Goa Amchem (Goa belongs to us) and everyone shouting VIVA (salute or cheer).
Goa, the smallest state of India, a land of sea and sand, is a former Portuguese territory. It was annexed by India in 1961. The Portuguese influence has left a great impact on the lifestyle, culture, cuisine, customs, tradition, music and its language. Konkani was included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution by the Indian parliament on August 20, 1992, and Konkani was recognised as one of the official languages of India and the main language of Goa.
World Goa Day is celebrated across the globe including in Canada, Australia, United States, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Spain, Pakistan and Germany amongst others. However, the date for World Goa Day is August 20.
The Goan Welfare Association in Doha that has been active for over a decade and has been celebrating World Goa Day since the year 2003 with great pomp and gaiety. Over the years, it has gained momentum to become the grand event that World Goa Day is today.