By Valmiki Faleiro
Shankar Bhandari (1928-87), of the landed gentry of Cumbarjua, was a rare personage.
A creative writer with unambiguous opinions, great wit and genuine Goan values, he crafted programmes for All India Radio. I longed to be in his presence, even if only for a few moments, when, as a casual artiste in my college days, I often went for ‘YuvaVani’ talk recordings – no, I can only croak, not sing! – at AIR’s Panjim studios.
Pearls flowed from his fertile mind! One reason, perhaps, I was more impressed was that he hailed from the same village as that of my maternal grandfather – an exotic little “Republic” of my childhood images.
Shankar Bhandari was a man of cool courage, and conviction. And one who defied the adage, ‘When the wine is in, the wit is out.’ True (not Dutch) courage it would take when,some years after 1961, he penned a verse on India’s ‘Ganarajya’ (Republic.) In that era, India was the only nation besides the Soviet Union to define “sedition” amongst the gravest offences under the penal law.
‘Ganarajya’ was a parody on India. Goa had been integrated into the Indian Union on March 27, 1962. Shankar Bhandari daringly asked: “Gonachem Ailam Raj / Khuincho Gana Konn Zanna?”
The governance of ‘Gana’ has arrived (upon Goa), but who knows this ‘Gana’ or wherefrom (it comes)? In the name of ‘Gana,’ Andhra and Telangana fight each other. Maharashtra and Vidarbha tussle over the (waters of) Godavari. Who knows this ‘Gana’?
If you’re still wondering which ‘Gana’ (no, not another song) he was on, think of the national anthem … “Jana, Gana, Mana.” That was Shankar Bhandari. Like him or lampoon him. No Goan freedom fighter dared report him “anti-national.”
He could come up with rare ones like “Goenkar: ratche torrad, sokallche honrrad!” Or his riddle, “Why does Bandodkar always face the river Mandovi?” (When CM, mineowner Bandodkar’s chamber faced the river, after demise, his statue by the old Secretariat also faced the river.) His answer: “To count his barges carrying ore, he doesn’t trust his daughters!”
The ‘Trio Kings,’ Conception-Nelson-Anthony, were notorious for stage songs chopping Bandodkar’s policies to pieces. They thwarted his moves to woo the Catholic vote bank.
Their songs ruffled the CM’s feathers more than Opposition MLAs ever did. When all his offers to rein in the Trio failed, Bandodkar imposed a Tiatr tax!
Tiatrists faced tough days, but none suffered as Kid Boxer did.
Sometime in 1958, Siolim-born Kid Boxer (Caetano Manuel Pereira, 1917-1991) sang an “anti-India” song in Bombay. Goan freedom fighters there got him jailed. Kid was then deported to Goa. The Portuguese immediately employed him at the Goa Radio. As an artiste, he worked with the likes of Jacinto Vaz, Allen Costa and Georgina Jacques. According to my Candolim friend in Kuwait, Anthony Veronica Fernandes, a walking encyclopaedia on Konknni songsters, Kid was the highest paid Konknni artiste.
The songs he recorded at Goa Radio were runaway hits, like:
Divo pettounk guineanacher / Uzvadd ieunk chintnacher / Zo kon zanna konnem ghoram
bandleant tim pongeranchea zaddancher.
Suskar soddlet maeyani / Dolle bhortat dukhani / Aiz putancheo maeyom duddu na zaun, rodtat zorinnim.
The true meaning of his riddlesome lyrics was known only to close friends. Yet, listeners lapped up his songs. The one above was scripted in the wake of a Govt. of India ban on both money transfers and travel by Bombay-Goans to Goa.
After liberation, Kid Boxer was arrested again when singing on stage at Mapusa. The song that earned official ire went as follows:
Tum bhitor sorlai chukon, mortoloi sukon, dusreacho desh pochona;
Tum nestai fokot valo, ani khatai fokot palo, hem matui hanga sobona;
Tum panpotti khatai, ani poch'chu korun thuktai, lozui kaim dissona…
After things cooled down, Kid returned to Bombay and began stage acting again. During a Tiatr, as he sang one of his by now famous ‘zupattis’ (tongue-lashings), freedom fighter Evagrio George in the audience raised a ruckus over Kid’s “anti-national” song.
“Audience was with Kid but the law was not,” says Veronica. Kid was arrested yet again, incarcerated at Nasik jail for six months, where he was physically – and mercilessly – tortured. His spirit didn’t break. In jail, Kid wrote another Tiatr, "Somzonnem Zali Chuk."
He sang a hit in it, "Sov mhoine Nasik conventan kaddle, torui converter zaunk na." (Despite six months at the Nasik “convent,” I was not converted.)
Kid Boxer was incomparable, especially when delivering melodious ‘zupattis,’ like:
“Nesson dusreachem kapodd, hath paiem kamrun bosleat makodd.” Obviously alluding
to his conviction that Goa was invaded and illegally occupied by India.
Lucky that Kid Boxer was not charged with sedition! (Concludes.)
Pics courtesy: Kid Boxer (Fausto da Costa, ‘Tiatr ani Tiatrist’, Vol-I, The Goan Review publication, 1994), TrioKings Conception-Nelson-Anthony (JoeGoaUK, www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk12 ) and Shankar Bhandari (Goa Konkani Academy.) (ENDS)
The Valmiki Faleiro weekly column at:
http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=330
October 6, 2008
Entrance Free - Konkani Show on 9th Oct
Konkani Variety Show will be held by Kala Mogui Kuwait (Gulab Vavutpi Somiti) on 9th Oct 2008 at Carmel School Auditorium, Kheitan.Forwarded by: gulabq8@gmail.com
October 5, 2008
Crowne Plaza set ablaze by BLACKSLADE
Kuwait: High-energy pulsating dance beats, exploding vocals by lead singer Ronald, and great showmanship by New Delhi’s BLACKSLADE set the Andalous Ballroom ablaze at the Navelim Youth Centre (NYC) organized NITE O’ROSES dance celebration at Crowne Plaza on Thursday 2nd October 2008.
The Nite was attended by a capacity crowd, a rarity in recent years. Invitees for the event included some of the top Goan leaders from the Gulf such as Francis Correia, President – Young Goans Club, Bahrain; Simon D’Silva, President Goan Welfare Society, Doha Qatar; Bartholomeo Silveira, a social activist from Abu Dhabi; Celso Fernandes, a famous personality among Goans in Muscat; and Gabriel Crasto, Chairman – Goan Football League, Bahrain; etc.
A Jive dance contest was one of the highlights of the celebration that described Goan virtuosity and culture. Commenting on the competition Navelim President Agnello later said, “The focus of the competition is very much on contemporary forms of the conventional dance and aims to showcase the art of some of the most talented Goan dancers in Kuwait.”
Thanking everyone attending the show Mr. Agnello said, “In spite of requests to bring film stars for the dance, we considered to give priority to each one present... You are my film-stars and more worthy than anyone else...”
The event was hosted by famous North Goa Master Compere Xavier Fernandes.
The theme of the dance, a 50 year old tradition continued by Navelim was: “Inspiring you to love Unconditionally.”
Detailed News and Images of the NITE O’ROSES will be published in the media soon.
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