RE: House of Pai Tiatrist.
From: Marian D'Souza (M.DSouza@BKME.COM)
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:52:11 PM
To: A. Veronica Fernandes (averonicaf806@hotmail.com)
Dear Mr. Veronica Baab,
Thanks for the mail re. the House of Pai Tiatrist. I read the whole article with awe and commend the intention of writing this article for the konkani public to read the contribution to Tiatr by this pioneer. I am aware and have read at regular intervals about the troupes visiting Kuwait from Goa/Bombay to stage Tiatrs in Kuwait. I know Goans as well as Mangaloreans love Tiatrs and fully support this unique feature of our culture. It is a great feeling not only to act and sing but even to sit back and watch others performing on the stage.
In my early years in Kuwait I too, along with other stalwarts of konkani stage, struggled to revive the dyeing art of stage dramas in Kuwait under all sorts of odds and succeeded to some extent. We never made money (it was not our intention). Whatever money we collected from staging the shows, we donated it to some church, school or the aged homes etc. in Mangalore. Many of the artists have gone to their rest, some have retired and gone back to India and only a handful of us still live in Kuwait, of course in obscurity. I, for one, knowing the ultimate result of misery, poverty and resentment walked away from singing and acting obsession and focussed on my career. Today I am glad to say that I am better off in all respects. I thank God for enlightening me to take that decision on right time.
I do help any budding artist who comes to me for help and do whatever I can to support our konkani language and culture (not that I am very rich). Art like, music has a universal appeal to the hearts and minds of the people, no matter to what land, religion, caste or creed they belong to. So, when you said that the house of Pai Tiatrist needs to be maintained, let's us take the first step to do so. As it is said in Latin: "Verba sonant, exempla tonant", let us show by example. You may reach me for my humble contribution towards the rehabilitation of Pai family and their abode.
All these years I have enjoyed the music of singing legends from Goa, when in Bombay and now in Kuwait. Starting from C. Alvares, H. Briton, Lorna, of course, and a host of other singers. Konkani songs have been sung by all legends of Hindi music too, starting from Moh'd Rafi, Hemant Kumar, Shailendra Singh to name a few. Our konkani heritage is very rich in all respects. Lots of people have done and still doing (like you) and Eric Ozario in Mangalore, a lot of unknown people are currently doing great work to further the cause of konkani and our common cultural heritage. Let us not forget those who have done yeoman service to this cause all along, lived a miserable life and passed away with only appreciation letters and plaques hanging on the walls of their homes. If there are such people who are still around and need our support to live a decent life we should do whatever we can before it is too late.
Let your article kindle a small flame in the reader's mind and let it spread to all konkani loving people of the world so that it can be proved that collectively we can achieve anything under the sun.
Kind regards.
Marian.
(Note from Kranti: The writer Mr. Marian I. D'Souza is working for The Bank of Kuwait & the Middle East K.S.C. as a Senior Manager General Audit and a long timer in Kuwait. He is not only an adrent lover of Konkani and Konkani Stage but also once a renowned Mangalorean stage artiste performing in Kuwait. 3 decades back I witnessed him performing in the Church Hall. He acted and performed not for money but for the love of Konkani stage. Recently he was the chief guest for Konkani Kullvar function where while in his speech he also rendered few verses of many of the songs of yesteryear singers. Our admiration goes to him for his love for Konkani stage and willingness to help "Pai Tiatrist" issue).
September 10, 2008
IN PRAISE OF "PAI TIATRIST".
RE: The House of Pai Tiatrist.
From: SURESH NAIK (subarnai@hotmail.com)
Hi Veronica Bab,
This is quite an indepth article on this famous personality.
Keep up the good work.
Mog asun dhi.
Suresh Naik
From: SURESH NAIK (subarnai@hotmail.com)
Hi Veronica Bab,
This is quite an indepth article on this famous personality.
Keep up the good work.
Mog asun dhi.
Suresh Naik
From Siridao to Swindon
By Selma Carvalho
elisabeth_car@yahoo.com
Driving through Swindon, I don't get the impression of a factory town.
It is lush green with swathes of agricultural land, the streets lined with houses not given to prosperity but neither to the grime associated with industrial hubs. I would find out later that simmering behind the façade of tranquility lies the squalid reality of racism, chicken-factory jobs and over-crowded living quarters. For now, I was making my way to Agnelo De Mello's house, wanting to find out what had brought the diaspora Goan soul to Swindon.
Agnelo, ex-president of the Goan Swindon Association, sits in his living room wearing an Islander shirt and wide grin. Musical instruments propped against the wall are a tell-tale sign that music flows freely in his house. He writes rap music and plays in a band.
Much like the Biblical patriarch Abraham, Agnelo says he is the genesis of the growing Goan tribe in Swindon. He moved here from the Gulf some twenty years ago. He knew the then manager of the Rover assembly plant and was instrumental in getting jobs for Goans. From this humble seedling, a mighty tree has grown.
As per the 2001 UK Census, Swindon had a population of 180,061 of which 1.3% were Indian. Senior Catholic priest, Monsignor Twomey estimates the influx of Goans in recent years to be in the region of 8,000. Although this figure is hard to verify, Swindon has become a substantial concentration of Goans in disapora. The Monsignor notes that his largely Irish Catholic parish has now been replaced by Goans.
A large percentage of them are from Siridao, Goa Velha and Agassim.
Portugal affords Goans, right to Portuguese nationality. By virtue of the EU's free movement of labour as per the Treaty of Rome, Goans have access to UK labour markets. I wondered if they had found the fabled pot of gold at the end of the multi-coloured immigration rainbow?
Swindon is an industrial estate, home to companies such as Honda, BMW and Faccenda, one of UK's largest chicken processing plants. It is in factories such as these that Goans find employment. Anyone who has visited a chicken processing unit will vouch that the stench of raw chicken is unbearable and industrial accidents are not unheard off.
The Wiltshire paper reported:
"In March 2002, Faccenda was fined £14,000 by Chippenham Magistrates Court when it pleaded guilty to failing in its duty to protect the health and safety of its staff, after a teenage worker lost two fingers in a chicken-skinning machine."
The same year, Faccenda removed the toilet seats in the men's toilets.
The staff alleged this was to cut short the amount of time spent in the restrooms. Men had to either squat on the toilets or sit on a rim encrusted by faeces and urine. The supervisory mindsets are military-like.
Although Goans pride themselves on their ability to converse in English, in a country like the UK, many find their ability to communicate deficient and, they are averse to re-training. Their lives are condemned to low-skilled jobs.
Life at the bottom of the industrial food-chain, however, is competitive. Amongst native Swindonians, there is a feeling that Asians are taking over their jobs. In 2004, rocks were hurled at a coach carrying Goan workers from Faccenda factory. Later in the year, coaches used to bus ethnic workers were vandalised. Faccenda is set to close as of September 2008. Visiting the blog world, I find that some are applauding the closure of Faccenda, seen as an employer of minorities.
A source alleges that Goans have had to bribe Recruitment agents with laptops and paid vacation trips, to secure employment. I'm reminded of a Mafia-type protection racket. For all this they are paid a pittance.
I called up Storm Recruitment agency, which supplies industrial labour and at one time supplied Faccenda, to find out just how much I would earn if I was willing to stuff chicken-wings into plastic bags.
Between £5.52 and £6.00 per hour, which in the UK barely puts a roof over one's head.
Goans predominantly live in the town center along Manchester Road, Elmina Road and Broad Street. Living conditions are cramped. Sitting rooms have been converted into bedrooms and rented out at £450 per month. It is common for two or even three households to be living in a house meant for a single family and sharing one bathroom under the most unhygienic of conditions. Karen Leakey, an active community leader who is perhaps more vehemently vocal than most about trash and multiple occupancy homes, made this comment in a Swindon newspaper, "We have a large Goan population around here with big families all living in one house - as is their culture", thereby generating large amounts of garbage. Although her point was about the need to improve garbage collection, not all residents of Swindon are sympathetic. One comment was, " maybe it is their culture but it is not ours and if it creates a health issue such overcrowding has to stop."
What then is the motivating factor for Goans to sell their land, their homes, their business, their trawlers and move to Swindon, a place of minimum-wage jobs, kudd-like living quarters, endless rain and bitter cold? The answer came from Veena Nunes.
Veena and her family, migrated to Swindon seven years ago. She works at the Churchfields School, where quite a few Goan students attend.
The transition from Goa to Swindon for these children is not always an easy one, says Veena, but the school provides a supportive atmosphere.
Initially, Goan students would leave the world of academics after finishing their O'levels (10th standard equivalent) and take up jobs, but now she finds many going to university. Some have preformed so well, they are part of the school's "Top Set". Veena tells me, children are encouraged whether their aptitude is in drama, music, art or academics.
As I drive home, I realise the story of new immigrants is as timeless as Swindon's chalk hills. The hopes and aspirations these families have for their children is the propeller that enables them to endure life in all its severity. Goan families who have immigrated to the UK find their children have a pathway to pursue their dreams and opportunities that may not have been so easily available to them back in Goa.
Life does not stand still, it is a continuum. The earliest waves of Goan immigrants into Swindon have already established themselves and are on their way to leading comfortable lives. Swindon's motto is "Salubritas et Industria" (Health and Industry). Certainly, we can wish both for our Goans in Swindon.
elisabeth_car@yahoo.com
Driving through Swindon, I don't get the impression of a factory town.
It is lush green with swathes of agricultural land, the streets lined with houses not given to prosperity but neither to the grime associated with industrial hubs. I would find out later that simmering behind the façade of tranquility lies the squalid reality of racism, chicken-factory jobs and over-crowded living quarters. For now, I was making my way to Agnelo De Mello's house, wanting to find out what had brought the diaspora Goan soul to Swindon.
Agnelo, ex-president of the Goan Swindon Association, sits in his living room wearing an Islander shirt and wide grin. Musical instruments propped against the wall are a tell-tale sign that music flows freely in his house. He writes rap music and plays in a band.
Much like the Biblical patriarch Abraham, Agnelo says he is the genesis of the growing Goan tribe in Swindon. He moved here from the Gulf some twenty years ago. He knew the then manager of the Rover assembly plant and was instrumental in getting jobs for Goans. From this humble seedling, a mighty tree has grown.
As per the 2001 UK Census, Swindon had a population of 180,061 of which 1.3% were Indian. Senior Catholic priest, Monsignor Twomey estimates the influx of Goans in recent years to be in the region of 8,000. Although this figure is hard to verify, Swindon has become a substantial concentration of Goans in disapora. The Monsignor notes that his largely Irish Catholic parish has now been replaced by Goans.
A large percentage of them are from Siridao, Goa Velha and Agassim.
Portugal affords Goans, right to Portuguese nationality. By virtue of the EU's free movement of labour as per the Treaty of Rome, Goans have access to UK labour markets. I wondered if they had found the fabled pot of gold at the end of the multi-coloured immigration rainbow?
Swindon is an industrial estate, home to companies such as Honda, BMW and Faccenda, one of UK's largest chicken processing plants. It is in factories such as these that Goans find employment. Anyone who has visited a chicken processing unit will vouch that the stench of raw chicken is unbearable and industrial accidents are not unheard off.
The Wiltshire paper reported:
"In March 2002, Faccenda was fined £14,000 by Chippenham Magistrates Court when it pleaded guilty to failing in its duty to protect the health and safety of its staff, after a teenage worker lost two fingers in a chicken-skinning machine."
The same year, Faccenda removed the toilet seats in the men's toilets.
The staff alleged this was to cut short the amount of time spent in the restrooms. Men had to either squat on the toilets or sit on a rim encrusted by faeces and urine. The supervisory mindsets are military-like.
Although Goans pride themselves on their ability to converse in English, in a country like the UK, many find their ability to communicate deficient and, they are averse to re-training. Their lives are condemned to low-skilled jobs.
Life at the bottom of the industrial food-chain, however, is competitive. Amongst native Swindonians, there is a feeling that Asians are taking over their jobs. In 2004, rocks were hurled at a coach carrying Goan workers from Faccenda factory. Later in the year, coaches used to bus ethnic workers were vandalised. Faccenda is set to close as of September 2008. Visiting the blog world, I find that some are applauding the closure of Faccenda, seen as an employer of minorities.
A source alleges that Goans have had to bribe Recruitment agents with laptops and paid vacation trips, to secure employment. I'm reminded of a Mafia-type protection racket. For all this they are paid a pittance.
I called up Storm Recruitment agency, which supplies industrial labour and at one time supplied Faccenda, to find out just how much I would earn if I was willing to stuff chicken-wings into plastic bags.
Between £5.52 and £6.00 per hour, which in the UK barely puts a roof over one's head.
Goans predominantly live in the town center along Manchester Road, Elmina Road and Broad Street. Living conditions are cramped. Sitting rooms have been converted into bedrooms and rented out at £450 per month. It is common for two or even three households to be living in a house meant for a single family and sharing one bathroom under the most unhygienic of conditions. Karen Leakey, an active community leader who is perhaps more vehemently vocal than most about trash and multiple occupancy homes, made this comment in a Swindon newspaper, "We have a large Goan population around here with big families all living in one house - as is their culture", thereby generating large amounts of garbage. Although her point was about the need to improve garbage collection, not all residents of Swindon are sympathetic. One comment was, " maybe it is their culture but it is not ours and if it creates a health issue such overcrowding has to stop."
What then is the motivating factor for Goans to sell their land, their homes, their business, their trawlers and move to Swindon, a place of minimum-wage jobs, kudd-like living quarters, endless rain and bitter cold? The answer came from Veena Nunes.
Veena and her family, migrated to Swindon seven years ago. She works at the Churchfields School, where quite a few Goan students attend.
The transition from Goa to Swindon for these children is not always an easy one, says Veena, but the school provides a supportive atmosphere.
Initially, Goan students would leave the world of academics after finishing their O'levels (10th standard equivalent) and take up jobs, but now she finds many going to university. Some have preformed so well, they are part of the school's "Top Set". Veena tells me, children are encouraged whether their aptitude is in drama, music, art or academics.
As I drive home, I realise the story of new immigrants is as timeless as Swindon's chalk hills. The hopes and aspirations these families have for their children is the propeller that enables them to endure life in all its severity. Goan families who have immigrated to the UK find their children have a pathway to pursue their dreams and opportunities that may not have been so easily available to them back in Goa.
Life does not stand still, it is a continuum. The earliest waves of Goan immigrants into Swindon have already established themselves and are on their way to leading comfortable lives. Swindon's motto is "Salubritas et Industria" (Health and Industry). Certainly, we can wish both for our Goans in Swindon.
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