THE LATE TIATRIST M. BOYER - II.

THE LATE TIATRIST M. BOYER.

Seen in the picture M. Boyer receiving Sangeet Nattak Award from the hands of H. E. Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India.

After the entry of Bharati rule in Goa, the first crime committed by Indian rule in Goa under Gen. Candeth was to abolish “Provedoria Sorti” with the excuse that this Lottery business introduced in Goa during Portuguese rule was a mode of gambling. Seeing this M. Boyer got annoyed on Indian rulers in Goa and immediately fired a salvo from the Stage against this faulty decision of abolishing Provedoria’s Lottery which was run for charitable cause. In this hard hitting song, M. Boyer sayid:

Haddlem konnem, khal'lem konne ani eilem konnacher,
Sorti gambling munnon Goychea sortinkarancher,
Bombaim ghorib lok dis kaddta Sotteancher,
Ani guirest loku Mahalximi nachta ghoddeancher

Goykar ami nidlole nidloleank uttoile,
Ani Patank korun voir pavtoch modench tuttoile,
Bhav - bhav munnon Goykarank bhattoile,
Xekim Sorti bond korun Sortikarank fottoile.

In 1962 because of Chinese war with India where China captured vast land of India, the financial position of India became very bad. Morarjee Desai as Finance Minister of India to bolster India’s coffer introduced harsh Gold Control whereby only 14 Karat gold was allowed in India. Goan Goldsmiths were shattered as their counterparts everywhere in India. The Gold Shops in Goa became empty of Gold ornaments compared to what they were earlier. Seeing this sad state of affairs of Gold Shops, M. Boyer again came on the stage and lamented this Gold control singing his solo thus:

Shopam amchim disso Bhangarachim Tarvam,
Atam zaleat Gotte re puta, Ghottean na Ghorvam

Then came the first general election in Goa for the Goa Legislative Assembly for the 30 Seats. UG, MG and Nehru’s Congress were the main contesting parties. Congress got Zero Seat, UG on the symbol of Hand got 12 and MG on the symbol of Lion got 14. Two of Daman and Diu went for Independents. They joined hands with MG to form Government in Goa under Bandodkar. This MG party worked against Goa, Goans, Konkani and Christians. M. Boyer was hurt to see MGP coming to power and in this connection he composed a nice song lamenting the failure of UG in the following words:

Purun dovorlolo baf aiz bhair galtam kallzan thaun khoxecho,
Kedna kai eun vochonk so zalolo dis team eleisavancho,
Ak’ko sounsar ojap zalo, khorench Goycho lokh munn Goychea mogacho,
Kaim nozo zikonkna zalear pun HATH assa munn dakoilo amcho.

United Goans pirder zalet mhonn sogleankuch dhoko boslo,
Pun Goykar chodd uxear munon ak’ko sounsar ojap zalo

Then he concluded saying:

Bara boska ami ghetleot vavron, fokot tea donuch mhoineani,
Chear mhoine meulole tor chovisui boska gheupache ami.

While singing this decent solo, he looked very majestic wearing a bluish colour Suit. He had then handsome looks and during this period he was involved with his co-tiatrist Antonette who was really a beauty queen of Konkani stage. His romance with Antonette made him greater hero than what he was though as a songster he was the best. Antonette’s involvement with him made him more popular since beautiful girls’ association with boys give them an added booster. This was what exactly happened in the case of M. Boyer. Then both he and Antonette joined together and as joint directors staged their Tiatro “Dilolo Jurament”. As a playwright he was not as marvelous as songs composer and singer though his voice was not very palatable but lyrics were superlative. When he was composing a song he was doing thorough study of the topic even consulting experts to beautify his song. His rhymings were perfect though not as best as that of Young Menezes. He was great in composing sad “Cantos” of his Tiatros and since he stopped writing Tiatros nobody can emulate his feat. After Minguel Rod and Airestedes Dias, only M. Boyer composed excellent Cantos in his Tiatros.

He could compose songs on diverse topics of people’s choice and thus gain the goodwill of the people. He was a thinker and philosopher. He could think good of the people and Goa. In mid sixties, Goa Government introduced Japanese Taichung paddy seeds in our Goan fields. It was very rich in yield but to get the rich yield this paddy seed required huge rainfall and lot of ready made manure from Birla Factory thus making the whole business very expensive. M. Boyer like any other Goan farmer felt that this Taichung paddy seeds are not meant for Goan fields and to put forth his views he composed a marvelous and philosophical solo on this topic, some of the words of this solo run thus. This solo became an instant hit all over Goa and finally he was presented with gold Pin for composing such an informative song which had lot of sarcasm:

Illexem xeth pun sarem sakani,
Sarem sakani ani duddu lakani,
Vavrat re vavrat Goykar putani,
Taichung bhatak bhas somzona Konkani,
Taichung bhatak bhas somzota fokot Japanesanchi.

TO BE CONCLUDED.

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.

TO BE CONCLUDED.

THE LATE TIATRIST M. BOYER - I.

Seen in the picture: A. Veronica with M. Boyer.


THE LATE TIATRIST M. BOYER.

Dilolem Utor moddtolo,
Ghoribak konnui soddtolo,
Guirest tukam konnui meutolo,
Duddu bhangaran bhortolo,
Pai mozo ghorib bhikari,
Sang doth atam konn makam ditolo.

Dhotik lagon marli-i daum,
Pirder tujem korchina naum,
Ankvar urlear uronk aum,
Pun tujem chodd borem zaum

When he heard this “canto” rendered beautifully by Antonette Mendes from his Tiatro Sounsar Sudorlo played at Raja Stores Video – Cassette Shop in Kuwait about 10 years back, M. Boyer abruptly stopped walking further and listening carefully this song, admiring his capacity to compose beautiful songs said “cha!! kitem moji tokli choltali re tedna!! Zait gai anink mojean oslim kantaram ghoddpak?” While walking along with him, I said NO. Not only you but nobody in future will be able to compose such great songs!! I said. Then tears in his eyes, he walked further. During that time, we brought him to Kuwait to participate in our show when he stayed at my place for one whole week and during this time he exchanged lot of ideas and views with me to produce his last Tiatro “Ek Ghor – Chear Vantte” which he wanted to stage in Kuwait thru our initiative.

30th May 2009 will go down in the history of Konkani Tiatro as one of the darkest days as on this sad day the death has snatched away from this planet one topmost Tiatrist from our midst. That Tiatrist is none other than the late Padmashree and also Sangeet Nattak awardee M. Boyer. It was in the morning that my friend Daniel D’Souza from Vasco called me and gave this sad news. Unfortunately on that same day at noon I was flying to Bombay en route to Kuwait and hence I could neither pay condolence visit to his wife Martha whom I know well nor wait for his funeral.

I saw M. Boyer first time somewhere in 1958 acting in Tiatro. Earlier he along with the late M. Dod de Verna created ripples of their Tiatro skills in Bombay but suddenly M. Dod left Bombay and settled down in Goa where he got employment as Tiatrist at Emisora de Goa, Panjim and also started acting in Tiatros in Goa gaining vast popularity. He was then called second Alexinho de Candolim for his thought provoking songs. According to M. Boyer, M. Dod de Verna robbed some of his best songs in Bombay and rendered them in Goa. This M. Boyer openly told at Mapusa during one of the Tiatros where he was acting. But to his surprise one member from the audience got up from his chair and answered M. Boyer thus: “I don’t think M. Dod de Verna will do such a robbery, on the contrary I will believe in the opposite”. Listening to this, M. Boyer was shut but M. Dod surprisingly never uttered a single word proving his innocence.

Though M. Boyer was known everywhere yet he gained top popularity soon after Bharat annexed Goa. During Portuguese time he recorded some of his songs including Goyche Convent at Emissora de Goa and these songs gained him more popularity. Immediately after Goa’s annexure by Bharat he staged his very good Tiatro “Besao” which gave him lot of push on Konkani Stage. But his fame gained him much popularity in his excellent solos hitting hard at the corrupt administration system of Bharati rule. He was a great lover of Konkani and Goa for Goans ideology. He was not pro-Portuguez but pro-Goa and pro-Goans. He wanted Goan characteristics and cultural attributes to remain intact unsoiled by the ideology implanted in Goa with the influx of non-Goan thru the advent of Bharati rule. It pained his heart to see Goa getting deGoanised and with this genuine Goan characteristics uprooting from Goa. In this connection to show his dislike for the Bharati maladministration in Goa, he rendered a nice song some of the words of this song go thus:

Goa tum gaum ganvan, dhorian dhoria, dongrar dongor,
Put tuje assat tukam voir kaddunk konnui hath di-it tor,
Nakam Mysore lightini bhorunk puro Goyam vanvta ti Dudsagor.

Then in the same song he goes further and sings:

Zori tor Indian tor serkar, amchi Goykaranchi bhagoita zalear as,
Dhi amkam separad Goa samballunk amchi Konkani mae bhas.

Then he concludes the song saying:

Ak’ke Indiecho lok tor sukhi, amkam Goykarankuch kiteak kantte,
Dhi amkam separad Goa korinastana vantte.

TO BE CONCLUDED.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

G'BYE GOA: INDO - ARYANS - 2.

G’BYE GOA: INDO-ARYANS-2.

By Valmiki Faleiro.

Indo-Aryans entered India as invaders. The first major sign of human civilization they encountered was the Dravidian settlement, part of what is now known as Indus Valley Civilization: the walled Harappan city of Mohenjo-daro (excavated in 1922, by the banks of the Indus River, in Sind, now in Pakistan.) They attacked, looted and destroyed it.

Similar was the fate of Harappa (excavated in 1921, in the Punjab, also in Pakistan.) Such was the fate of the ancient Dravidian civilization that it was extinct by 1700 BC.(Sites to the south, where the Indo-Aryans did not reach, however, continued upto about 1000 BC.) The Indo-Aryans chased the native Dravid, Mundari and Proto-Australoid tribes southwards, and settled themselves in ‘Saptasindhu’ – a region extending from the Kabul River in the northwest to the doab of the Saraswati and Upper Ganga-Yamuna inthe southeast. Over time, as their numbers increased, they felt the need to expand into ‘Madhyadesh’towards the Gangetic valley, but had to contend with the Dravidians. By then, they had mastered the skill of making iron.

The earliest occurrence of iron in India is circa 1500BC. Smelting iron, or ‘krsna ayas’ (dark metal), helped them make tools to stabilize agriculture … and weapons to subdue the Dravidians and expand settlements. They contacted the Turvasas and Yadus who had been settled by Indra in Surastra. And informed them of Indra’s death, his deification, their onward march under Divodassa, and arrival by the banks of the Sindhu. The Turvasas and Yadus built atemple to Indra on the shores Surastra and called it ‘Somnath.’ Because, as they remembered in gratitude, Indra loved the sacrificial drink ‘Soma’ which gave him strength to go to battle.

A part of the Indo-Aryan community was settled in the doab between Hinduism’s most sacred river, Saraswati, and the Drishadvati. A 12-year famine helped teach Saraswats to survive eating fish – the only Brahmin denomination in India that eats fish. When the Indo-Aryans arrived in India, they had brought with them the horse and the chariot, the Sanskrit language, and the seeds of latter day Brahmanism or Vedism. Between about 2000 and 1500 BC, as Indo-Aryans spread into east and central India,there was growing interaction between them and the natives. A synthesis emerged by 1000 BC, as seen from expression of Aryan ethnicity in theRigveda (“Wisdom of the Verses”), written into 10 books over several centuries but completed circa 1000 BC.

Modern Hinduism began to get crystallized from the end of the Rigvedic period. The Rigveda was later supplemented by the three other Vedas and, still later, by the Brahmanas and the Upanishads. If Indo-Aryans used iron weapons to subdue the Dravidians in an earlier age, they now changed strategy. The new one was aimed to placate and avoid frequent confrontations,with the use of diplomacy. Even if they privately regarded Dravidians as people beyond the ‘Aryavarta’ and termedthem ‘mlecchas’ – impure barbarians, unfamiliar with the speech and customs of the Aryas – they shrewdly adopted the Dravidian dark-skinned god Shiva, and made him part of their ‘Trimurti’ (Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva, from the earlier Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh.) This can be inferred to have happened during the early Vedic period (2nd millennium to7th century BC) because in the Vedas, Shiva is referred to as Rudra (the old tribal god‘Rouduro,’ now Rudreshwar), who becomes Shiva only in the Upanishads, centuries later.

A major earthquake in North India towards the end of the second millennium BC destroyed the Saraswati riverbed. The upheaval caused a substantial migration of Indo-Aryans from North India to Gujarat, where Mulraja, the ruler of Kathiawad, gave them shelter in an area that came to be referred to as ‘Saraswat Mandal.’ Several centuries later, a warrior-pastoral Bhargava clan from the Saraswat Mandal,moved to South Gujarat and settled in Surat and Navsari. It is a group of these Bhargavas from Surat/Navsari that ventured southwards by seaand became the first Indo-Aryans to settle in Goa. (To continue.)(ENDS.)

The Valmiki Faleiro weekly column.