EVEN IN DEFEAT GOA PLAYED WELL TODAY IN THE FINAL.

Though Goa lost in the final of ISL 2019 tournament with the slender margin of 1-0,  with the hot favourite Benguluru  yet I will rightly say that Goa still the best team, played this final with lot of disadvantages namely, Goa lost in the middle of the game their extremely good player and captain of the team Mandar who would do something  more either to give the lead to Goa or to bring about the change.  The final was the grueling game which also was the marathon one lasting the regular time of 90 minutes plus extra time of 30 minutes.  Good that the result was declared in the first half of extra time otherwise it would go into penalty kicks, 5 for each team and even then if it failed to produce the required result, it would end with the sudden death penalties.

The winning goal scored by their Rahul Behke in such a magnificent stunning header like a bullet that the Goa custodian under Goa’s bar had no option but to see the ball hitting the net inspite of his marvelous attempt in which he succeeded palming away the ball yet it was not a strong palming away.  Otherwise, Goa’s goalkeeper protected his citadel very well. And moreover, he could not be blamed for this goal because the deefenders and other midfielders should have protected their area by “erecting the great wall of China” in front of their goalmouth knowing very well that they are playing with certain deficiencies.

That Goa would not win today’s final I came to know when Mandar went out limping with tremendous pain and agony with the injury of muscle pull.  If it really is the muscle pull then Mandar should stop playing for at least one month without doing any exercise and also without doing any medicine.  I was the victim of such a muscle pull during my those good old days as the top sportsman of Goa not only as the high grade footballer playing for Sesa Goa besides captain of soccer team of St. Joseph’s High School – Arpora,  captain of St. Xavier’s College – Mapusa and also the captain of the then mighty team of Candolim.  Additionally, I was the best athlete – runner of Goa winning indivual championship and also the fastest runner of Goa. My sporting carreer was booming with the offers from top business houses and top clubs from all over India.  Sesa Goa even had a plan to send me to Germany for further professional training in running but all my future dreams collapsed like a pack of cards because I never found the curative effort for my injury. The few doctors I consulted in Goa had no knowledge of this type of injury and like butchers they started administering me all sorts of injections and other medicines including  massages. 

Mr. Mandar, when you consult any doctor in Goa for curing your muscle pull, be careful, take second opinion, in Goa there are very few doctors and few hospitals that will give you proper treatment otherwise the rest are ‘ROSTAD” especially some of those who are running the posh private hospitals where even when the patient is dead they don’t tell this but keep the body like this only for a few more days with some medical application to make more money.  If possible, go to the beach and keep the area of your leg where you got the muscle pull in water and do this treatment for few days.  This I am telling you because I had personal experience in this type of injury.

Coming back to the final, Goa’s right outer Jackichand played extremely well but with the exit of Mandar his wings got clipped. However, the youngster of Goa Saviour Gama of 21 years of age who was brought  in the second half played very good proving that his future is going to be the best.  The Goa team impressed me very much today, they had strong confidence of their passing, ball control and distributing the ball to their colleagues even if they found a small opening and with ease they will push the ball to their colleagues. The second half was dominated by Goa but in the first half Bengaluru maintained the upper hand. The African defender of Goa, M. Fall, was a strong defender who is very good not only in both the legs but still better in the aerial duels where he would out beat by out jumping any of his opponent.  This defender was well shielded by another defender of Goa, Rodrigues.

The ugly scenes seen on the field was the result of the poor refereeing which lacked wielding of the full control of the game.

It was great to see such a huge number of spectators attending this final, these spectators came from Goa and Bangalore and from Bombay too but they were silenced by the lone header that hit the net of Goa.

In the coming season, we must tell the owner of SP Goa to select more best players from Goa only and to start Foot-ball Academies in all the districts of Goa so that these Academies will feed the Goa’s need of top class players.  The non-Goan by doing the Casino business in the Goan River of Mandovi is making lot of money on the name and strength of Goa and hence he is duty bound to do something for the development of Goan soccer.  The high standard of soccer played in Goa was because of its strong base put in the beginning itself by the Portuguese invaders of Goa but it is a pity that the Indian invaders of Goa are doing nothing for the improvement of the standard of Goan soccer.  Our Goans mainly the youth who are supporting so vociferously the SP Goa team from the Stadium and also from elsewhere must try to bring  pressure on the owner of the Goa team that the Owners must either agree to do something for SP Goa or SP Goa must be denied our support. Otherwise the SP Goa’s owner will laugh at us for acting like slaves of the SP Goa.  We should not allow the management of SP to fool us as our corrupt politicians are doing. The Casino owner of Sp Goa being a "bhailo" non Goan will never show much interest in the improvement of SP Goa team becaue he is come to Goa to make money.  Hence, it is imperative for us especially those who are shouting from the stadium to get a pound of flesh from them.

Well  done Goa for dishing out very good soccer in the final and congratulations to Bengaluru for winning this year’s edition.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

WHERE ARE OUR MOTETS GONE?

Gone are  those great days when many of our elders working abroad used to return home in Goa during the Lent season only to listen to the great songs “Motets” which were very popular in Goa and mandatory to sing in our Churches during the Lent period.  Though it was popular in Goa but not everywhere in Roman Catholicsm. 

Motets are the very sorrowful songs of the sufferings of Jesus Christ and they were scripted and sung in Latin, however, in mid sixties they were translated in Konkani in Goa.  The original Motets scripted in Latin with the very sorrowful tune were very pleasing to the ears, I noticed earlier some of the passionate listeners and admirers of Motets by just listening to the tune only and not understanding the meaning of same because they were in Latin, they used to cry and actually tears were rolling down their cheeks. It is sung in voices with the accompaniment of the musical instruments such as Double bass, Violin, Clarinet and Trumpet. Its genuine beauty was lost when its originality was mutilated in the translation process.

Motets are the great heritage and asset of the Goan Catholicism but unfortunately it seems it is dying now which should be prevented by all means by the Church authorities in Goa. During my younger days where I did my first schooling in the Parochial school in our village, our Church Mistiri by virtue of being a Mistiri he had vast knowledge of “Solfas” written on 5 lines and the Motets are recorded in this form of Solfas.  Our current local boys and girls who are acting like Church Mistiris by playing Organ and Guitar in the Church are having totally zero knowledge of Solfas and thus they are unable to promote neither Motets nor other rich  devotional songs which used to reverberate  all the four walls of our Churches.

Once during my vacation in Goa, I wrote one article on Motets and its copy I gave to one lady who was acting like a Church Mistiri in our Church.  When she read the name “MOTET”, she immediately asked me “ Who is this Motet?”  Unfortunately our Church music and devotional songs are gone into the hands of these Motes only.  In such a situation how we can develop?  When Altu-Faltu person takes the charge of our devotional songs in the Church, there becomes mockery of these great songs.

Much of our diamond wealth in the form of devotional songs including Motets remained hidden in the Church armory in the absence of properly qualified person in the form of Mistiri.  In our Churches there is no qualified Solfist Mistiri who must be hired or employed like earlier days by paying them salaries.  The fund for their salaries can be easily acquired as it is done now for so many other causes. The quality of the gold is known only to the Goldsmith and hence the quality, beauty and greatness of Motets are known only to the qualified Solfist Mistiri and not to any Altu – Faltu Pe. Vigar and because it is so, most of the Pe. Vigars have left the Motets  dying a slow death.

In mid sixties, J.P. Souzalin the renowned Tiatrist from Bombay came to Goa with his Tiatro “Saibinnicheo Sat Dukhi” during the Lent season.  The then great musician from Siolim Maestro Joaozinho D’souza who was also the Band Leader of his Band “Johnson and his jolly boys” which was the best in Goa then, he came to see this Tiatro of Souzalin twice and when I asked him the reason, he said even after listening to the Music of one Motet in one of the scenes, he was not satisfied.

During Portuguese time in Goa, Emmisora de Goa recorded best of Motets including from our Church Choir  in 1958 where I was one of the participants and one of the most sorrowful Motets we recorded was "Filius Filius est Jerusalem”. There should be an enquiry at All India Radio Panjim, to find out where is this wealth of Goa Church gone because most of the people who occupied the top post there after the exit of Portuguese from Goa were ignorant of Motets and other such materials and as such there is every possibility for them to destroy the same.   

A.Veronica Fernandes.

LAWRY TRAVASSO'S NEW TIATRO "POVITR FULAM"

On 9^th of this month, in Candolim at St. Thresa’s  High School compound, I saw the new Tiatro “POVITR FULAM” written and directed by the prominent Stage artiste and Melody King , Lawry Travasso. The Tiatro was attended by a very good number of attendees who came from all over Candolim and also from the ambient areas.  It was staged  in aid of  “Our Lady of Desterro Chapel” located at Saipem, Candolim.

The Tiatro was scheduled  to begin at 8.00 pm as indicated in the Ticket while elsewhere it was announced at 7.30 PM but it started finally at 8.20 pm.  The organisers must  first give one timing which should be proper one and then they must try to adhere to the given timing otherwise it becomes headache for the attendees to remain seated for long thereby wasting their precious time.

The name of Lawry Travasso is not only a simple name but it is a real name and fame and in Tiatro fraternity it is a ripple creating name.  He is not only an ordinary Stage artiste but he is also a great songster, composer of songs of diverse topics and above all a good script writer.  His entry on the Stage is always applauded by the audience who always expect something good from his solos, duets, duos, trios and quarters.  And that he is an ace writer & director one can easily make out from this Tiatro “Povitr Fulam” which was witnessed with rapt attention by the audience because of its beautiful story based on our Nuns who are doing great sacrificial job for the cause of humanity in general and old people in particular in the name of God. It comprised lot of sayings and proverbs which were very interesting since many of them I heard first time. 

The role of one of the Nuns played very appropriately by Rosy Alvares was excellent.  Antonette de Maina also played her role of another Nun well. Lawry Travasso played very beautifully the character role of an elderly man superbly. Others also played their roles well.

The comedy part was too noisy and was not too well.

In the Side Show songs, the best song among all was the political solo on Indo-Pak conflict rendered very beautifully by Francis de Tuem, it was very factual and nicely worded.

Well done Bab Lawry Travasso  and his troupe.

A.Veronica Fernandes.