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Pride Against Prejudice A young Goan leads the fight against homophobia and bullying in Canada
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he Sundays in the run up to Easter had two (with spillovers on three) entire pages in Herald dedicated to Easter releases by the tiatr fraternity. This Easter season saw more than 23 commercial tiatr releases—a clear sign of the times. Tiatr is thriving and how. Not too long ago, Goa would see just two tiatr release seasons a year. Of late, the booming Konkani theatre is seeing four seasons, and with good reason. The audiences have grown in numbers and so have the directors— their number a staggering 170 and counting, in Goa alone. So it is cut throat competition today with everyone vying for a share of the pie. Nothing has dampened the spirits of tiatr enthusiasts over the years, not even the advent of the electronic media. Full credit goes to these stage artistes for being able to capture and retain the interest of the audience and provide them with equal amounts of attractions. Tiatr wins over television any day because the tiatr themes are close to home and the characters are people whose shoes they can slip into and identify with instantly. Everything is Goan here, nothing borrowed. And this makes it comfortable for the audience. Watching a tiatr is also cheaper than going to Inox for a film. “Where else will you get solid live entertainment for the entire family for three hours straight?” asks Prince Jacob. Tiatrists today find that they are treated with more respect than in the past. Prince Jacob remembers the time when people would refer to him as ‘tiatrist’ when they saw him on the street. Today they call him by his name. “There is a reason people respect us today. They have seen our work and the effort we put into making tiatr progress and they appreciate it. They don’t respect us for nothing,” Jacob says. In the limelight The number of directors and writers are soaring through the roof today. Joe Rose, Vice President of the Tiatr Academy of Goa explains the rise in numbers. “Each one feels he can put together a better production
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It is highly melodramatic, at times bawdy, often funny and sometimes sentimental and preachy. It lampoons politicians and mocks the powerful. In essence and character, song and language, nothing is more Goan than the Konkani tiatr. And despite the TV soaps, the social media and the dramatic changes sweeping through Goa, the tiatr has not only survived and retained its flavour, but is thriving as never before…
Siddesh May-
LISA ANN MONTEIRO
Circle of Unreason The move to rename a Lahore traffic circle after Bhagat Singh sparks an uproar in Pakistan
LIFE IS A STAGE AND TIATR IS AT THE HEART OF IT
PRINCE JACOB REMEMBERS THE TIME WHEN PEOPLE WOULD REFER TO HIM AS ‘TIATRIST’ WHEN THEY SAW HIM ON THE STREET. TODAY THEY CALL HIM BY HIS NAME. compared to what he has seen. The audience too compliment singers and actors, telling them that the tiatr is a hit only because of them and encourage them to direct their own tiatr. Everyone craves for the limelight now. ” Commercialization too has set in and directors now know that they can earn from tiatr. So the big names have their own troupes with their own rules and regulations and everything functions as a serious business. Once a script is written, Jacob has 15 thorough practices. Lines have to be memorized right from the first practice (prompting is a thing of the past) itself and no bunking is tolerated. Before tiatr began thriving commercially, it belonged to the villages and that is where the talent was discovered. For a Church or Chapel feast, the youth from the ward got together and staged a tiatr. No feast was complete without it. Over time as lives got busier nobody was able to make it for practices and a troupe is now invited to perform. The Tiatr Academy of Goa which gets a grant of Rs 90 lakh from the Goa Government is doing its best to keep tiatr alive. Extensive support is given
to amateur locals who wish to put up a tiatr in villages on the condition that no professional actors are employed. A crash course is being held for budding actors at the academy. Music lovers are encouraged to learn wind instruments with the academy even helping them procure the instrument. Troupes wishing to perform outside Goa are also given financial support. The schemes to keep the indigenous art alive are many. Jacob, the President of the Tiatr Academy hopes that the hike in the ticket this season to Rs 100 will help raise the standard and ensure better quality productions.
Amar, Akbar More popular among the Christian community in Goa, tiatr does see talent from other communities blossom on stage. Anil Kumar is one such composer, singer and writer who has worked with tiatr stalwarts M Boyer, C Alvares, Jacinto Vaz and Prem Kumar. He now directs his own tiatrs. He started to write many years ago and has completed 19 productions till date. Name a role and he has played it. Playing the character of a Catholic priest is one he does with élan. Directing and acting in tiatr is his contribution towards his mother tongue Konkani, he says. “I come from a Hindu family where my uncles were writers in Marathi theatre so writing comes naturally to me. I watched a lot of tiatr in my younger days and felt it needed improvement. I decided to be a part of it because of my love for Konkani and to preserve tiatr.” While writing a script, Kumar uses a few words in Devnagari but largely uses Romi script like other directors. After working with the veteran Prem Kumar he swears he hasn’t come across a scriptwriter as good as him.
Another unusual figure on the tiatr stage is mimicry artist Sheikh Amir. It hasn’t been an easy journey for him but he has stayed true to his heart. Aside from his close family, no other family members wish to see him on stage or even associate with him. Searching for a bride also proved quite a task years ago, with girls backing out when they found out his passion for tiatr. He thought it best to marry a Catholic girl who would support and better understand him. Today he is in demand, and not only in Goa. He is just returning from a performance in the Gulf. Being able to make people laugh at a tiatr is what keeps him alive and happy, he says.
Changing times Tiatr is not what it used to be. Most tiatrs retain the seven acts and the cantaram, but nothing is constant in this dynamic art form. “In the past, the comedy was always related to the theme and story of the tiatr. Today jokes unrelated to the story have found their way in. These are taken from Chandamama and Reader’s Digest. Writers are influenced by television and films today and there is a tendency to give the audience what they want. Vulgarity is also introduced to get more laughs,” Kumar explains. The live music which enhances the tiatr performances on stage has also seen many a change. The violin and the banjo are now almost extinct. Lead and bass guitar have come in, not to mention the keyboard too. Musicians who can read and write music are fewer today. Earlier singers would take pains to compose new tunes especially for a tiatr and later cut a record. Today old tunes are rehashed and singers, being so much in demand can have as many as
JOE ROSE SAYS THAT THE TIME HAS COME FOR TIATR TO BE RECOGNISED AS AN INDUSTRY seven performances on a single day. Some directors live to give the audience something new each time. Shadow play, suggestive settings, a revolving stage, a four legged entrant—the list is endless. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, these directors believe. As for Jacob, he believes it is a transgression on his part if he doesn’t take risks for the sake of his audience. When he wrote Zaiat Zage, he wrote it on the lines of a natak. His artistes didn’t have any faith in the script in the beginning. “When I read out the script to them their faces fell so I sent everyone for lunch. When they got back I read the script to them and explained how it would be enacted. They were half convinced. Then I promised to pay them for 25 shows even if it turned out to be a flop. The show turned out to be a super hit which ran for 102 shows. When someone tells me something is impossible I just have to try it out.” Plotting the finances It turns out that finances today are as important as the plot and script. “We are great gamblers,” says Jacob. It costs more than Rs 2 lakh to put up a professional tiatr. There are hall bookings to take care of, publicity, stage setup, rehearsals etc. A seasoned director can tell from his first performance itself whether the tiatr will be a hit or a flop. If even 50
percent of the hall is full, a director will stage another performance. And when the audience doesn’t like a performance they will mince no words in telling the director to his face. After all they are paying to watch. But it is a different sort of business. “If you have an office or your own business you can shut shop at any time. But if my tiatr is not running I cannot decide to just leave because I have already booked halls and have all the artistes to consider,” Jacob says. While the established directors have figured out the gamble, it is the new comers who are suffering a setback. Each new season sees a big craze to enter the field. Sadly only few survive till the end of the season. This is not because they may be any less as writers or directors. It is simply because of the scarcity of experienced actors, singers and musicians who choose to give the big directors dates over them. Today the directors are also the producers, writers and actors of a tiatr. Jacob says this should change for the quality of tiatrs to improve. Joe Rose says it is the Churches who should encourage this new talent. “Instead of inviting only the reputed names to the villages for the feast, why not invite some upcoming small time directors to patronize them? If not for the Church feast, then at least for the vespers or a chapel feast. Only after they have a number of shows in villages, will they be able to book a hall or two in the big cities. Their scripts could be excellent, but they face financial problems as well as not getting the actors they would like to have.” With so many tiatr groups today, the competition is on. Sharon and Wilmix Mazarello who have acted and sung in more than 400 tiatrs are feeling the competition too, when it comes to booking actors and musicians for their shows. Booking halls and getting contracts in the villages have also become tougher. Joe Rose says that Goans involved in tiatr are in thousands today. He feels the time has come for it to be recognized as an industry in itself. n Review Bureau
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Back in the 90’s, people appreciated heroines more. I would receive gifts and flowers from people after some shows in the past
His popularity is evident not only from the numerous encores he gets at a performance, but also the directors queued up to sign him
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IN FOCUS/TIATR
STRIKE UP THE BAND
Music is an integral part of the Goan tiatr, but the old brass bands are giving way to modern forms and electronic instruments, reports DIANA FERNANDES Photos: JoeGoaUK
The Akbar of Goan tiatr Sheikh Amir has been Goa’s first and only Muslim in the tiatr so far. Known as the king of mimicry, Amir’s path to fame and his enormous fan base here has come at a price. His family resented his choice of career and has stayed away from all his shows. “No one from my family has ever come to any of my tiatrs or has watched any of my mimicry except for my wife and kids,” he says. But for a man who has been in the industry for over 28 years, his love for tiatr is what keeps him going. He is famous for doing impressions of politicians like Churchill Alemao, Micky Pacheco among others as well as tiatrists and singers like M Boyer, Alfred Rose and Lorna. But getting to the top of the comedian’s ladder was no laugh. “The moment directors heard my name, they would think twice about hiring me because I am Muslim. But people like Fr Freddy believed in me.” His first ever impression on stage was that of Rajiv Gandhi during his speech at Kala Academy. The then young Amir would jot down parts of
Sharon and Wilson Mazarello at a show
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iatr music in the old days was almost entirely original. “Today youngsters want the latest tunes with influences from Bollywood and Western pop,” says veteran music director Agnelo Dias who has seen some 40 years in the tiatr busienss. Tiatr bands would stick mostly to wind instruments with five musicians at most. The saxophone, trumpet, drums, violin and surprisingly the banjo were the most popularl in the past.”The violin was used to write the notes of the song and then adapted for the rest of the instruments,” says Dias. Today however, the banjo and violin are being replaced by the keyboard, lead guitar and bass guitar. Roy Menezes, a new generation music director finds the change an improvement from the past. “The use of the keyboard has given the option of different tones. Earlier it was very monotonous, there’s more variation now,” he says. But the pattern has remained the same. “There are usually six porde’s (scenes) with songs in between each scene and a few cantos,” the musician who teaches at Kala Akademi points out. (A cantos, derived from Portuguese is usually a single verse, single chorus song that is sung during a scene to
describe the characters’ feeling of happiness or sadness.) Once the song is written, the music directors add the scores and then get the musicians—usually five—together for a practice. Dias worked with Jacinto Vaz, M Boyer, Chris Perry and Remmie Colaco and is nostalgic about the memories their names bring back. “I was so fortunate to work with Chris Perry for a tiatr back in the 80’s. Lorna was only 17 then, and still a budding artist at the time. Those were the good times.” Like most tiatrists, musicians too have full time jobs to earn a regular living which they can’t in the tiatr business. Dias worked with the electricity department, retiring last year. He has also won awards from the Tiatr Academy as well as the State government. He is currently practicing for this season’s tiatr, Corruption Kabar by Comedian Agosthino. Menezes on the other hand, worked as a musician in the Navy before turning to teaching music. Dias says that a musician can easily make a living off music. “It is a fact that musicians can earn upto Rs 20,000 and even more in a month. There is a demand for musicians to play for hotels, funerals as well as feasts,” he says.
Queens of Melodrama Regina Fernandes was one of the first heroines to come into the tiatr as early as 1904. Regina was the wife of well known Pai Tiatrist, Joao Agostinho Fernandes. Her performance in Bhattkara set the stage for the future generations of Goan heroines. Before Regina took to the stage, male actors played women roles. Actress and daughter of tiatrist Rom Tony, Felcy Fernandes says she always knew she wanted to be a heroine. She’d been acting since she was five and feels that the roles she has played have helped her evolve as an artist. “My most memorable role was that of an insane woman in Piche. Chitra Shirvaikar was
Janet Nunes
Drama on and off stage
his speech while paying close attention to the body movement. “I don’t know how, but the voice variation comes naturally to me. I don’t really have to work that hard.” There’s a lot of work that goes into mimicking a person, he says. “I always make it a point to mimic only what the person has said in real life and never improvise. Many tiatrists have asked me to say something that a particular politician may not have said just to increase the entertainment value of their tiatr. I will not do it,” says Amir. His popularity is evident not only from the numerous encores he gets at a performance, but also the directors queued up to sign him on for their shows. He sometimes has been asked to perform in three shows a day, and he does his best to make it to each one. From a Prince Jacob to a Menino de Bandar production, Amir has done them all. The comedian recently wrote a tiatr of his own. Though he only got to 19 shows, he believes that it will take time to get to the top. “Once you make a name, then it is easy to become popular. If your first show
Felcy with Meena and Matthew wary of the audience response to a Hindu actress in a majorly Catholic dominated crowd. But she recalls how after her first show in 1989 for Zuze Rod’s Punn Kiteak was the reason she is in the industry to this day. “It was a challenging moment because I was a Hindu, but the audience accepted me as an actress,” she says. Shirvaikar says she feels better doing serious roles and that she explores her character before she plays it on stage. “I like to research
becomes a hit, there is no guarantee that the next one will also be a hit, but people know your name,” he says. Amir never turns down a fan even on the street and promptly turns out an impression of their favourite personality. “I can never say no to them, so I do a little on the spot mimic for them. I love to see the laugh on their faces when I’m done. It’s truly rewarding.” Amir is proud that his son has reached Grade 7 in violin and occasionally plays for tiatrs.
my character well before performing. I try to be as natural as I can.” “I prefer doing tragedy roles. I measure the success of my effort in the number of people I am able to make cry,” says Shirvaikar adding that negative roles are not her cup of tea. Comedian Janet who has been acting since she was 12, prefers to perform comedy and sees it as a challenge when it comes to entertaining the audience. The secret, she says, is to emphasise words in the right way. “As a heroine, you have to energetic as well as enthusiastic. I get tense when people don’t laugh during a funny scene,” says Janet. With tiatr now a big business, actresses it seems are no longer stars of the stage. “Back in the 90’s, people appreciated heroines more. I would receive gifts and flowers from people after some shows in the past. These were things that would make me happy and truly I felt great. Today it’s become more of a routine and a profession rather than popularity,” says Fernandes. It has changed from one show a day to upto three, she says.
KIMBERLY COLAÇO zeroes in on some engaging sidelights of the tiatr world
Cat in the act
In the 1980s at a tiatr competition in Kala academy Tomazinho’s Carodozo’s tiatr was being staged. It was called ‘Zogzogta titlem Bhangar Noi’ (All that glitters is not gold) and was based on traditional fishermen. The scene had the fishermen and his wife eating Kanji with dried salted fish. Suddenly, out of nowhere a cat strutted onto the stage, eyeing the fish. The audience held its breath. Just then, one of the actors, Olly, had the presence of mind to pick up the fish and throw it at the cat which vanished with it. The scene drew a huge applause and loud whistling. The audience thought what they had seen was a part of the act, and the cat had been trained to play its role!
Wardrobe malfunction
song again from the same audience and heaved a sigh of relief.” The trio would never dare such adventurous improvisation again. So much for taking their audience for granted!
Mismatched
Mario Menezes, his daughter Rioma and Rosy Alvares in Hi Main Konnachi
During one of Sharon Mazarello’s performances, the elastic of her inner skirt snapped and to her horror she felt it sliding down. “I crossed my right arm over my stomach and caught the skirt through my dress. Now the scene required that I argue and say my dialogues with a lot of gesticulation but I could use only one hand while I held on to that silly skirt with the other. After I delivered my lines, I had to walk out holding my co-actor’s hand. He put out his hand to take mine, and I rebuffed him, marching off stage holding on frantically to my skirt. Everyone wondered what was going on.”
Too close for comfort
‘Burguem’, directed by Rosario Rodrigues featured Mario Menezes acting as Kumar, a notorious criminal. The tiatr was based on the life of Kumar, the first person to be hanged in Goa after he was convicted for brutally murdering his wife and daughter. The last scene of the drama was supposed to show Kumar hanging. The noose was ready and waiting for Menezes to slip
Late for an act, comedy queen Janet rushed on the stage to sing her duet, but knew something was amiss when her partner began to frantically signal something was wrong with her outfit. Right enough, Janet had come on wearing two different shoes. The faux pas made her so nervous, she forgot her lines and sang the same verse over and over much to the audience’s amusement.
HIT SHOWS
clubs at Mazagon. All hell broke loose. The same people TIATR YEAR SHOWS DIRECTOR who had called encores started Padri 1998 -2000 315 shows Prince Jacob hooting at us. They Tapott 1979 230 shows Rose Ferns stopped the tiatr and wouldn’t let it Socorina 1984 215 shows Menino De start until C Alvares Bandar himself came on Police 2008 203 shows Comedian stage and apoloAgostinho gized. After we did manage to pacify the hooting stopped, but they threatened to bar us Show stoppers from singing thereafter at Mazagon. The next week we were scheduled to participate in Wilson Mazarello (Wilmix) was singing a comedy trio Prem Kumar’s new tiatr. The show was house full but in one of C Alvares’s tiatr at St Mary’s Hall, Mazagon, there was a big crowd waiting to stop the show if the Mumbai 35 years ago. The trio was a hit and received Wilmix Trio came on stage. Prem Kumar was upset two encores. It was a practice then to sing a new verse and didn’t know what to do. He finally called all three and chorus each time they were called again. “For the of us up on stage before the tiatr started and made third encore we sang about rocket debris which had us apologize. It was only after we said sorry that they been predicted would fall on Mumbai with dangerous consequences, and joked that it should fall on the Goan alowed the tiatr to go on. We got an encore for our new around his neck. But rather than keeping it loose, someone put the actor in a tight knot, leaving him practically suffocating on stage. When the light boy saw it was no act, he quickly switched off the lights and untied the actor.
TAG rolls out the red carpet
Acting course A first of kind crash course on acting, scriptwriting, stage setting, lighting, directing, costumes, song composing and the history of tiatr is beginning on April 11. 28 classes will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Participants will be paid a stipend of Rs 200 per session as transport reimbursement. Music classes The academy has been training students to play blowing instruments like the saxophone and trumpet. The first batch received 12 candidates out of which four were girls. The second batch has already received 40 applicants. A student has to pay half the price of the instrument while the academy bears the other half of the cost. Teaching fees are also paid by the academy. Following the course the students have to sign a one year contract to play for tiatrs. Various other schemes exist where in the academy supports research related to tiatr, organizing seminars/ workshops, sending troupes to Bombay and Poona, conducting tiatr festivals/ competitions. The Academy also supports groups at the grass root level in villages by providing tiatr enthusiasts with a professional director, stage set up and stages.
Aniceto Jacinto, Annie and Nancy in Prince Jacob's Rong
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There used to be a rush among villagers to carry the statues. Now the scene is different, as so many of our young villagers have settled in London
As the only brown child in his high school, he was teased and bullied constantly by other students and school officials
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FACE TO FACE
Pride against prejudice Jeremy Dias, a young Goan in Canada, who leads the fight against homophobia and high school bullying speaks to NISHITHA NAIR SHRIVASTAVA
Jeremy Dias (centre) with volunteers at ‘Jer’s Vision’
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or most people childhood is a pristine state of innocence. But not for Jeremy Dias. Born to Goan parents in Canada, this is the one phase that is not a storehouse of fond memories. Today Jeremy heads an organisation that strives to ensure no child in Canada suffers the same traumas he went through. His organization ‘Jer’s Vision’ works to stop bullying, discrimination and homopho-
bia in schools and communities in Canada and abroad. As the only brown child in his high school, he was teased and bullied constantly by other students and school officials. “When I came out as gay, I was bullied even more and ended up in the hospital a couple of times too,” he says. This is when Dias decided to not let the perpetrators get away. At 17, he challenged his school and school
board in court. “Challenging my school board at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal was my way of seeking justice,” says the 29-year-old. At the trial, Dias had asked only for an apology. But when the school refused, the Tribunal ruled in his favour, ordering also a financial settlement. In addition, the court ordered teachers’ training, new books and started antibullying clubs. Jeremy used the money to set up
Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative, the International Day of Pink and the Jeremy Dias Scholarship. “The scholarship grew into a national charity where volunteers like me speak at schools across Canada and in some other parts of the world,” says the young executive director of Jer’s Vision. Today, Dias, his staff and volunteers run workshops, presentations and conferences every day to stop bullying, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia. They use their own experiences and stories to break down stereotypes and prejudices. Running a charity is never easy with funds and volunteers in short supply. But Dias is optimistic. He says, ‘Many volunteers and community leaders are working very hard to make communities and schools a safer place.” And positive results are always reassuring. Dias recalls one such case involving another gay Goan student. The team worked together to make his school a safer place. In the end, the child was extremely grateful towards Dias’ organization. In this case, the team worked around getting people in his school to be more respectful of gays. It is successes like these that keep Dias and his team going Armed with a degree in Psychology and Political Science from the University of Ottawa, Dias continues to volunteer for organisations such as Housing Help and the Imperial Court. “This work doesn’t end with a new generation. It requires continuous effort,” says Dias, whose fondest memories of Goa are some photos of the place in his father’s room. n Review Bureau
When the saints come marching out Though a large number of its people have emigrated to the UK, the village of Goa Velha continues with its unique procession of saints, reports KIMBERLY COLAÇO
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very year thousands of people converge on Goa Velha for the traditional procession of saints held on the fifth Sunday of Lent. The ceremony dates back to the 18th century when the Franciscan orders based at Pilar, began the custom of carrying the statues of its saints in a procession through the village. The procession was later banned by the Marquis of Pombal and many of the statues fell to ruin. When the custom was revived in the 19th century, only 27 statues remained. Four more statues were added to the list—of St Andrew (patron saint of Goa Velha Church), St Francis Xavier (patron saint of Goa), St Peter (the first Pope) and Blessed Fr Joseph Vaz. The number of life-size statues taken out in the procession—31—has remained a constant ever since. After the procession, the 31 saints are left in the St Andrew’s Church at Goa Velha for the four-day veneration. But where exactly are these saints stored for the rest of the year? Fashioned out of wood, the statues are dismantled, wrapped in cloth and put away in a special room in the church. The limbs, heads, crowns and even clothes are meticulously marked and numbered according to their order in the procession, so there is no mix up when they are reassembled and ready to join the procession at next year’s Lent. In the collection of 31 saints is also an image on cloth of Christ’s face, considered a historic and prized possession. Folklore has it that the image represents the actual face of Jesus, and only two such images exist, the other one being in the Franciscan monastery in the Alps. “The picture is on a cloth and no tests have been done to see if it is an original, as it would destroy the picture,” says Fr Cosme Costa. The cloth image is older than the statues, says Costa. A special team of painters makes sure the Goa Velha saints get a touch up every five years. “We keep a check through the year, just to make sure the room is not infected by pests,” says Raul Colaço, the parish priest of St Andrews Church. Trained craftsmen are employed for repairs if required. And when it comes to the vestments for the
THE NOMADIC BARBER An expert barber from the UK himself, Miguel Gutierrez’ mission is to explore and document the cut and snip of the art of barbering in five countries, including India. And Goa is on the top of his offbeat agenda NISHITHA NAIR SHRIVASTAVA
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or UK-based hairdresser Miguel Gutierrez, it is back to the barter—or is it the barber—economy, with services rendered for services in return. Come June 12, he will, camera in tow, set out on a yearlong journey covering five countries--Turkey, India, Australia, the United States and Brazil. His mission: discovering the history and secrets of barbering worldwide. And to make ends meet, he intends to trade haircuts for everything he needs along the way. Cutting hair has taken Gutierrez places, literally and figuratively. From working in one of Europe’s largest barbershops in Liverpool to
barbers as well as test their expert knowledge in shaving,” says Gutierrez. This journey was the outcome of a random chat he had with a friend. “We talked about how cool it would be to travel and get video footage of me cutting hair in obscure locations,” says Gutierrez, who now also goes by the name ‘The Nomad Barber’. Developing this seed of thought, they realised it would be interesting to interview people, using the social aspect of a barbershop but on the road. “The last piece of the puzzle was when I was travelling in Australia in 2008. I would trade haircuts for cash which would pay for my beer, petrol and food. This was when I wondered what other things I could trade for
Rozario Estibeiro
(Top) Hairstylist Gutierrez with a customer at a studio in London; (above) posing in the UK underground
The Procession of Saints at Goa-Velha; (below) the storeroom with dismantled statues
PROUD OF THE 200 YEAR OLD TRADITION, THE VILLAGERS OF GOA-VELHA DON’T ALLOW ‘OUTSIDERS’ TO BECOME BEARERS OF THE SAINTS’ STATUES, WITH THE CONFRARIA MAKING SURE THE TASK REMAINS WITHIN THE VILLAGE. saints, the Mendes family of Goa Velha have attented to this task for years, and continue to do so to this day. “My father used to tell us that as a kid he would go and dress the saints up a few days before the procession and now I have continued the tradition,” says Alfred Mendes, whose family has been
Siddesh Mayenkar
at it for 40 years. But traditions too have a way of dying out as the older generations pass on and the younger ones migrate in the hunt for greener pastures in other continents. “There used to be a rush among villagers to carry the statues. Now the scene is different, as so many of our young villagers have settled in London and there are very few men to carry them,” says Diago Gonsalves, president of Goa-Velha confraria. But proud of the 200 year old tradition, the villagers of Goa-Velha don’t allow ‘outsiders’ to become bearers of the saints’ statues, with the confraria making sure the task remains within the village. n Review Bureau
joining a family-run business and making it big there, to a prestigious hairdresser in Australia, and then back to his roots in London only to be involved with some high-profile fashion events. To top it all, he recently bagged the 2013 American Crew Face Off award. On this latest adventure on a shoestring budget, Gutierrez plans to put his haircutting skills to the test and see how far it gets him around the globe. Gutierrez, 26, will be in Goa by the end of July. “The old-world charm of the Goa barbearia has been on my todo list since looking up famous barbershops across the world. Keeping up with our traditions and maintaining the well groomed look of men has tempted me to visit India and speak to the barbers themselves,” he says. His next stop after Goa will most likely be Pushkar in Rajasthan to meet up with the ‘cosmic barber’, Baba. “We want to meet as many street barbers as we can. For filming, India is probably the place I‘m most excited about. The people, the colours, the food and with all that’s going on, it will make for great video,” says Gutierrez. So are we going to see outlandish hairstyles bobbing around Panjim? “Traditional Indians stick with fairly conservative side partings, so I’m going to give the Indian barber a re-style. I’d also like to learn about the famous head massages from the
GUTIERREZ, 26, WILL BE IN GOA BY THE END OF JULY. “THE OLD-WORLD CHARM OF THE GOA BARBEARIA HAS BEEN ON MY TO-DO LIST SINCE LOOKING UP FAMOUS BARBERSHOPS ACROSS THE WORLD haircuts and how far it could go,” explains Gutierrez. His career choice was not by chance, and that reflects in his passion for cutting and styling hair. He is aware that the next 12 months will not be easy, but he is prepared. “It’s going to be risky and probably a bumpy ride. We don’t have much money and with the kind of equipment we have, it’s going to be long, gruelling days finding barbers to interview and photograph. But from the feedback and response we’ve had so far, we believe we are going to meet a lot of really kind and generous people along the way who’ll want to help out and pitch in,” says Gutierrez. The biggest problem he foresees is the language barrier. But he is optimistic. “We’re hoping to meet people along the way who will help us translate and work for the web series,” he says. n Review Bureau
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SUNDAY, april 7, 2013
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On March 23, the anniversary of Singh’s death, police officers had to break up a heated exchange between opposing groups at the circle
There is no doubt that Siolim is a vibrant village though it has its volatile moments. To really get into its groove you need to be a part of its make-up
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MY VILLAGE, MY HOME Photos: Joel D’Souza
Song of Siolim A fisherman plies his canoe in the Chapora River
I
ALEXYZ
was born in Bombay, much before Bal Thackeray baptised it Mumbai. I spent my school holidays accompanying my mum to Goa. Those were my impressionable years. Catching catfish and crab, scouring the hills for chunnas and carvandas, and later a bath in the zhor (spring). However what stuck in the recesses of my brain was the haunting call of the cuckoo that cooed like a pin stuck on a record. It was in the early 1970s that I relocated to Goa after graduating from St Xavier’s College in Bombay. The haunting call of the cuckoo finally brought me back home. The changes that have gripped Goa have altered our lifestyle, our ethics, our aspirations, and our villages. Hills are bled red. Green groves are turning grey. Mercifully, Siolim has no hues of
ore. Foxes, mongooses, monitor lizards, chameleons, frogs and snakes too have been diminishing as rapidly as the honest politician. Thankfully, a couple of springs have not been usurped. The two—in Gholant and Maina—still retain their old world charm. In Siolim, the dawn has hardly broken, when the sound of silence is shattered by roosters and cuckoos. At 5am is the first wake up call. Down the road, the church bells toll at 6am in unison with the honking of the poder, signalling it’s time for my dose of yoga. Incidentally, Siolim has four yoga centres. On the flip side though we are also besieged by the predawn screeching sounds of trucks carrying sand for construction—or is it destruction? There are also the zooming, booming bikes of junkies from the rave parties passing through, but none to stop these phantoms of the night. However hope springs in the proactive brigade of My Siolim and the Siolim Consumer Cell who raise their voices on issues that matter to the village.
Siolim’s Wednesday weekly roadside market near St Anthony’s Church is an artist’s delight. Women come from across the river carrying bamboo baskets with home-grown veggies, brown rice,red chillies and fish both fresh and dry. Lourdes from Marna is a regular with her handmade dos, sannas, pinaca, and bol. Squealing pigling and cackling local fowl cry for freedom. If you’re looking for pork or beef, you need to come early. Groceries can be picked up from our yoga guru Udesh Pangam. Finally a chai at St Anthony’s and newspapers from John at Hotel de Jackin before you head home. Apart from the occasional crime, there’s an air of perennial festivity. The Guddem Zagor is about 300 years old or more and is held after the feast of Guia Saibin. It’s the biggest intercommunity get-together in Goa. Hom Kund is a unique festival held on Gudi Padva. A huge pile of wood is lit and people are invited to pray or walk on its embers. Once I also did the fire walk.
CIRCLE OF UNREASON
The Sao Joao traditional boat parade is held on June 24. Its origins are a mystery. It was revived 22 years ago by Fermin D’Souza of Anjuna and me, but with more fanfare and colour. Now Sylvester Fernandes and team keep it alive. The festival coincides with the celebrations of the San Joao Chapel at Fernandes Vaddo where newly married couples offer vogem. We also have the festival of plants and flowers at St Francis Xavier’s High School every year with about 20 schools, villagers and nurseries taking part. It’s our way of balancing the destruction of our green heritage The signature of a village is identified by the legacy left behind by its people. Musically Siolim is up there. Imagine having a life size statue of Ludwig van Beethoven standing majestically in the garden of Pinta Shapai! The pianist Noel Flores, former dean at the Vienna Conservatory was born here. Old timers tell me of band master Zeferino D’Cruz who produced acclaimed musicians like Joazinho Carvalho aka Johnson and
A statue of Beethoven in the garden, a 300-year old zagor and a boat parade for São João. These are the many faces of a multicultural Siolim his Jolly Boys. Antonio D’Souza the music director of Emissora da Goa, Maria Miranda, the granddaughter of Pai Tiatrist Joao Agostinho Fernandes who sang regularly on Emissora da Goa, Cruz Jazzwalla Noronha, a top musician in Bombay in the 1930s, and Bernado Fernandes who pioneered the Mando festivals in Goa are some famous musically associated names from Siolim. Reginald Fernandes’ trumpet was the toast of the Maharajas. But the musician out of sheer nostalgia also wrote almost 300 novels in Romi Konkani. Currently of course there’s Remo Fernandes, one of India’s kings of pop music. On the tiatr stage the late actors Kid Boxer and Mini Diago were household names. Anton Joao Noronha was the first to introduce tiatrs locally. Anthony Fernandes, BBC Basilio Carvalho, Alister Miranda, Selvin, Savio Fernandes and Reginald the big fisherman are in the forefront today. Among some of the famous names Siolim has produced Pascal Joao Gomes was the Attorney General of Goa in 1835. Francisco Fernandes was the Mayor of Macao. Rev Ignatius Lobo was Bishop of Belgaum, and his brother John Lobo was the director of CBI. Rev Allwyn Barretto is the current Bishop of Sindhudurg. There is no doubt that Siolim is a vibrant village though it has its volatile moments. To really get into its groove you need to be a part of its make-up. In my own little way I have tried to bond with the villagers. My prayer to Siolkars is not to let their greed to make a quick buck or gain power to get the better of the larger interest of the village. We all have a role to protect Siolim’s natural and cultural heritage. Finally we have to ask ourselves what legacy we are leaving behind for our children and the children to come. Long live Siolim. Let it flow cheerfully and positively like its soothing sound of music and the constant coo of the cuckoo. The writer is a cartoonist
Lourdes, a vendor at the Wednesday bazaar in Siolim; (below) the famous Gudem Zagor
The move to rename a traffic circle in Lahore after Bhagat Singh has caused an uproar in Pakistan with the matter ending up in the courts SALMAN MASOOD
I
In LAHORE
f ever a squabble over a street name could sum up a nation’s identity crisis, it is happening in Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital. Late last year, a group of Lahoris made progress in getting local officials to rename a busy traffic circle for Bhagat Singh, the Sikh revolutionary who was hanged at the site by the British in 1931 after a brief but eventful insurrection against colonial rule. They see it as a chance to honour a local hero who they feel transcends the ethnic and sectarian tensions gripping the country today – and also as an important test of the boundaries of inclusiveness here. But in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, questions of religious identity also become issues of patriotism, and the effort has raised alarm bells among conservatives and Islamists. The circle was named in 2010 for Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, a Muslim student who coined the name Pakistan in the 1930s, and there was an outcry at the news that it might be renamed for a non-Muslim. “If a few people decide one day that the name has to be changed, why should the voice of the majority be ignored?” asked Zahid Butt, the head of a neighbourhood business association here and a leader of the effort to block the renaming. The fight over the traffic circle – which, when they are pressed, locals usually just call Shadman Circle, after the surrounding neighbourhood – has become a showcase battle in a wider ideological war over nomenclature
and identity here and in other Pakistani cities. Although many of Lahore’s prominent buildings are named for nonMuslims, there has been a growing effort to “Islamize” the city’s architecture and landmarks, critics of the trend say. In that light, the effort to rename the circle for Singh becomes a cultural counteroffensive. “Since the ‘80s, the days of the dictator Gen Zia ul-Haq, there has been an effort that everything should be Islamized – like the Mall should be called MA Jinnah Road,” said Taimur Rahman, a musician and academic from Lahore, referring to one of the city’s central roads and to the country’s founder. “They do not want to acknowledge that other people, from different religions, also lived here in the past.” A recent nationwide surge in deadly
attacks against religious minorities, particularly against Ahmadi and Hazara Shiites, has again put a debate over tolerance on the national agenda. Though most Sikhs fled Pakistan soon after the partition from India in 1947, the fight over whether to honour a member of that minority publicly bears closely on the headlines for many. A push to honour Singh has been going on here for years. But it was not until the annual remembrance of his birth in September that things came to a head. A candlelight demonstration to support renaming the traffic circle had an effect, and a senior district official agreed to start the process. As part of it, he asked the public to come forward with any objections. The complaints started pouring in. Traders of Shadman Market, the local trade group led by Butt, threat-
The traffic circle in Lahore at the heart of the controversy; (left) a man holds a portrait of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh (Diego Ibarra Sanchez/NYT) ened a strike. Clerics voiced their opposition during prayers. Chillingly, warnings against the move were issued by leaders of the Islamic aid group Jamaat-ud-Dawwa, largely believed to be a front for the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The issue quickly became a case for the city’s High Court, which said it would deliberate on a petition, initiated by Butt and a coalition of religious conservatives, to block the name change. That was in November, and the case still awaits a hearing date. The provincial government has remained in tiptoe mode ever since. “It is a very delicate matter,” said Ajaz Anwar, an art historian and painter who is the vice chairman of a civic
committee tasked with managing the renaming process. Anwar said some committee members had proposed a compromise: renaming the circle after Habib Jalib, a widely popular post-independence poet. That move has been rejected out of hand by pro-Singh campaigners. Rahman and other advocates for renaming the circle paint it as a test of resistance to intolerance and extremism, and they consider the government and much of Lahore society to have failed it. “The government’s defence in the court has been very halfhearted,” said Yasser Latif Hamdani, a lawyer representing the activists. “The government lawyer did not even present
his case during earlier court proceedings.” The controversy threatens to become violent. On March 23, the anniversary of Singh’s death, police officers had to break up a heated exchange between opposing groups at the circle. Rahman and the other supporters have vowed to continue fighting, saying it has become a war over who gets to own Pakistan’s history. “There is a complete historical amnesia and black hole regarding the independence struggle from the British,” Rahman said, adding of the Islamists, “They want all memories to evaporate.”
New York Times
Editor –in-chief: R F Fernandes. Editor: Ishan Joshi (Responsible under PRB Act). Editor Herald Review: Devika Sequeira. Regd Office: St Tome Road, Panjim, Goa. Office: No. F/4 ‘A’ Wing, Campal Trade Centre, Campal, Panjim 403001Tel: (0832) 6518500, 2224202, 2228083. Fax: 2225622. Email: review@herald-goa.com, devika@herald-goa.com