THE PRINTED WORD ----------------------------------------------------------
Paying tribute to Goa's musicians FREDERICK NORONHA (FN) looks at recent books on music, Goan architecture, poetry and song in this weekly column. Music, food and sport are the fields Goa has reason to be proud of. This small region's achievements in these areas is cause for envy for many larger parts of the country -- or beyond. 'Joyous Sounds: A Tribute To Our Music And Musicians From Guitar Guild Goa' is a paean of praise to one of these fields. Edited by US-returned expat Vivek "VM" Menezes, this slim (68-page) book has essays by Jose Pereira, Lourdinho Barrteo, Victor Rangel-Ribeiro, Rajan Parrikar, Namita Devidayal, Lourdes Bravo Da Costa Rodrigues, Wendell Rodricks, Ramu Ramanathan, Naresh Fernandes, Savia Viegas and Vivek Menezes himself. There's no pulling punches here. This book, in the editor VM's style, makes some bold claims about Goa's role in history. Its first essay says: "it was in Goa that the first symbiosis of any Asian tradition of music with the European was realized, in Goan Song, of which the Mando is the consummation." (Jose Pereira) There is a focus on Goa's contribution to Indian music too. By way of tributes to Kesarbai Kerkar, Mogubai Kurdikar, Jitendra Abhisheki, Khaprumama Parvatkar, Kishori Amonkar and Namita Devidayal's 'Interpreting Hindustani Classical Music'. There are some amazing photographs in this book, whose layout is by Alisha Colaço. Unfortunately, in the absence of captions, one is left guessing as to who's who. More details of this book from Guitar Guild Goa's Rui Lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, or Vivek Menezes [EMAIL PROTECTED] COURTYARD HOMES "The courtyard house of Goa harks back to a long tradition of dwellings with a central space open to the skies circumscribed by rooms on all sides, a model as much functional in keeping the house cool in the hot climate, as of sacred inspiration." This explanation pretty much gives you an idea of what the book 'Lived Heritage, Shared Space' is all about. Its subtitle is "The Courtyard House of Goa" and is authored by Angelo Costa Silveira (translated from the Portuguese by Maria Flavia Ribeiro). Lots of interesting and informative details in this scholarly work from Angelo Costa Silveira, a conservation architect of Goan origin based in Lisbon. We're told that along the Konkan coast, there have been references to the courtyard houses from the late medieval period onwards. And: "While the churches and sacred buildings of Goa have been the focus of a majority of studies on the built heritage of Goa, in more recent times, there has been increasing awareness that the resplendent houses of Goa are as deserving of careful attention." But it also warns that "today this distinct domestic architecture of historical Goa faces a deep threat. Once the symbols of prosperity, many have today fallen into disrepair." This title is published by Yoda Press, New Delhi (2008), and its 140-page work costs Rs 495. ISBN 81-903634-7-6. Available in local outlets. Well illustrated. This book was supported by the Portuguese Institute for the Book and Libraries http://www.iplb.pt/ IN VERSE With photographer Thomas Vaz's eye-catching photo of Old Goa on the cover, there's little chance of this book not catching one's eye. Inside are Mario Miranda's lovely sketches and cartoons. So are artist Yoland de Souza's work. But the book really is about Marinella ProenÃa§'s poems. Poems which are described as aimed at "awakening Goan memories". Old-time Gomantak Times readers might recall Marinella as the mum of former GT reporter Reuven, now based in the UK. In 27 poems, Marinella puts down her memories "of a glorious era when Goa truly was paradise... made up of innocence, happy laughter, gaiety." My own guess was that life in Goa was much tougher for many more people in the past than it is today, though we now admittedly have new (and huge) problems of our own. Books such as these could tap the nostalgia market. But verse, as all know, is tougher to sell. The book's price (Rs 650 in India) could make it harder to travel. But the quality of the book, both in terms of production and paper, and the artistically-chosen images certainly lend a lot of value. More of us in Goa need to express our thoughts in print. Mrs Proença has done a good job in coming out with this book. The photo of the Shimla beat show at Calangute instantly took me back to the 1970s and schooldays. Calangute-based poet-publisher Marinella Proenca can be contacted via email [EMAIL PROTECTED] This book is 55 pages thick, and has been published only a few weeks ago. ODE TO THE MANDO Each year, Goa marks its mando festival, an event of traditional Goan music which finds it hard-pressed in these entertainment-overloaded days to find audiences. Recently held, the 41st mando festival came out with a souvenir of its own. It contains the scores and lyrics of some mande, details of participating groups, and even Dr Francisco Colaco's essay on 'artful mando dancing'. This is more of a souvenir, even if a useful one, than a book. It is published by the Goa Cultural & Social Centre of Panjim. Unfortunately the mando festival itself isn't getting audio recorded and broadcast via cyberspace, an initiative which if undertake could indeed promote this song-dance form to many more across the globe, including the Goan Diaspora. More next week. -- Feedback welcome: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 2409490 or 9970157402 (after 1 pm)