Tiatro is the best form of educating the Goan community; it served Goan community for over a century. Thru the medium of Konkani stage people learnt many things and for this reason Goan community especially the Konkani speaking people should be grateful to Konkani Stage. During the Portuguese rule in Goa by using the forum of Stage Konkani Tiatrists namely Minguel Rod, M. Dod de Verna, Anthony-Nelson, Alexinho de Candolim and many more revolutionized Goan Society by attacking the brute Bhatkarshai, dirty Bamonshahi and ugly caste system. The menace of dowry was minimized during those days by the strong campaign of Tiatrists in which legendary Minguel Rod played the most precious role. Social revolution in Goa was immensely created by the Tiatrists of yesteryears for this!
reason inspite of their deaths they still remain immortal. I bow down my head to them and to their campaign.
During the Portuguese rule there was strict censorship only against the statement on Government machinery. No body could utter a word against the Government otherwise there was every freedom and every liberation to speak one's mind not only from the Stage but also from the Pulpit. One could criticize anyone for his misdeeds and mischief except to the Government. During those days village Regidor was whole and sole of the affairs of the village and he used to check the details of the songs and tiatros. The Regidor was the whole and sole of the Government of Goa under the Portuguese rule to look after the affairs of the village. He was not normally a corrupt man, he was appointed by the Government on the basis of his education, !
integrity and other good characteristics of his life even though there were some exceptions in exceptional cases.
Portuguese Government of Goa gave Goans all the freedoms except to go against it. Freedom is one's birthright and to express it one must have liberation. On the pretext of this a group of Goans led a campaign against the Portuguese rule in Goa. Yes, on 19th December 1961 Portuguese rule was ousted from Goa not by the fake and "chor - krimidor" freedom fighters but by the huge military sent by Nehru Government in Delhi with the strong backing of Soviet Russia which is now splitted into pieces. Soviet Russia was formed by grabbing neighbouring small - small states for this reason Soviet supported invaders in the name of liberation. When India grabbed golden Goa (and then turned it into rotten Goa) everyone who was aspiring ! for free expression became happy. But the moment Goa Administration was attacked by the genuine Goan tiatrists namely Kid Boxer, Conception-Nelson-Anthony and others they faced the obstacle from the Goa Administrators and the above named 4 tiatrists were reprimanded in the free Goa, the so called liberated Goa. The so called fake freedom fighters had no marbles to fight against this injustice committed on tiatrists' freedom of expression. Later on Roque Santan Fernandes supported the freedom of expression for Tiatrists for this reason Kid Boxer in one of his songs said "Magtam eta tea eleisavank Roque Santan boslea puro mhonn".
Incidentally Mapusa Tiatro Hall is the only place in Goa where upright and justice lover tiatrists were reprimanded. Soon after the so-called liberation of Goa the affairs of Goan administration went into the hands of "bamtte" coming from the other side of the border. They did not know the soul of Goa nor Goan culture, tradition, history and language and in the bargain they started to impose on Goa something foreign which the genuine Goan tiatirsts started exposing from the stage. When Conception-Nelson-Anthony in their trio criticized the so called freedom fighters whom then were called nationalists saying "Nationalist mhonntta poi tem ek Ansachem tantem" for their silence o!
ver the corrupt practices going on in Goa in the name of liberated Goa and concluded the same trio saying it is no use staying anymore in corrupt liberated Goa, it is better we should go now to Brazil etc. These were the words enough for them to get reprimanded by the Mapusa jurisdiction. The next target of the then Goan Administration imposed from Delhi was the great and mighty Kid Boxer when in one of his heavily critical solos he said referring to the Government of India's grabbing of Goa "Tum bhitor sorlai chukon - mortoloi sukon - dusreacho desh pochona (referring to annexing of Goa by Bharat against the wishes of overwhelming majority of Goans). "Tum nestai fokot valo ani khatai fokot palo" (referring to all ghanttis coming from neighbouring places wrapping a dhoti type of plain cloth piece around their waist and eating Bhaji). "Tum pan potti khatai ani poch'ch korun thuktai, lozu!
i kaim dissona" (referring to all the ghanttis who were eating panpotti and spitting red blood on our clean roads). What these tiatrists then mentioned was absolutely correct, they were then called anti-Indian. That time if any tiatrist criticized the injustice of Goan rulers under Indian Government then it was considered an act of revolt. In fact those tiatrists were fighting for justice for Goa and Goans by exposing the misdeeds of the rulers. Speaking one's conscience is no anti-Indian act and to fight this malaise no body came forward except the tiatrists whom I salute. When Dayananda Bandodkar could not face the stiff criticism of the tiatrists from the Stage especially from Con-Nel-Ant., he introduced Sa!
lazar's censorship thereby showing Portuguese blood in his veins. He was not afraid of 12 UGP MLAs in the Goa Legislative Assembly but he was afraid only of 3 tiatrists Con-Nel-Ant. Such a mighty power tiatrists are wielding in our society.
4 Days back William de Curtorim was reprimanded by the Mapusa Police Station for singing political songs. For me William's songs are not political but educative to get justice for Goa and society. What MPs and MLs cannot do William de Curtorim is doing and as such he deserves support. From Kuwait on behalf of all my like minded friends and colleagues I support William de Curtorim and condemn the action of Mapusa Police Station for preventing William de Curtorim from singing political songs. William de Curtorim's songs are not political in nature but they are religious in nature as they speak the truth and as such they should be encouraged. Such songs are required for the protection of India's integrity otherwise Indian "chor &!
amp; krimidor" politicians will destroy not only Goa but also the entire India. William de Curtorim by singing such songs is awakening the conscience of the society and such patriots are required now to arouse patriotism in Indians who lack patriotism for this reason they are burning innocent Muslims in Gujarat and robbing India of its wealth. Jayprakash Narain gave a call even to the armed forces to disobey the brute laws of Indira Government. Indira Gandhi provoked the police force to disobey Morarjee Desai's instructions. In such a situation what is the weight of the instruction issued by the Mapsa Police Station? Can any social organization or human rights organization or any NGO come forward and file a case against those who harass William de Curtorim? If today William then tomorrow it may the turn of somobody else. Hence, everyone has t!
o be vigilant. And by the way, can those very tin pot tiatrists who joined together and went to Herald Office to condemn my article "ROSTAD TIATRIST" come out openly with their version against the brute might of Mapusa Police Station in suppressing the free expression of their own colleague? Will they show their solidarity with their own colleague? Or are they happy internally because William is reprimanded thus because many of the tiatrists are jealous of William's popularity? If they act now like impotent then they will show their true colours.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 3 months FREE*. 3 months FREE*. ======================================================================== Ongoing: Exhibition of paintings, Art Chamber, Calangute www.goa-art.com Dec 14 onwards: Shireen Mody's Goa 2002 exhibition, Arpora. Tel 2276759 Dec 17, 18, 20: Indo-Portuguese furniture, lectures Fundacao Ph 2230728 Jan 19-22: Gauri Divan's studio pottery, Rust, Aguada Rd Ph 2479340 Dec 23-Jan 7: Dayanita Singh's photo exhibition, Art House Tel 2276123 Jan 18-19: International kite carnival at Morgim beach, Pernem ========================================================================
