New Milestone for Konkani
Tomazinho Cardozo
It was a moment of pride and honour for every Konkani loving person to see
on 27th January 2008 at 10 p.m. , Mandd Sobhann, a cultural organization
from Mangalore under the leadership of Shri. Eric Ozario and other choral
groups singing harmoniously and continuously for 40 hours in the unique
programme "Konkani Nirantari' and breaking the existing world record of 36
hours created by 'Comunidade Evangelica Luterna Sao Paulo, Brazil on July
3rd and 4th in 2004. For the first time, in the history of Konkani language,
Konkani - its song and music - found a deserving place in the Guinness Book
of World Records. Hats off to Shri. Eric Ozario, his team of dedicated
artistes and the cultural organization, Mandd Sobhann.
I was a witness to this great event. I was pleasantly surprised to see a
flawless presentation with foolproof coordination that adhered to all the
rules and regulations set by the Committee of the Guinness Book of World
Records. The Guinness Book of World Records, an annual publication since
1955, lists records for a wide variety of sports, stunts and other natural
phenomena. Each record must be verified by the investigator before it can be
included. The very existence of Guinness Book generates a great number of
attempts to establish records of feats that few people would otherwise
attempt. Some of the important norms of making an effort to enter the
Guinness Book of World Records through choral singing are:-
? Each singing group should have not less than 30 singers and no singer can
participate in more than one group. ? No song can be repeated. ? The time
gap between the end of one song and the beginning of the other song cannot
exceed 30 seconds. ? No song should be of duration of less than three and
half minutes. ? Singers of age less than 14 years cannot participate in this
programme while those between the ages of 14 to 18 years have to get written
permission from their parents. ? Prelude of the song must be as brief as
possible and no interlude is allowed during the rendition of the song. ?
Humming in the course of singing the song is banned. ? No solo or duet
singing is permitted while different voices - alto, tenor, etc. - are
encouraged to make the song pleasant and harmonious. ? The whole programme
should be recorded and must be conducted in the presence of the Adjudicator
deputed by the Committee of the Guinness Book of World Records.
'Konkani Nirantari' which was inaugurated by Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul D'Souza,
Bishop of Mangalore Diocese on 26th January 2008, sharp at 5.45 a. m., got
to its flying start at 6.00 a.m. sharp with 'SRA Sisters' - a troupe
consisting solely of nuns, making an impressive presentation of melodious
singing. In fact the existing record of 36 hours was broken on 27th January,
the next day at 6.00 p.m. when the jam-packed Kala Angann Theatre gave a
standing ovation to Mandd Sobhann for achieving a unique feat at the
international level.
This mega event saw 43 singing troupes perform, out which 37 were from
Mangalore Diocese itself. Two troupes from Goa , two from Bombay and one
from Bangalore and Mysore each also participated in the event. The total
number of singers who participated in the event was 1711 who rendered 645
different songs in Konkani. Each troupe presented about 14 to 15 songs
within a period of approximately 60 minutes. The next song started within a
time gap of 5 to 10 seconds. The change over from one group to another was
meticulously planned and that too took place within 5 to 10 seconds. On the
whole, the singing was impressive and well-coordinated with different voices
blending harmoniously together.
The Adjudicator, Mr. Keith Pullin, who was deputed by the Committee of the
Guinness Book of World Records, observed everything that was happening with
his eagle like eyes. When I contacted him after about 23 hours of singing
and asked for his comment on the performance he remarked, " The show is
excellent. The organizers have taken care of the smallest of the small
things to ensure fool-proof organizational professionalism. If the same
trend continues till the end, I shall be handing over to them the
prestigious certificate from the Committee of the Guinness Book of World
Records." And the marathon 40 hours singing by multiple singers ended at 10
p.m. on 27th January without any flaws. A new record was established. The
flag of Konkani rose to the highest level due to the untiring efforts of our
fellow brothers in Mangalore.
A feat of such a magnitude was possible only because of the love the
Mangaloreans have towards their mother tongue, Konkani. It was possible
because of the unity among the Konkani-loving people in Mangalore. They
strengthened their unity by maintaining the script of their choice, Kannada,
for their mother tongue, Konkani. In unity, they resisted and defeated all
the moves of vested interests to impose Devnagori script for Konkani on
them. They are happy and are prospering day by day because they have chosen
the script of their liking for their mother tongue. And this is the root
cause of the success they have achieved in promoting Konkani in a big way.
We Goans, who live in Goa - the Konkani Heartland or "Konknnichem Mull
Pitth" - have to learn a lesson or two from our fellow Konkani
protagonists in Mangalore.
