GOAN MUSIC-3 By Valmiki Faleiro The Portuguese killed ‘vovios’ (ancient Goan folk songs.) Post-1510 hymns now live in archives. But, the world of mandos, dulpods and deknis – ah! – mercifully survives. That unique dance-song, which pinnacled in the second half of the 19th century, must be the first in Asia where the twain met … India’s versatile musical traditions and music of the West. Aptly symbolized by two instruments that accompany its rendition: the ‘ghumot’ and violin. The first, a percussion pot of clay that sounds best when covered with the hide of a monitor lizard, the other a stringed Western import. The West inspired the structure of the mando, but its lyrics were in the local lingo. Which suited politically sensitive Goans fine: every time they had to vent their anger at the misdoings of the Portuguese, they composed a mando. Which the colonial masters did not understand. Let’s dwell on this interesting aspect. At the western end of the road by which I was born and now live, the erstwhile Rua de Norte, was the taluka’s municipality, ‘Camara Municipal de Salcete.’ The historic building, constructed in 1770, still stands albeit in a rundown state, in Margao’s Old Market area. A law promulgated on January 15, 1774 created the first “Senado” (municipal senate). Made of 70 members, most elected, the first senate took office in 1775. It had a biennial term. Elections were not by universal adult franchise. The Electoral College comprised of taxpayers paying minimum 320 ‘reis fortes.’ The ‘Camara’ was short-lived. A Portuguese Governor called Jose Pedro da Camara (Sept-1774 to May-1779) killed the Camara in 1777. Administrators appointed by this Camara ran the affairs of the Salcete Camara. The Camara was reestablished only on March 28, 1783. With the dawn of Lisbon liberalism, local political parties like ‘Patuléa’ and ‘Chafarica’ were formed in 1844. These were later replaced by ‘Partido Ultramarino’ and ‘Partido Indiano.’ Elections in Goa never really were smooth. Those of Sept 21, 1890 were the worst. Salcete by now had nearly one lakh inhabitants and about 2,000 voters. Leveraging on the intense rivalry between ‘Ultramarino’ and ‘Indiano,’ Governor Vasco Guedes de Carvalho Menezes (1889-91) decided to rig the polls, pro his ‘official candidate’ for “deputado” to the Lisbon Parliament. What came to be known as “Eleiçao Sangrenta de Setembro 21, 1890” began earlier than the scheduled hour. Officials furiously stamped ballot papers behind the closed door of the municipality. ‘Indiano’ leaders and supporters laid siege to the building and broke open its door. Governor Carvalho Menezes was prepared for such contingency. An armed force of 150 (some say 300) Mulatto troops had been sent from Panjim by boat to Rachol, thence to Margao. As the column marched from the barracks (present South Police HQ) down Abade Faria Road to the sound of bugles, ‘Indiano’ leaders got voters to retreat to near the Holy Spirit parochial house. Under command of military officers, Raimundo de Assa Castelo Branco and Claudio Correia Mendes, the soldiers turned around the municipality and fanned out from Rua de Norte to encircle the gathered crowd, which, as quickly, scampered for safety. The taluka Administrator, Lt. Col. Luis Carneiro de Souza e Faro (which, in Konknni, means gunshot) ordered the troops to open fire. They shot like mad, at anything on two legs. Twenty-three innocents – including a Christian woman emerging from church after Mass, a Gawda woman who had just bought medicines at the Nuno Alvares pharmacy, and a mentally challenged Ponciano de Albuquerque seated at his balcao watching the ‘fun’ – were killed. Dozens were injured. For the first time, Goa featured on international ticker channels, like the Reuters despatch from Bombay. This tragic mini-Jallianwalla Bagh massacre (29 years before the real thing in Amritsar) naturally caused deep outrage and resentment. The ensuing mando, understandably, spawned several versions, four of which the Goan historian, late Carmo do Azavedo analyzed on the centenary of the dark event. The most common runs as follows (my loose translation in brackets): Setembrache ekvissaveru (On Sept 21) Camrachem foddlem daru (the door of the municipality was broken) Deddxen soldad addle (150 soldiers were brought) Morgouvan Ponje corun taru (by boat from Panjim to Margao.) Mis zanvchea vellaru (At the time of Mass) Rogtacheo zaleo zori (there were springs of blood) Pad'Lucas alment mari (Fr. Lucas sprinkled holy water) Otmem salvar cori (saving souls.) I promise you less macabre stories next Sunday! (To conclude.) P.S.: An e-mail says planet Mars will be brightest on Aug. 27, 12:30 am, when it comes closest to earth. The next time Mars will look like earth’s 2nd moon is in 2287 AD. (Ends.) The Valmiki Faleiro weekly column at: http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=330 ============================================================================== The above article appeared in the August 24, 2008 edition of the Herald, Goa