In an interesting disclosure made to this writer by the Office of the Station
Director of All India Radio Panaji, Mr B D Mazumdar it is now confirmed that as
on half year ending 30th Sept 2008 his office has a total of 290 Nos
Konknni Vinyl gramaphone records i.e 75 Nos. 45 speed CMP, 18 Nos 33 Speed
CMG and 197 Nos 78 speed CA.
The artists whose songs are recorded on these records are those of : Alfred
Rose , Rita Rose, Bab Tony , Jeanette & Nolasco , Bab Peter , Anita ,Rico Rod
Antonette , Win Paul , Miss Ruth., F Almeida , Mohd Rafi , Lorna , Ulhas
Buyanv, Tony Carr , P B Srinivas , S Janaki , A R Souza Ferrao , L R Eswari ,
Anjali ,Usha, Archie Lobo, Sophia Adolf , Asha Bhosle , Mabel , Peter
Fernandes , Pobre Fidalgo, Shailendra Singh , Dilraj Kaur, Bhupinder , Fr
Charles Vaz , Manna Dey , Lourdes Collaco , Helen D Cruz , Henry D Souza ,
Frank D Silva ,Oslando & his folklorist, Ashalata , Ofelia, Chico D Costa ,
Doris Fernandes , Clifford Dias ,Gladys Alphonso , Kitty Carrasco Sylvia
Menezes Sheila Fernandes Teresa Mendes Miles Perry Delfina ,Annie Lygia
,Hemant Kumar Allison Fonseca Johny Dias Adeus ,Schubert Rose Englebert Rose H
Britton Jerome D Souza Wi;fy Reimbus Prem Lobo Meena Agnes D Souza Betty
Ferns Babita Sequeira Baby Veena
Rebimbus Seby F M Boyer Amit Kumar Hemlata Vani Jairam Ambar Kumar Mahendra
Kapoor Usha Mangueshkar, Ranu Mukherjee Krishna Kalle Annette Pinto Lourdes
Collaco Luis martins Gladys Alfonso Doris Fernandes June Gracia Raymond D
Souza Felix Xavier Derick, Theresa Platilda Joe Rose Young Chico Wilmix
Trio Luis Rose Robin Vaz Betty Vaz Minguel Rod Jacinto Vaz Champion M
Fernandes M D Cruz A Mary Joao Inacio Young Menezes John Alfonso Olive Miss
Mohana Simon X Filomena Anthony Mendes Andrew Fernandes Miss Dolly Jerome D
Souza Joan de Araujo Nazareth Arossim Miss Dolly F Gabriel D Souza M P Kid
Boxer Simon Filomena X Escolastica.
It is further stated that of the above a total of 91 Nos Konknni Vinyl
gramaphone records viz 73 Nos. 45 speed CMP 18 Nos 33 Speed CMG are in
USABLE condition belonging to the above, this does not include those of A R
Souza Ferrao, Sophia, Annette Pinto Lourdes Collaco Luis martins Gladys
Alfonso, Doris Fernandes, June Gracia Raymond D Souza, Minguel Rod, Jacinto
Vaz , Champion ,M Fernandes ,M D Cruz A Mary , Joao Inacio, Young Menezes ,
John Alfonso , Olive ,Miss Mohana , Simon X Filomena, Anthony Mendes , Andrew
Fernandes , Miss Dolly ,Jerome D Souza Joan de Araujo, Nazareth, Arossim ,
Miss Dolly, F Gabriel D Souza ,M P Kid Boxer Simon, Filomena ,X Escolastica.
Shockingly there are 199 Nos Konknni Vinyl gramaphone records belonging to the
artists Alfred Rose Rita Rose Wi;fy Reimbus Prem Lobo Meena Betty Ferns Babita
Sequeira, Baby Veena Rebimbus, Bab Peter, Rita Lorna H Britton, Antonette,
Annette Pinto, Lourdes Collaco, Luis Martins, Raymond D Souza, Francis D Costa,
Wilmix Trio, Betty Vaz, Kitty, Win Paul, Robin Vaz, which are NOT in USABLE
condition.
Interestingly till date there has been NO attempts by AIR Panaji to have these
transferred on CD’s or in any other form on hard discs to restore them for
posterity.
As a policy they DO NOT permit the members of the public, educational
/cultural institutions to have the same recorded on CD’s or in any other form
on hard discs at costs to be borne by the individuals, if such requests are
made to them. Obviously that would amount to violating provisos of copyrights
according to Mr Lotlikar an officer of the AIR when quizzed further in a
teletalk this evening . He also went on to explain the reason for this
extensive damaging is either owing to wear and tear, or because there there
are just six permanent announcers with AIR for Konknni and the rest are taken
on casual basis.
According to him while the permanent announcers treat the property of AIR with
care, "these casuals which together constitute the complement of 12 announcers
often treat these records in a "casual" attitude resulting in their damage.
Since a casual can be given only six ocassions to discharge duties as an
announcer in a month, around 100 such casual announcers have been responsible
for the damage of AIR records.
Assuming this argument is legitimate though one wonders why no punitive action
is called for; it is only a matter of time before the entire complement of
vinyl records are destroyed.and will result in the elimination altogether of
these memorable Konknni vinyl records from the history of Goa.
This would obviously be to the delight of the Konknni devnagari lobby,
many discussed about this dismal status of the time tested songs recorded by
HMV and Columbia record company's since the beginning of the 20th century.
It is therefore the desire of the Konknni ( roman script) protoganists to
ensure that AIR should take immediate steps by seeking expertise to
re-construct the damaged Konknni Vinyl gramaphone records and also transfer
them on CD’s or hard discs seeking permission from the recording Companys, to
circumvent the copyrights act or alternatively seek their assistance to have
the same restored.
Many are of the view that the Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha ) Mr Shantaram
L Naik (Adv) who has taken keen interest in Konkani "cantaram" and "tiatros"
should pursue this issue in right earnest with the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting to do the needful and even make a mention of the same in
Parliament during the current session itself.
It is a wake up call to the Dalgado Konknni Academy to highlight this issue at
the forthcoming two day convention on 20th and 21st December, 2008 at the "Pai
Tiatrist" Joao Agostinho Fernandes nagar - Margao, to demand from the Govt of
Goa to pursue this issue with AIR Panaji and restore the same.
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
gonsalvesgodfre...@yahoo.co.in
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