Sounds-of-Goa.Com Hearing and being there By Cecil Pinto
Welcome to the interactive Free Demo version of Sounds-of-Goa.Com. This is the Limited Edition with only partial functionality and a restricted choice of modules. All content is stored on our online servers and streamed through your Personal Computer to your speakers. Enjoy the delightful sounds of Goa, throughout the day, wherever you might be located. [The cock crowing at dawn, while birds chirp. The baker blowing his poder horn. The smack of the rolled up newspapers against the door. The neighbour clearing his throat loudly over and over again before brushing his teeth. The chatter of children on their way to school, some ringing their cycle bells. Breakfast being prepared in the kitchen. The noise of vehicles dropping people to school and to work. Furniture being moved as floors are swept and mopped. FM radio blasting away in English, Konkani and every possible Indian language.] Goans and Goa lovers across the world can have ‘real’ sounds of Goa surrounding them at their workplace or their home, day in and day out. Goans in Goa too can recreate the ambience of a Goa different from where they live. The sounds are low volume ‘ambient’ background sounds and do not interfere with your normal PC sounds. Close your eyes and you will believe you are in Goa itself. All sounds have been captured live in Goa. [The honking of bus horns. The distant chugging of the train. The rattling of gas cylinders against each other in the gas truck. The women crying out from the open tempo that they have salt for sale ’Meet! Meet!’. The high pitched wail of the ‘glass, plate aur boshe walla’ who exchanges scrap for cutlery. The screech made by the knife sharpeners machine. The bells and ‘Ice krut!’ of the ice-cream vendors. The squeak of the neighbour’s gate opening is distinct from that of the well pulley – which goes on till the copper pot hits the water with a thud. The shidi’s journey back up makes a distinctly different sound on the pulley.] Now look at the sliding dials on your right. Each slider is labeled and can vary from Low on the extreme left to High on the extreme right. This small round dial here decides the time of the day. Normally the time of the day is picked from your computer’s internal clock. This Time Dial is best left untouched and should only be used if your computers clock is not in sync. Hearing Goan morning sounds in the evening might disturb your bio-rhythm. Some users though do tweak the Time Dial when they fly long distance to/from Goa. Apparently, if properly used, it can help eliminate jet leg but that is not the primary function of Sounds-of-Goa.Com [The old lady next door starts berating her Kannada maid in a variant of Hindi that has many Konkani words. The fisherwoman calls out to the ‘Bai ge’ of the house. So does the vegetable lady and the fruit vendor, ‘Borim kelin asat bai!’. In the distance the pig catcher and his dogs are in action. The wailing of the pigs clearly higher pitched than the yelping of the dogs. The farmer urging his bulls on to plough the fields with ‘Irri, irri!’. The sharp whip and curses of the man driving the bullock cart up the slope. In the distance someone else’s funereal cortege passes by with a solitary tinkling bell.] The first sliding dial is for Population Density with low signifying Remote Village and high being Crowded City. Like in every slider your choice will determine what you hear and how much of it. [The elderly uncle calling out “Ye! Ye!” followed by the grunt of hungry pigs eating. Dogs bark as the motorcyle pilot blows his horn to alert the maid that he has brought fish sent by the patrao. Cats mew as they smell the fish. The cawing of crows who gather for the entrails. Every neighbour’s doorbell chime is distinct. Landlines ring. Cellphones ring with a variety of interesting tones. TVs blare out news, talk shows, soap operas and dance competitions.] The second slider is for Religion with low signifying Predominantly Catholic and high meaning Predominantly Hindu. The Hindu section is still being updated. Typically Islamic ambient sounds have not yet been embedded but are being currently recorded in Vasco and Ponda. Inconvenience regretted. [“Tiatr! Tiatr! Tiatr! Falea sanje Hanuman Natyagraha, Mapusa, sadde-aat vastam. Hantun part ghetolo Bab Jacob ani taje sanghati Nelson de Bonderam, Comedian Phillip ani Bai Fatima!” The tiatr car goes blasting past with funnel speakers in overdrive. The chapel bells toll for someone who just died. You hear a coconut fall in the backyard. Distinctly different from the rustling and slow landing of a huge palm frond or the clunk of a mango. The pressure cooker’s shrill whistle accompanies the crackling of fish being friend. The church bells toll - signaling noon. Plates and dishes clink on surfaces as they are served on, eaten from, washed and put away. The radio blasts Konkani songs for a while and then all we can hear is the swirling of the fan.] This lever is for vertical location - North or South Goa. Depending on this the Konkani accents will change. Also in South Goa the TV will be put on in the morning and only put off at late at night – regardless of visitors. [The tea kettle whistles. The church bells ring the angelus ‘aimori’. The drone of a mechanical sewing machine stitching clothes stops for hushed prayers. Radios and TVs blast away as the night begins. Curses follow silence as the electricity fails. Rummaging for candles and lamps. Raindrops hitting earthen roof tiles. The loud crack of thunder. The whine of mosquitoes and the slapping of flesh as they are killed. The drone of the Rosary, alternately high pitched or low depending on who is saying the Santa Morye or the Noman Morye. Frogs croak in the fields accompanied by thousands of tiny crickets. Caterwauling cats in heat. Stray dogs frighten scooterist whose brakes screech. Dogs fighting - yelping. A distant natak has a coconut being auctioned amidst the blasting of a CD where lovely female voices sing the praises of Lord Ganesha. The gentle lapping of the Mandovi interrupted by cheap Bollywood music blasting from passing cruise boats.] This Nostalgia sliding lever, available only in our Premium Version, takes you down Memory Lane. We have recreated typical Goan sounds of bygone eras. [The scratchy song and news from the Emisaro de Goa radio station, the noisy engine of the careening Carrera bus, the howling of jackals, the metallic clanging from the poder’s dando, the beating of the pergaumkar’s drum and the announcement that followed, Konkani spoken proudly everywhere...] ---------- The column above appeared in Gomantak Times dated 21st May 2009 =====