Baila, Again

Two months ago, we, a group of seven senior citizens had our first baila dance performance for which we surprised ourselves as much as anybody else, by winning top honours.

This month, on request, we performed again - at a cultural evening of the Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations. 

Baila, a Good Senior Moment

Advancing age and shrinking horizons seem to go together. Memory, muscles, stamina - all go downhill. We often have what are called *senior moments*. With reluctance and regret, one slows down and gives up strenuous activities. But recently, some of us had an opportunity to turn the clock back and reverse the trend for a while.

Three men and four women - all above 60 - participated in a baila dance competition in town. (Baila is a Konkani folk dance, influenced by the Portuguese who colonised small parts of coastal India after Vasco da Gama had landed in Calicut in the 15th century.) Egged on by our expert young choreographer, we worked out at our weekly practice sessions, intending nothing more ambitious than proving to ourselves that we were not afraid to shake a leg onstage.



Well, it turned out that we did more than that. We got a standing ovation from the 700+ audience and walked away with the first prize! What tickled me was that we were able to give the other young competing groups a run for their money.

Also see Baila Again

Links to Konkani Music

Rhoda's Blog: Konkani Songs ... some old favourites

Rhoda's Blog: Konkani Music ... short overview and sample songs

Goan Musicians, Jazz and Bollywood ... fascinating history of Indian Jazz

Early Jazz in Bombay ... a four-minute slideshow

Konkani Music

Traditionally Konkani music has been the mainstay of folk songs and bands in Goa and the Konkan coastal region. Fifty years ago, one mostly heard Konkani songs on the radio. Then came records and cassettes. An occasional film also got produced.  Amchen Noxib, a hit film of  the 60's had a  theme song  Molbailo Dov filmed in the typical style of those days. The song is still popular.

Unfortunately the Konkani musical heritage is mostly unrecorded and insufficiently documented. Wilfy Remimbus and Chris Perry are two fabulous Konkani musicians.  They achieved enduring success, but are no more.  Wilfy Remimbus is called the Pearl of Mangalore and Konkani Kogul. Starting around 1970, he composed 2500 songs with lyrics which he himself wrote. He has released 50 albums, performed 500 shows and conducted 215 Wilfy Nights in India and abroad where there are sizeable Konkani-speaking communities. His musical career of 5 decades gave new life to Konkani folk music. Wilfy's Songs continue their immense popularity.

The Goan legend Chris Perry was known as the man with the golden trumpet both in India and abroad. He brought in a vibrant element of Western jazz into Konkani music. He's been compared to the likes of Miles Davis. His HMV recordings, interaction with Hindi playback singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi, electric performances with the singer Lorna Cordeiro livened up the music scene in Goa and Bombay. He dominated Konkani music and tiatr for 50 years, enriching them with brilliant music and powerful Konkani lyrics. Perry and other Goans contributed the Western element to the emerging fusion style of Bollywood music.

Nowadays Konkani music too flows with current popular trends.  Remo Fernandes is probably the best known face of Konkani music today. An amazingly versatile musician, he blends Konkani, Portuguese, Spanish and Hindi flavours to produce superb music. To hear some of  Remo's well-known numbers, check out the links below. Each  song has a  different Konkani flavour.

Panch Vorsan ... Haunting duet with Alisha Chinoi
Mando in the UK ... Authentic folk song ...the kitschy choreography is very un-Konkani
Flute Song ... Lilting melody accompanied with Indian folk rhythms
Latina Muchacha ... Fine Indo-Latino fusion
Humma Humma ... A R Rahman composition, in the film Bombay
O Meri Munni ... Bollywood style Indipop

Monthichen Fest

This festival is specially dear to the Mangalorean Konkani catholics, who have made it a unique combination of the harvest celebration and the birthday of Mary the mother of Christ. This particular amalgam originated in Mangalore about 250 years ago. Initially the hub of the celebrations was the Farangipet church on the hill Monte Mariano. Hence Monthichen Fest which literally means the Feast of the Mount.

Bombay has its own Mount Mary's festival which draws huge crowds to the suburb of Bandra. In Bangalore, thousands of devotees visit St Mary's Basilica during the preceding 9 days of the Novena, culminating in the grand finale on the 8th of September.

Traditions
This is a family-oriented feast. Formerly, those who were away made it a point to return home for this occasion. The place is decorated with the produce of the land - vegetables, coconuts, banana and sugarcane. In rural areas, these would be carried to the church in procession. The day begins with the blessing of the noven (newly harvested paddy). Every family collects a few grains to take home. At the end of the service, the little children come forward to strew flowers from their baskets around the statue of Mother Mary, while the congregation renders full-throated Konkani hymns in her honour. Pieces of sugarcane are distributed to the children.  In the good old days which are remembered with nostalgia, candy and chocolates were unheard of!

At home, the whole household gathers together for family prayers ending with the Latin hymn of praise Laudate Dominum.  The festive meal is a nod towards old cultural roots - an odd number (5, 7 or 9) of traditional vegetarian dishes served on banana leaves. The sweet of the day is made of coconut milk and jaggery, mixed with a few grains of noven. The adults retire for their siesta while the children revel in unrestricted playtime. Another happy event is ticked off on the calendar.

Some Old Konkani Songs

This post is for my dear friend who is battling cancer in a distant hospital. Our childhood memories are forever linked to sing-alongs which happened whenever Mangalorean families got together. Joan, udas asa mu? Here are links to some Konkani songs to cheer you up.

mog tuzo kitlo
gorya sanglya sonyachi
maria pitache
yaya mayayo

For those who've never heard of Konkani
The Konkani language is the mother tongue of some communities who have their roots on the Konkan coast in India. Konkani music is a unique blend of folk songs of this region, with a dash of Portuguese and Latin influences. Nowadays, popular Marathi and Hindi tunes too are added to the mix. The traditionalists are feel that this is not a good trend. How about you?

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Firangs in India

Why do Indians refer to the white man as firang? The first Europeans came to India during the Mughal rule. Here the court language was Persian, whereas the Europeans spoke French. That's why the Indians labelled them firang or farang - a corruption of Frank.

A Little Mangalorean History
There's a place called Farangipet - meaning foreigner's town - on a hillock near the Netravathi river that flows through Mangalore. My grandmother used to talk about the Europeans who lived and traded there. Historical records confirm that it was indeed a Portuguese trade outpost after they had conquered Goa in the 1500's. Some years later, the Franciscans built a church and a monastery in Farangipet. It is here that the Monthichen Fest gained popularity among the Mangalorean Konkani catholics.

Hyder Ali who conquered this region in the 18th century, held the Farangipet parish priest in high esteem. Which led his son Tipu Sultan to spare only the Farangipet church when he destroyed all other churches in and around Mangalore. Tipu Sultan confiscated all the properties of the Mangalorean catholics and force marched the entire community across the Western ghats to his capital  Srirangapatna. They remained there in captivity till his death at the hands of the British army, during the last battle of Mysore.