-Brian Mendonça
The
sound of the dhol still rings in my
ears. The jam-packed shamiana was a
sea of students of all hues. Each college had assembled its own team of
enthusiastic supporters and participants. Flags were wielded gaily and the tum-ta-ra-rum-tum-tum of the drums, saw
no pause – even when the announcer pleaded for silence. It could only be the
annual Goa Yuva Mahotsav -- held this year at Chicalim grounds Vasco last
weekend (1-2 February 2014).
This
event is entirely in Konkani. Here the sons and daughters of the soil could
hold their heads high and revel in the virtuosities of their mother tongue.
Creativity was given full reign with various events organized for the 53 groups
to compete in.
The
excitement reached fever pitch on the second day. The 23 shortlisted teams had
to perform for a round of mustayaki.
In the Hindu tradition of Nav Ghonv
the newly-wedded couple has to introduce each other to the village people. The
man and his wife coin a couplet introducing their spouse. Contestants could
dress up as any character to make it more interesting and to establish instant
crowd appeal. Here is how Vaibhav Kamat dressed as Arvind Kejriwal, brandishing
a broom, introduced his ‘spouse’:
Jhaadu sagleank marun marun
Haath majhi jharli
Jine majhi kaliz helan
Tiche nav Kamli.
[Sweeping everything
My hands ache,
The one who won my
heart
Her name is Kamli.]
Hetal
Sawardekar, replied introducing her ‘husband’:
Haacho
ani Jhadvacho
Saamko
jivacho saath
Ravindrache
naav gheta
Majher
sodach kamlacho haath.
[My husband and the broom
Go hand in hand in life.
When I take Ravindra’s name
The hand of the lotus is always near
me.]
The meter may be wanting but to hear the
original Konkani is a treat. Given the fact that these were a newly-wed couple
who were presenting their credentials to society, many verses explored
sexuality – or the lack of it!
Gatherings like these which use Konkani as
their L1 (first language) are worlds apart from those which use English as
their L1. The assumptions are different, the values are different. The
expectations are different.
This seeming impasse is mediated in the work
of Nilesh Prabhudesai, photographer par
excellence. Nilesh shoots around 2000 photos on his Nikon at each Yuva Mahotsav
out of which he selects 600. These
photos are displayed at the venue of the next Yuva Mahotsav. ‘I want to do
something for society. If it makes even a little difference . . .’ He trails off. His fans eagerly come
the next year to pick up the photos. Earlier they were given free, now they
come at a small price to enhance their value. Nilesh is with Goan Shutterbugs.
This 19th Yuva Mahotsav was organized by the
Konkani Bhasha Mandal (KBM) to promote the love for Konkani among the youth of
Goa. All is not lost for those who didn’t get the first place. Jai Konkani. Jai
Goa.
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With
inputs from Vinod Kankonkar, Gorak Sirsat, Prutha Parab and Lenny Dias; Published in Gomantak Times Weekender St. Inez, Goa on Sunday, 9 February, 2014; Pix courtesy 'Goa Yuva Mahotsav' on Facebook
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