BY MAYURESH PAWAR KALA ACADEMY, a platform to showcase and exhibit the hidden talent in the field of music, dance, drama, etc has helped the Goan artists to a great extent at the national and international level. With a vision to promote Indian classical and western music as well as the theatrical arts, the academy was started way back in the mid 1980s.
The re-discovery and revival of Goan cultural identity is both an anguishing and yet exciting process. The commingling of cultures has left the Goan society more enriched than impoverished. There has been a remarkable re-assertion of the native and folk forms. The various influences at work on the Goan culture reveals the inherent richness and unique features which have nurtured the arts in Goa. A section of the media has consciously or unconsciously presented Goa, as a state having the western style of living and that, its population spends most of its time in fun, frolic and fiesta. The culture means the total accumulation of material objects, ideas, symbols, beliefs, sentiments, value and social forms which are passed on from one generation to another in a given society. Today the academy, after a period of almost 30 years has emerged out, as the key source wherein, the Goan community has seen bearing fruits of its valuable efforts. Unlike the academies operating in other States of India and which have their activities confined to a restricted canvas, the Kala Academy has a distinctive character of imparting training in various faculties such as vocal and Indian instrumental music, including sitar, tabla and harmonium. There is also provision for teaching Indian dance forms such as Kathak and Bharatnatyam. Besides, training in western instruments like guitar, violin, piano and cello. The academy has different faculties and sections like the administrative programme and development, technical division, school of drama Rangamella, a repertory company, rural music centre etc and is fully funded and operated by the government of Goa. The propagation of Indian classical music in Goa made rapid strides due to the positive attitude of the hindu community towards music. The Indian music made its way in each and every hindu house, elite or otherwise. The traditional Indian music in Goa was inherited from various maestros like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Ravi Shankar, Pt Jitendra Abhisheki, his disciple, Ajit Kadkade and many others. Besides, Indian classical music, the propogation of western music in Goa also made rapid strides, essentially due to the response of the Christian community towards music. As against the Indian classical music, the study and practice of which was restricted to certain non-elite sections of Hindu community, the western music reached every Catholic house - elite or non-elite. There was a time when the practice of music or similar art forms, except of a devotional nature was not appreciated by the Hindu society. There was no such inhibition in the Catholic society with the result that, at least one vocalist or an instrumentalist per family inherited the musical knowledge from the maestros like Anthony Lobo, Varala Caiado, Domnic Pereira and many more. The influence of western music is very strong on Goan secular music and this is very much evident in phrasing of the tunes and in the style of singing in two voices. No Hindu festival - big or small, is complete without staging of a drama in which all sections of the community participate with enthusiasm and sometimes with a feeling of offering something to the deity through their performances. Every Hindu house in Goa, with marginal exceptions will have at least one member in the family participating in a drama, sometime or the other during his lifetime. Presently, Kala Academy has the professional theatrical group performing Marathi drama on regular basis, as is the case with musical Konkani tiatr (Konkani drama). It is a peculiar form of drama, which has been in vogue since long time. The presentation of the story element of the drama is interspread with musical interludes and humorous skits, which have no bearing on the main story. It is claimed that, the tiatr owes its organ to Spain, where such types of dramatic performances were held in olden days. It is the Catholic community which is mostly engaged in tiatr performances, which are very popular in Goa and always attract full audience. According to the member secretary of Kala Academy, S V Rane there were hardly 25 students who enrolled into these faculties, but in last few years, the number of students has crossed over 400. "The students really take interest into these faculties and nurse it's ambition to become maestros," he says. As a result, Mr Rane added that, some our ex-students working with the Doordarshan (DD), All India Radio (AIR) and few are even working with this institution. While, some are giving private tuitions, he divulged. Some students give-up their courses mid-way, elaborating this, Mr Rane feels, "Their parents think that the wards would not succeed in their life like the others, who have choose an engineering or the medical stream." If we apply the parameters of this clear and exhausive definition to Goa, he opines adding that, there should be no doubt about the basic Indian classical music character of Goan culture. "This is because the entire Indian film industry depends very much on the Goan artists for theatrical and instrumentalists for orchestral support to the musical score," Mr Rane explains. It is a matter of great satisfaction for every one in State that, the development of art and culture in Goa has derived the desired support and encouragement from the State government and the people with the result that, Goa can once again, look forward to enrich the high traditions set up by its erstwhile artists, who brought name and fame for Goa. However, our future task would be to absorb the best from various culture patterns likely to influence Goa without letting our ever devoted to the-state-of-art culture suffer in its essentials. -------------------------------------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
