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St. Mary's Convent High school, Mapusa is staging a play titled "Lion King"
December 1, 2007 - Hanuman Hall, Mapusa
to fundraise for a false ceiling for the school hall
& upgrading the school playground
Headmistress Sr. Namika A.C. / Teacher Mrs. Sonia Noronha
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Aie Aef Aef Aie, phonetics and timing
Does the sound of a cause's acronym affect its popularity?
By Cecil Pinto
In May of 2004, when the very first Goa IFFI was being hotly debated,
I had composed a song to add colour to the controversial project. This
song could be used both by the protestors against, and the defenders
of, IFFI.
In the true fashion of most Goan songwriters I had not composed an
original tune - but just lifted off the tune from Village People's
1970's classic gay anthem 'Y.M.C.A'. Anyone of my generation, and
before, knows the original lyrics. Readers of a younger generation are
encouraged to Google for the original lyrics. They will realize that
inane lyrics are not unique to the now generation, but have always
been around.
Keep in mind that IFFI is pronounced one letter at a time (Aie Aef Aef
Aie) and not 'iffy' as some newbie politicians, officials and
protestors do on TV. And before the debate starts… No! I didn't ask
anyone and just decided myself on how IFFI is to be pronounced, and I
don't care if the Entertainment Society of Goa or the Agassaim Table
Tennis Association thinks differently. So there!
Here's my version of Y.M.C.A.
I.F.F.I
Goenkar - there's no need to feel down
I said - Goenkar, pick yourself of the ground
I said - Goenkar, new folks are in town
There's no need to be unhappy
Goenkar - there's no place for you
I said - Goenkar, not much you can do.
Heritage buildings being rent asunder,
Faster than you can say "tender"
Chorus:
It's great to be part of the I.F.F.I.
It's great to be part of the I.F.F.I.
There's bundles of money to be made,
And big commissions to be paid.
It's great to be part of the I.F.F.I.
It's great to be part of the I.F.F.I.
You can bulldoze your way
You can refuse appeal
You can do whatever you feel.
Goenkar - are you listening to me
I said - Goenkar, what do you want to be
I said - Goenkar, you can build you bungalow
But there's one thing you should know
You can't do it by protesting
I said Goenkar, throw your ethics away
Just see what's in it for you
Try and grab a contract or two
Repeat Chorus:
It's great to be part of the I.F.F.I……
Goenkar, I was once in your shoes,
I said, I was down and out with the blues
I used to take other people's views
I thought people had the right to choose
That's when someone taught me the ropes
He showed me the way and raised my hopes
There's a project called the I.F.F.I.
That can be your lifetime goldmine
Repeat Chorus
It's great to be part of the I.F.F.I….
I.F.F.I., I.F.F.I., I.F.F.I., I.F.F.I.
(Copyright 2004, Cecil Pinto and The Half Quarters)
Much water has flown under Corjuem Bridge since the then CM, Parrikar,
railroaded his pet project past all obstacles, and one must admit did
pull it off with a bit of panache. Subsequently it was Rane's baby and
now it is Digambar Kamat who has to rock the cradle without rocking
the boat. Thousands of crores and the very Goan identity is at stake
with the ghastly SEZs and Regional Plans. So a few lakhs siphoned of
here and there during IFFI, for entertainment contracts and
advertising supplements, hardly seems worth protesting.
Consider also that some people who were very vehemently and vocally
opposed to the IFFI are now great supporters of the event, with some
even having permanent jobs there. The absolute hypocrisy has been
forgotten by press and public alike who are just keen on getting their
all important Press / Delegate Pass. The ESG has pretty strict rules
about who is entitled to a Delegate Pass. I wonder if the same rules
were applied to their own management and staff how many of them would
be entitled to passes. The best film festivals in the world are run by
filmmakers and film enthusiasts – not by bureaucrats and officials who
wouldn't know a Pedro Almodovar film from a Martin Scorsese, or a Guru
Dutt from a Satyajit Ray.
The good news this year is that the Delegate Pass is back again, like
in 2004, to a manageable credit card size. One presumes the huge ugly
school-notebook size pass of the last three years will never be
resurrected. Hopefully last year's long queues, recurrent houseful
signs and delayed kits will also be history.
Now my theory is that the anti-IFFI protests failed because it was
difficult for the protestors to co-ordinate their pronunciation (the
confusion I mentioned earlier persists), which is very important for
slogan shouting. For example take the Goa Bachao Andolan. Pretty easy
on the tongue - Gee Bee Aay. Nobody tried saying GaaBaa or something
similar. See how successful that movement was. It's about sound. The
Anti Meta Strip Action Committee would surely have been successful if
their acronym was not such a mouth full. You try saying AMSAC without
grimacing. Or for that matter the Konkan Railway Route Realignment
Movement. How do you tastefully incorporate KRRRM into a slogan or
protest song? Phonetics is very important when naming a mass movement.
There are of course exceptions. The Save River Sal Front doesn't roll
easily off the tongue. Try it Ass Are Ass Eff. See? But then why did
the protests succeed? What Captain Nair of the Leelas, and Churchill,
got wrong (and Faleiro got right) was their timing. It was
'off-season' time and basically most everyone in Mobor was 'bekar' and
joined in the protests mainly for entertainment value. Now as peak
season approaches the Leela's could float a dozen casinos and nobody
would be bothered, or have the time and energy to protest. Everyone
and his brother-in-law in Mobor is busy running shacks, boat rides,
restaurants, taxis, massage parlours and what have you.
Similarly notice how the Candolim area hotels and restaurants all get
in a tizzy about the River Princess; an environmental time-bomb
waiting to explode and destroy their livelihood for generations. Their
protests start in June and dwindle down to a whimper by October. Once
the first charter flight arrives they turn a collective blind eye to
the River Princess. Like in Mobor during 'season', nobody has time to
protest. They're all too busy counting the money!
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The column above appeared in Gomantak Times dated 22nd November 2007
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