MONDAY, JULY 01, 2024
Dolcy D’Cruz
One of the oldest indigenous percussion instruments of Goa, the ghumot, has stayed close to Goan roots. A humble earthen pot and originally, monitor lizard skin, which has now been replaced by goat skin makes this musical instrument. Once away from the limelight, the ghumot was back in focus in 2017 at the first and only Ghumtache Fest celebrating the ghumot which was held at Siridao Beach, with live performances by the first girls’ ghumot group.
It takes one day for making and drying the pot and the second to fit the leather over the mouth of the pot. The skin has to be thin enough to get the right beat.
There are three sizes for the ghumot, ‘barik’, ‘vhoddle’ and ‘medium’ ‘tonddachem’ ghumot. The small mouth, ‘barik’ tonddachem ghumot is for children, ‘medium tonddachem’ is for women and young girls and ‘vhoddle tonddachem’ is for men. The ghumot is an important instrument in Goan culture as it is played for aartis and bhajans for Hindu religious ceremonies and for Dekhnnis and Mandos by Catholics. In 2019, the Ghumot was declared the state musical heritage instrument of Goa.
Reaching new heights, the ghumot is now a part of an international album and it features in the song, ‘Goa Beach,’ by British award-winning composer Kuljit Bhamra MBE. Kuljit is a leading British Indian musician, composer, producer and a renowned tabla player. He performs with musicians across different genres of music including western classical, folk, and jazz – as well as classical and popular forms of Indian music and has been part of big film projects, working on music for films like ‘The Four Feathers’ (2002), ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ (2002) and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (2005).
Kuljit was awarded an MBE for services to Bhangra and British Asian music in 2009 including his honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2009. Kuljit has produced over 2000 songs and is one of the musicians responsible for the development of British bhangra, and Indian music in the UK. His new album ‘Namaste Bombay,’ featuring a unique blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. “The album consists of romantic songs inspired by the Golden Bollywood era. It is all about love through Hindi songs except one Punjabi song. It is a Bollywood album without a film. The album will be released on June 28 on all online platforms. We had a launch party last week and everyone was excited about the ‘Goa Beach’ song as the ghumot is very unique. The ghumot is played by Tony Gomes, whom I have known for many years. The song is sung by Mangal Singh and Sharmila Bardewa. All the artistes in the album are based in the UK. The song is in Hindi with a verse in Punjabi and many Goan words too,” says Kuljit, who loves coming to Goa and especially enjoying his holidays in Calangute and Arpora.
The story behind how Kuljit laid his hands on the ghumot is also very interesting. As a renowned tabla player, Kuljit immediately fell in love with the instrument. “In 2020, I visited Ashley Fernandes’ house in Divar in Goa and I was presented with a ghumot. Back home in UK, I immediately started working on a song on it and Covid hits the world and the album got delayed. Like other percussion instruments follow the ghatam, the ghumot is a very unusual drum with a clay body and goat skin. There is no other instrument like the ghumot. I play the ghumot too. But I am glad that Tony played it for the album. The album features 18 singers from the UK, who sang 38 songs,” adds Kuljit.
Ashley Fernandes from Divar in 2014, had undertaken extensive research on the Ghumot for his thesis that was submitted to Middlesex University in the UK. Speaking about the journey of the ghumot from his home in Divar to the recording studio in the UK, Ashley says, “I’m thrilled to see the ghumot gaining international recognition. Having grown up with its rhythms in Goa, it’s deeply gratifying to witness this humble instrument from our soil resonating on the global stage. It’s a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Goa and the instrument’s unique appeal.”
Since his university days, the ghumot has piqued the interest of musicians abroad, “There is indeed significant curiosity about the ghumot outside Goa. During my research at Middlesex University, I found people were fascinated by its unique sound, construction, and cultural significance. The ghumot’s potential as a versatile percussion instrument in various musical genres has sparked interest among musicians and ethnomusicologists alike. Additionally, I had the pleasure of introducing the ghumot to Kuljit Bhamra MBE, a pioneer of Bhangra music. He was so inspired by the instrument that he created an entire song in his latest album celebrating its unique sound and cultural significance, showcasing the ghumot in all its glory performed masterfully by Tony Gomes from Divar Island.”
He further adds, “I’m eagerly anticipating the potential GI tag for the ghumot, which would further cement its place in Goa’s cultural landscape and on the international stage.”
Ashley’s father, Marius Fernandes has been promoting the ghumot through the various people’s festivals organised by him in the past 15 years. It was through these festivals, that many potters were able to take their ghumots to the hands of young boys and girls. At the recently held Ponsachem Fest, the short clipping of the song ‘Goa Beach’ was played for the participants. “This is the big moment for the ghumot to be featured in a high profile album on an international stage. The beats of the ghumot will now be held on Spotify and Apple music all over the world. When we played the clipping of the song at the festival, the people started dancing and we recorded the video. I sent the video to Kuljit to show him the response in Goa and he has responded that he will include the video in the video of the song that will be released later. This is a hardly known instrument that has never been used abroad and now people will be curious to know what a ghumot is and where they can find it. It will create employment for potters if there is an increased demand,” says Marius optimistically.
GI tags are issued as per the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 by the Geographical Indication Registry under the Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Goa State Patent Information Centre nodal officer for Registration of Geographical Indication, Deepak Parab informs that the application for ghumot was already submitted one year back. “The pre-examination is completed and the final examination will be held soon. After that a one month period is provided to submit the report from our side. Followed by another three months, when the application is accepted and published in a GI journal. Anyone who has any objection has to apply to the GI journal with legal documentation,” says Deepak.
He further adds, “Though the ghumot is unique with an earthen open pot and skin, it is also used in the border areas of the Konkan region like Karwar and Sindhudurg. We are yet to form an association which should comprise of those who are preparing the ghumots and those who are using it, especially musicians. They will take the ghumot ahead.”
