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The young and enthusiastic musical talent at the annual Mando Festival

Goa Cultural and Social Centre will present the 56th All Goa State Level Mando Festival on December 12 and 13 at Institute Menezes Braganza Hall, Panjim, from 6 pm onwards. A true musical legacy of Goa, the Mando has stood the test of time and is now in the hands of the young generation to take it forward

Herald Team

The stage is set for the strong competition of the sweetest voices, the right beats of music and the synchronised choreography of the participants at the 56th All Goa State Level Mando Festival. The two-day annual festival organised by Goa Cultural and Social Centre will be held on December 12 and 13 at Institute Menezes Braganza Hall, Panjim from 6 pm onwards and will see witness the presentation of 29 Mandos this year, through the various groups.

One of the oldest genres of music, the Mando has been preserved for generations in Goa and though it was influenced by Portuguese, it originated in Konkani and has always used only Konkani words. On the other hand, Dulpods are songs of the masses and touches upon social and current issues in Goa often with sarcasm. These Mandos and dulpods are even featured in films especially Konkani films. From one of the earliest biggest Konkani hit film, ‘Amchem Noxib’ in 1963 which featured ‘Mando Goencho Khoro,’ the songs still have its unique charm and was featured even in the latest Konkani film, ‘Osmitay’ in 2023 where the Mando group, Kepemchim Kirnnam, performed ‘Doryachem Lharari’ as a Mando and ‘Hanv Saiba Poltoddi Vetam’ as a Dekhnni. The Mando’s beauty continues to shines through its music and it’s sharply written lyrics as songs of love, yearning and nostalgia.

Goa Cultural and Social Centre put in all efforts to give thousands of singers, musicians and lyrists, a platform to showcase their talent to a wider audience. Every year, the festival features five categories, children, teenager, original, traditional and dance category. This year promises to be great show with many strong groups making a comeback into the competition.

President of Goa Cultural and Social Centre, Francisco Noronha, is looking forward to welcoming the audience at this Mando festival. “This year, we have some new groups and some groups which have performed and won awards in the past. Curtorim village has two strong groups in this competition, a village where Mando is believed to be originated. The children and teenager category also has a new group through Kansavlachem Salkam from Cansaulim,” says Francisco.

Unfortunately, many school and college groups could not participate in the competition as the holiday was extended due to the National Games in the state which pushed the exams dates further ahead. “There are many priests who have supported the festival by forming different groups and taking Mando to their parishioners. Fr Olavo Caido and Fr Tomas Lobo have also informed that they will participate in the competition next year,” adds Francisco.

Every year, the committee releases a special souvenir which features all the original songs and details about the groups performing at the festival. Two copies of these souvenirs are presented to the Goa State Central Library annually.

The General Secretary of the Goa Cultural and Social Centre, Milagres Fernandes, informs that the competition will be also telecasted live on their YouTube channels for viewers across the world. “Compared to the previous years since Covid-19, there will be more groups at this competition. There are 29 performances including four children groups, 5 teenager groups, 7 Original groups, 7 traditional groups and 6 dance groups,” says Milagres.

All Goa State Level Mando Festival is free and open to all to enjoy two evenings of melodious voices and music. The show will be compered by the brother duo of Agnelo and Armando Fernandes from Borim. Milagres says that he feels content that the musical legacy of Mando is safe in the hands of the young and through their voices and music, Mando will continue for years to come.

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