American composer and pianist George Gershwin once said, ‘True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time.’ This is so true when it comes to listening to Konkani cantaram, songs that were composed by noted tiatrists. A musical genre that has stood the test of time, it is still thriving with words that pierce the heart and enlightens the mind. For Nalini Elvino de Sousa, these cantaram were a journey into the past. A noted documentary filmmaker, ethnomusicologist, Portuguese teacher, Nalini is now set to showcase this musical genre through the documentary film, ‘Kantar Goa’.
This documentary highlights the works of cantaram legends like C Alvares, Remmie Colaso, and Jacinto Vaz. It explores how their music moved from the stage to social media and why it remains relevant today. This is the first ever documentary solely dedicated to the cantaram. In 2023, Nalini received the VM Salgaocar Grant, which enabled her to edit this documentary. The fund from Maria Crescencia Menezes Memorial Educational Trust helped her in the initial stage of pre-production and production of the documentary. This film is the culmination of research she conducted between 2021 and 2023 at Aveiro University, which resulted in her master’s dissertation.
“The documentary focuses on the Goan performative genre tiatr, specifically on the cantaram that used to be sung between the scenes of the play. It traces the journey of these songs from the early 20th century to the present day. Though often considered a side-show in tiatr, these cantaram capture the essence of Goa and have transcended the stage to reach people's homes through records, radio broadcasts, and now social media,” says Nalini.
Speaking about what made her select Cantaram as a subject for her research, she says, “One of my first tasks as a master’s student at Aveiro University was to conduct a preliminary classification of the shellac disc archive stored at All India Radio in Goa. This archive had previously been identified through the photographing of their labels by my professor, Susana Sardo in 2018. One of the first conclusions after this task was that 90 percent of the original work was dedicated to the performative practice of cantaram, a part of the Goan popular theatre called tiatr. This finding guided my choice to focus on this performative genre.”
The documentary is 50 minutes long and the sound team includes Ravi Kumar and Agnelo Lobo. The camerawork was handled by several people, including Agnelo Lobo, Vikas Urs, William Rodrigues, and Gasper D’Souza, who also served as the editor. While researching for the documentary in Goa, Nalini identified 48 composers, but since she only had two years to complete her master's, she decided to focus her research on three composers, who were also tiatrists: Jacinto Vaz, Remmie Collaso, and C Alvares. She researched 225 shellac discs records, all in Goa.
Unfortunately, tiatrists in Goa don’t have the practise of archiving their masterpieces, which made it difficult for Nalini. “Apart from the fact that these three artists are no longer with us, I realized that even their own families did not have access to these discs. Additionally, the digital format of these shellac discs is not available to the public, and the lyrics are also inaccessible. It was mainly Justina Costa, along with Albert Cardoso, who painstakingly listened to each digitization of the records. Justina transcribed the lyrics, and with the help of a student from Carmel College, Sweena Vaz, the lyrics were translated into English. Only then could I analyze and understand the history behind the music stored on these shellac discs. Fortunately, some of the cantaram were later re-recorded on vinyl, cassette, and even CDs. With the help of other Goans, and I would like to specifically mention Edward Verdes, William and Savio Rodrigues, and Isidore Dantas, I was able to analyse 90 cantaram by these three tiatrists: Jacinto Vaz, Remmie Colaco, and C Alvares. The documentary is based on this research.”
‘Kantar Goa’ will be screened at Kantarachem Sanz, organized by the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK), to celebrate and promote the cantaram musical genre. The event will begin with the screening of ‘Kantar Goa’, at 4.30 pm followed by a listening session curated by Leaxan Freitas, a Cloud Security professional who is also passionate about preserving Goa's Art Deco heritage. Leaxan is a vinyl record selector and collector, with a deep love for Goan culture. Over the past decade, he has curated an impressive collection of vinyl records. During this session, Leaxan will take the audience on a rhythmic journey, spinning his favourite tracks from his vinyl collection. His sets create a nostalgic connection to his Goan roots, offering a fresh perspective on Goa's cultural richness. The event will conclude with a dance session led by Cecile Rodrigues, founder of Encore Academy of Performing Arts.
Nalini, now wants to take this musical genre closer to the hearts of children and youngsters. Through her NGO, Communicare Trust, she is taking cantaram to the schools. “Music has the unique ability to resonate with people of all ages, and I’ve seen first-hand the enthusiasm of younger audiences when they listen to cantaram. To further connect with them, my NGO, Communicare Trust, is already planning the next steps to make the documentary even more relatable—but those plans are a secret for now.”
They had three sessions and are preparing a listening session for 150 students of Holy Cross High School in Bastora.The aim is to create a fun and an interactive learning experience that will stay with the students. Furthermore, to take this initiative overseas, Communicare Trust is organizing a series of concerts, workshops and roundtables in Portugal this September, with Goan music group Entre Nós at the helm.
“I’m very excited that Kantar Goa will be featured at the 48th World Conference of the International Council for Traditional Music and Dance (ICTMD) in New Zealand in January 2025,” says Nalini, who further explains her learning experience, “A great learning experience for me while working on the documentary was realizing how underappreciated cantaram are. Despite this, the warmth and generosity I received from all the tiatrists I met was immense. Their humility and kindness are something I will always cherish.”