O Sahiba,Once More

In the ’70s,Miguel and Lisette Cotta were music teachers,and for many years before that,they entertained Goan audiences by singing popular folk songs. After their children,Franz Schubert — named after the famous Austrian composer,and Chantale Marie Cotta,were old enough,the family began performing on a Portuguese programme,Renascenca on All India Radio in the ’80s. This programme was discontinued in the mid-’90s and the family then moved to playing at five-star hotels.

Ever since,despite the demand for Goan folk music steadily decreasing even at traditional occasions such as weddings,the Cottas — perhaps currently the best-known musical family in Goa — have kept the music alive. Last week,the four Cottas performed traditional Konkani songs at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai,as part of their “Living Traditions 2012: Goa Gala”. Their primary focus was on the Mando,where Konkani songs are set to Latin-American tunes that speak of love. Sonia Shirsat inaugurated the Goa Gala event on Wednesday with Fado,a genre that can be traced back to the 19th century Portugal. “Fado is semi-classical in nature and can be compared to ghazals,” says Shirsat. The 32-year-old is one of the best known ‘fadistas’ in India.

Nearly three decades ago,Goan folk music was popular not only at restaurants,hotels and weddings in Goa. It has also been used in a number of Hindi films. For instance,the song Na mangun sona chandi from the 1973 film Bobby is an adaptation of Dekhni — a traditional Goan art form that combines song and dance. The incredibly popular Eena meena deeka from the 1957 film Aasha also has elements of Goan music in it.

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However,recently,Goa has seen a decline in the number of places one may hear its folk music. “These days everyone is into popular music so it has become very rare to find places that play folk music,” says Franz Schubert Cotta. He says there have been small attempts to revive folk music but these are few. “Mando festivals are held occasionally in Goa that are open to everyone,” he says.

Fado,on the other hand,has enjoyed more popularity in recent times. For instance,a restaurant in the Cidade de Goa hotel has a Fado night every month. “Fado is now making waves in the West and with some competitions in Goa,” says Shirsat.