Songs that kept alive the spirit of resilience

TGLife

Women all over the world are the carriers of culture. In the cultures around the world, women, through their day-to-day life they take a break to sing, dance and entertain themselves. While they engage in routine work, they make it light by adding songs to it. To celebrate these songs which are sometimes in the form of oviyo, Sunaparanta has organised a programme in association with India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) and Heritage Network where a poetic exploration of women’s

On the occasion of International women’s day, Sunaparanta-Goa Centre for the Arts in association with India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) and Heritage Network will be celebrating ‘Grinding Stories- Songs from Goa’ which is a poetic exploration of women’s voices through oviyo songs.

The program brings together vernacular and translated renditions of oviyo songs that are sung over the grinding stone by women in rural Goa. Word, movement and objects come together in an experiential tableau that symbolically explores domestic spaces and gendered objects, highlighting women’s resilience. The event is also a reminder about the tangible and intangible heritage of Goa that needs to be conserved and revitalised.

The program is a collaboration between IFA - Goa Chitra Museum fellow and curator Lina Vincent, and writer and heritage advocate Heta Pandit, author of the book Grinding Stories – Songs from Goa: a translation of 26 ‘oviyos’. Joining them are Sarojini Bhiva Gaonkar (storyteller) and Shubhada Chari (vocalist and environmentalist). Theatrical direction is by Anagha Deshpande (for Abhivyaktee, Panaji) and enactment by performer Ruchira Verekar.

The program opens with an introduction to the project and the many ways in which oral histories bind material and intangible culture together. The songs, rendered in a Marathi-Konkani dialect will be alternated with English reading of the translations, as well as theatrical interpretation of selected pieces. The stage will be set with selected objects of domestic life, identifying the living/disappearing heritage of Goa, and connecting with the idea of gender-imbued objects and spaces.

India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), Bengaluru is a not-for-profit, independent, grant making organisation that supports research, practice and education in the arts and culture across India, since 1995.  Believing that the arts and culture are essential to individual and community lives, and for a more equitable and just world, the IFA, as a facilitator, catalyst and provocateur in the field, support critical investigations, explorations and experiments that push boundaries of knowledge and practice, and challenge dominant narratives.

The cluster of three museums - Goa Chitra, Goa Chakra and Goa Cruti, founded by Victor Hugo Gomes together narrate the history of Goa through objects, texts and oral histories that have been collected from the older members of the community. 

The 4000 plus objects at Goa Chitra are promoting awareness and appreciation of indigenous lifestyles, professions and cultural practices through a unique gathering of domestic objects, tools and implements, ritual artefacts and other items that are fast disappearing in contemporary economy and society. The museum documents and researches social history and material culture, while also focusing on educational programs for the public, particularly the younger generation.  

Heta Pandit, a writer and heritage advocate based between Bombay and Goa, has written eight books on Goan heritage - Houses of Goa, Hidden Hands- Master builders of Goa, Dust & Other Short Stories from Goa, Walking in Goa, Walking in Old Goa and Walking with Angels. Her autobiography ‘There’s More to Life Than a House in Goa’ was released at the Sixth Goa Art and Literature Festival. A Homi Bhabha Fellow and a founder member the Goa Heritage Action Group, Heta is fluent in Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, English and Konkani. Her Marathi to English translations have been published in Govapuri and Ferry Crossing - An Anthology of Goan Short Stories.

Lina Vincent, an art historian and curator with over 15 years’ experience in arts management, is committed to socially engaged practices that reflect in multidisciplinary projects she has developed and participated in. Her recent projects include ‘Good Food India’ - international arts program for environmental awareness; Story of Space, Art and Science festival, Goa; ‘Tabiyat: Medicine and Healing in India’ CSMVS Mumbai; & ‘Morphology of Archive: Connected Histories of Goa’, MOG, Goa. Lina is associate curator with ARTPORTmaking waves and Chief Program Designer, Visual Art & Design for Sublime’s ARTEd, Bangalore. Lina has a BFA from Bangalore University and MFA in Art History from the same institution.

Sarojini Bhiva Gaonkar, a school teacher with a deep interest in researching Goan folklore and oral history, composes her own songs and is often invited to weddings, naming ceremonies and folk festivals. She has travelled across India as a folk singer under the aegis of the directorate of Art and Culture, government of Goa. Both her grandmothers were well known singers and singing in public comes to her naturally. 

Shubhada Chari has assisted Dr Rajendra Kerkar, naturalist and preservation advocate over several years. She has been awarded the ‘Yuva Srujan’ Award 2015 by the West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur and directorate of Art and Culture of Goa. She has presented cultural and literary programmes for Goa Doordarshan on the rich facets of Goa’s folklore and culture. An author of the book Dhangar Stree in Marathi she has played a crucial role in the collection and research for the book Grinding Stories - Songs from Goa.

Anagha Deshpande, a seasoned theatre practitioner and activist, is currently assistant professor in Preforming Arts (Theatre) at Nirmala Institute of Education, Panaji. Along with Saish Deshpande, she is a founder member of Abhivyaktee, a leading cultural organisation which designs and presents various theatrical productions in Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, English and Sanskrit language.

Ruchira Verekar is associated with Abhivyaktee since her childhood. She is a trained actress and Kathak dancer. She currently works as teaching faculty at Pharmacy College, Goa.