LONDON
The rhythmic sounds of coconut shells and colourful Kunbi attire were showcased in London as a Goan troupe staged the traditional Goan ‘Kunbi Coti’ dance to mark Goa’s presence for the very first time at the unique cultural show ‘Sanskruti Veekshanam’.
The North London-based Goan cultural group ‘Goans R Us’ led by Rosy D’Silva, who hails from Mungul-Margao, took part in the ‘Sanskruti Veekshanam’ at the Nehru Centre cultural wing of the Indian High Commission in Central London on July 8.
This was the first time that a Goan group performed along with 12 other Indian states representing unique dance forms from regions such as Meghalaya, Manipur and Andhra Pradesh.
The function which was organised by Ragasudha Vinjamuri of the Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and a total of 40 artistes display their art and culture from 12 states, 1 Union Territory and 1 Community.
The ‘Goans R Us’ cultural group’s ‘Kunbi Coti’ traditional Goan dance was sponsored by the Goan Association, UK and was well appreciated by the packed audience.
Messages of appreciation were also read out from Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the chief ministers of Manipur and Meghalaya and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda.
“My group ‘Goans R Us’ and I felt very privileged to have participated at the unique cultural show ‘Sanskruti Veekshanam’ at the Nehru Centre, to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of India’s independence,” said Rosy D’Silva.
“It was a showcase of our Indian culture and tradition by groups from the various regions of India, including our beloved Goa. It felt fantastic to catapult Goa onto the map of India with our Coti (coconut shell) dance, with the message that we love the Goan language 'Konkani',” she added.
