PANAJI
A one-day national symposium on “Konkani Tiatr: The Past, Present and Future” was jointly organised by the Sahitya Akademi, Fr. Agnel College of Arts and Commerce (Pilar), and the Tiatr Academy of Goa.
The event took place on August 12, 2025, at the Heritage Hall of Fr. Agnel College.
The symposium was inaugurated by renowned tiatrist and writer Tomazinho Cardozo. The inaugural ceremony was presided over by Purnanand Chari, President of the Goa Konkani Akademi. Frederick Rodrigues, Principal of Fr. Agnel College, was the Chief Guest, and Anthony Barboza, President of the Tiatr Academy of Goa, served as the Guest of Honour. The keynote address was delivered by Louis Gomes, Asst. Professor at St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa. The inaugural function also witnessed the presence of Zilu Gaonkar, Konkani Advisory Board Member of the Sahitya Akademi. The welcome speech was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Rajashree Sail, Head of the Konkani Department at Fr. Agnel College.
The symposium was divided into three sessions. The first session, chaired by Louis Gomes, was dedicated to the Golden Period of Konkani Tiatr. Milton Rodrigues presented a paper tracing the “Initial period and history of Konkani tiatr,” while Agnel de Bori discussed its “Golden period,” highlighting the significant contributions of that era.
The second session addressed the “Contribution of Women and Hindu Artistes to Konkani Tiatr.” Chaired by Tomazinho Cardozo, this session featured Usha Zaraunkar, who presented on the “Contribution of Hindu Artistes,” and Antonet D’Souza, who spoke on the specific “Contribution of Women.”
The final session was forward-looking, addressing the “Future of Tiatr, Questions and Challenges.” Presided over by Zilu Gaonkar, this session included a presentation by Vishwapratap Pawar on the “Tiatr competition by Kala Academy,” and another by Fausto D’Costa on the broader “Challenges and Questions” facing the future of tiatr. The symposium concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Usha Zaraunkar.
The entire day’s proceedings were efficiently compered by a team comprising faculty members from Fr. Agnel College, namely Ashwin De Souza, Carina Vaz, Fianka Barreto, Cleeva Fernandes, along with an SYBA student, Devyani.
