MARGAO
Former Minister Churchill Alemao on Wednesday made an impassioned plea to the government to increase fund allocation for the Tiatr Academy of Goa to help promote tiatr, art and culture in the state.
He was speaking as the Chief guest at the programme organised by the Tiatr Academy of Goa at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Pai Tiatrist Joao Agostinho Fernandes on Wednesday evening.
The TAG had held the function to commemorate the birth anniversary of Pai Tiatrist by felicitating tiatrists with Lifetime Contribution to Tiatr Awards 2022 both commercial and non-commercial. TAG gad also organized the special felicitation of noted tiatirst, John Claro Fernandes for achieving one time Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
The granddaughter of Pai Tiatrist Sharmila Fernandes was also present on the occasion. Speakers paid rich tributes to the Pai Tiatrist and recalled his contribution to Tiatr.
Speaking on the occasion, Churchill said that tiatr forms part of the integral part of Goa, having kept Konkani alive over the decades.
“I had requested Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to support TAG with grants to promote Tiatr and preserve the rich Goan culture”, he said, while urging the Chief Minister to support the Tiatr by allocating additional funds to TAG.
In his address, TAG President Menino de Bandar outlined the various activities carried out by TAG during his tenure.
Meanwhile, Churchill later told the media that there’s an urgent need to ensure that the order on sound pollution does not affect the local culture, including tiatr, Zagor, nataks, Zatras held in the state.
“We have to make a petition to the Goa government as well as the centre drawing their attention to the fact that any attempt to stop sound after 10 pm will spell death knell for the local art and culture”, he said.
