PORVORIM
Emphasising an urgent need to document folk songs from oral tradition to preserve it for posterity, Dr Jayanti Naik said it is important to document the traditions of today, for they may be lost tomorrow.
“Much of this material has not been transcribed and does not appear in print. It exists only in oral tradition. It’s important to transcribe this unique body of music so that it may be documented, preserved and used, and remain integral to a community’s cultural life,” she said.
She was speaking at Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendra after releasing the book ‘Konknni Lok-Guitam’ written by Dr Pandurang Phaldessai and published by Sahitya Academy. Those present on the dais were Prof. Kamlakar Mhalshi, Dr Purnanand Chari, Fr Kelvin Monteiro SJ, Amelia Dias and Ganesh Velip Kankar.
Prof Kamlakar Mhalsi mentioned that a folk song is one that has been passed orally from generation to generation, and has its roots in the community.
“There are many different types of folk music for different occasions and each one has its unique flavour. The importance of documenting the present musical traditions becomes increasingly urgent. Dr Pandurang Phaldessai deserves appreciation for compiling 515 folk songs across Goa and this book will be of great use to scholars,” said Mhalshi.
Dr Purnanand Chari highlighted the importance of folk song in lives of people and stated that folk traditions are still very much a part of villagers.
“It is true that the tradition of folk singing may be fading as a smaller number of people are engaged in the activity and the younger generation of today are getting attracted towards western music. Hence, it becomes the responsibility of researchers to document these folk songs for the future generation,” said Dr Chari.
