Tiatrists and priests have been the greatest exponents and proponents of our mother tongue Konkani. If today Konkani language is alive and in use, we need to give credit to our clergy and tiatrists.
Our Hindu brethren spoke Konkani at home but their socio-cultural, scholastic and religious life revolved around the Marathi language. The life of Christians centred around Konkani. Even though the education was in Portuguese and now in English, their socio-cultural religious life revolved and still revolves around the Konkani language and today it can be rightly said that the Priests (by conducting their religious services in Konkani) and tiatrists (by presenting Konkani tiatr and producing audio/video casettes/CD, musical shows, etc) have been the true custodians of our mother tongue.
Tiatrists have never shied away from their responsibilities whenever the need arose. Ulhas Buyao, a noted tiatrist in one of his songs Gõychea mhojea Gõykaramno sings jen’nam tunvem marlo ulo, ten’nam ami ravle ube (when u called, we stood by you), a phrase beautifully summarising the commitment of a tiatrist towards Konkani. Over the last 123 years of tiatr history, we find numerous songs of famed tiatrists, including the likes of Kamat de Assolna, M Boyer, Alfred Rose, Wilmix, eulogizing our mother tongue Konkani and urging fellow Goans to accord our mother tongue Konkani, a place of pride in our lives and homes.
The language agitation of 1986, saw the tiatrists brethren spearheading the cause of Konkani. All tiatrs had atleast one song dedicated to Konkani. I remember Alfred Rose specially flying in from Bombay to render his song for a rally at Panjim. Mike Mehta’s tiatr Goykaranchem Rogot staged prior to the language agitation predicted the martyrdom at Agassaim.
With the growing seclusion of the Romi-script reading Konkani populace of Goa, tiatrists have once again taken the initiative to garner support for Konkani literature. Songs in support of equal status for Romi script along with the Devanagri script are also heard in tiatr.
Over the years, tiatrists have championed the cause of Konkani language on and off stage but today alas, the new breed of tiatrist seems to accord it with step motherly treatment. No attention is paid towards even spelling the title of the tiatr correctly. A recent example “ The title of the tiatr Modhli Vatt should have been spelt as Modli Vatt. The writer of Bailek dhuk Kumarik Shuk corrected the spelling mistakes in his title only after people who mattered advised the writer.
In Goa, there are atleast six regular periodicals published in the romi-Konkani script, and it is saddening to note that tiatrists don’t think of patronizing these periodicals with advertisements of their tiatr or musical shows. If their tiatr were advertised in Konkani periodicals that are fighting against all odds for survival, Konkani periodicals will flourish. For the last 10 years of publishing JIVIT, a monthly konkani magazine, only three advertisements were released by tiatrists!
Tiatrists are pall bearers of Konkani. Our language will develop if our tiatrist brethren take up the cause of Konkani and promote Konkani periodicals. Reading magazines will improve their vocabulary and raise the bar of tiatr scripts.
