Goa’s iconic stage art, tiatr, took centre stage at a ceremony honouring veteran and young artistes, even as renewed calls were made for UNESCO recognition. The event celebrated legacy, launched new literary work, and urged youth to embrace tiatr professionally
“Tiatr, the oldest form of stage art in Goa, has its own value, and Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) has been working tirelessly to elevate and upgrade the status of the Goan art, bringing apt modifications in its presentation. It is their sheer love for this art that the tiatr community continues to stage it in Goa and abroad. To safeguard and globally promote this iconic stage art, the directorate of Art and Culture along with a task force committee has been pressing for UNESCO recognition of tiatr as an intangible cultural heritage and Tiatr deserves this tag,” stated Nilesh Cabral, MLA from Curchorem while speaking at the award giving ceremony organised by the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) in association with Ravindra Bhavan Margao on Friday.
Youth encouraged
The MLA further motivated the budding tiatrists to treat tiatr as a profession, and embrace it as a career, stating that it is this medium that has been truly honouring and taking care to preserve the language of the region – Konkani. “The GenNext should be motivated to take the legacy forward of this form of local art that has been nurtured by our ancestors for over a century. Goans, especially today’s youth in the State, must take inspiration from the previous generation, dream big and grow individually,” appealed Cabral, lauding the tiatr community of Goa for dedicating their services in their own way to their home State and mother tongue.
Book launch
Launching a book of 100 kantaras (songs), ‘Kantar Kor’ written by Edwin D’Costa, Cabral said this is the legacy that is being given to the next generation, to learn from. Stating that tiatr has been a prime mode of entertainment for Goans, Cabral said that we should be thankful to the elder generation for giving us this art of music and expression.
Lifetime honours
The event saw ‘Lifetime Contribution to Tiatr Awards 2025 (commercial)’ being given away to veteran tiatrists in memory of late Pai Tiatrist Jose Agostinho Fernandes at Ravindra Bhavan Margao. On this occasion veteran tiatrists Leslie Pereira, Joaquim L Fernandes (Jack Ferry) and Santano Pereira were honoured for their lifetime contribution to the field of tiatr.
Young achievers
Young Achievers’ Awards were also given in memory of late Regina Fernandes, the first lady tiatrist, to Pierson D’Costa, Fevila Fernandes, Maria Suizel Afonso and Aston Soares. On behalf of Maria Suizel Afonso, the award was accepted by her mother. The ceremony also saw a book launch event wherein the book ‘Kantar Kor’ written by Edwin D’Costa. And two booklets, each on the lifetime contribution to tiatr awards and young achievers’ awards was also released on the occasion.
Children’s competition
The 13th Children’s Tiatr Competition prize winners were given their mementos and certificates in the presence of veteran tiatrist Platilda Afonso e Dias, Sharmila Fernandes, the granddaughter of late Joal Agostinho Fernandes, Rajendra Talak, chairman of Ravindra Bhavan Margao, Anthony Barbosa, TAG president, Marcos Gonsalves TAG vice-president and Carlos Fernandes, TAG member secretary.
The award ceremony of the 13th Children’s Tiatr competition, which was supposed to be on December 14, 2025, the birth anniversary of Pai Tiatrist but due to ZP election code of conduct TAG did not get permission to conduct the event. The Young Achievers Awards ceremony also had to be cancelled due to code of conduct, stated Anthony Barbosa, TAG president in his welcome speech. Barbosa took the opportunity to appeal to the directors of the tiatr to read and follow the rules of the tiatr competitions before applying to participate in the contest to avoid confusion and misunderstanding later.
Chairman’s address
Ravindra Bhavan Margao chairman Rajendra Talak, while speaking on the occasion mentioned that tiatr can be a good profession for youngsters who are talented and they should not shy away from performing on stage. “Goans are known for their love of music and theatre. It is in their DNA. They should take art forward selflessly without competing, as there is a chance to grow in these industries. Ravindra Bhavan Margao is always open for staging tiatr and screening movies. We also sponsor first shows under a scheme as we are with the artists. There are many Ravindra Bhavans across the State and their facilities should be availed by all artists,” said Talak whose latest Konkani film Claudia was to be screened soon after the TAG event.
Gratitude expressed
On behalf of the awardees, Leslie Pereira expressed his gratitude for being considered an award for their lifetime contribution to tiatr. Edwin D’Costa thanked the TAG team for their support in publishing his book of 200 kantars. “The book will be a living treasure of my songs for today’s youth to learn from, as I learnt from the yesteryear’s tiatrists and songwriters,” said the song writer.
The judges in the competitions were honoured with mementos and the eight groups that participated in the competitions were also given certificates of participation.
