Konkani Music Program on German Radio

By Mariano A. Pereira (President Bharat Association,Frankfurt).

Excerpts: Sigrid Pfeffer of the German Radio Station, Hessisches Rundfunk, wasfascinated by the Konkani music she heard when on vacation in Goa. She tookseven weeks unpaid leave to interview Konkani literary and music figures.Thehour-long program entitled "Konkani music - the almost forgotten music ofIndia" will be broadcast on 26 June, 2008 from 21.30 hrs [20.30, UK time;01:00, 27 Jun. IST] on Hessisches Rundfunk (HR2). Sigrid Pfeffer is alsoworking on a CD of Konkani music.

To listen to the programme live, go tohttp://www.hr-online.de/website/radio/hr2/index.jsp?rubrik=23746For the programme website (in German), seehttp://biggs.hr-online.de/website/radio/hr2/index.jsp?rubrik=31124&key=standard_document_33624614If you have problems with the links and/or for a photograph of MarianoPereira visit http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/Below is the full text of Navhind Times article of 25 June 2008.Konkani Music Program on German Radio Station. By Mariano A. Pereira,Frankfurt, Germany.Sigrid Pfeffer a German tourist heard some out-of-the-ordinary yet pleasantsounding music at a Goan guest house where she was spending her vacation.She being a music aficionada, working for the popular German Radio Station,Hessisches Rundfunk, in Frankfurt, Germany, instantly fell in love with themelodies. Ms. Pfeffer, however, was unable to determine where that music mayhave come from and the language in which the melodies were sung. She waspuzzled. To her ears it sounded like a blend of Mexican mariachi, Italianfolk tunes, Cuban sounds, and South Sea rattles. She wondered whether theItalian mandolin and Mexican trumpet had anything to do with India.Sigrid Pfeffer was surprised when she found out that the music she fell inlove with were Konkani folksongs, i.e., Mandos, Dulpods, and Cantaram. Shetook seven weeks of unpaid leave with permission from her employer and beganincessant search for the roots of this music and the Konkani Tiatrs in Goaand Mumbai. She interviewed Konkani literary figures like Uday Bhembre, John"Kokoy" Gomes, and Tomasinho Cardoso, and further went to Mumbai to continueher research where she spoke to Jazzy (Joe) Pereira, Naresh Fernandes, andRita Rose. She also visited Goan Clubs "kuds" at Dobiltalao and even foundsome old Konkani records collecting dust at Mumbai's Chor Bazar. Upon carrying the Massala Mixes" as she calls them back to Germany, shethought of presenting them to Cornelia Rost, the producer of the BroadcastProgram, Music of the World. She too felt the music would appeal to theGerman ear and gave her the green light to do an hour-long radio programdevoted to Konkani music. Perhaps for first time in history such a programwill be broadcast by a major German radio station. Featuring in this programamong others will be songs by Minguel Rod, Jacinto Vaz, Helen D'Cruz, HenryD"Souza, Lorna, Robin Vaz, Alfred & Rita Rose, Oslando and compositions byUday Bhembre & Chris Perry, as well as one of India's top Goan popmusicians, Remo Fernandes. The hour-long program entitled "Konkani music - the almost forgotten musicof India" will be broadcast on 26 June, 2008 from 21.30 hrs on HessischesRundfunk (HR2). It will include an historical review of Konkani music andits unique form of Tiatro development.Sigrid Pfeffer is also working on a CD of Konkani folksongs, mandos, dulpodsand cantaram for the German public slated to be in the market includingmusic stores in Goa by the end of the year.