PANAJI: In the midst of the city’s hustle, there’s a quiet little room on the banks of the Mandovi. Illuminated by a modified gumot, its backdrop has the colours of Fontainhas, and elements of Portugal’s Alfama and Coimbra. In a small open space, a fadista sings Que Deus me perdoe, accompanied by a guitarra Portuguesa and a regular steel-stringed guitar. The music is unamplified, but the 40-strong audience can hear every word. The acclaimed Sonia Shirsat finishes the fado, and then moves on to a mando. Before every song, she explains its context.
A few songs later, it’s interval time. The patrons walk out to the parlour, adorned with azulejos, the glazed tiles often seen as name-plaques around Goa. Here, they are treated to rare Portuguese-Goan delicacies — queijadinhas, apa de camarao, pasteis de nata and fofos de bacalhau — in the company of the legendary Mario de Miranda, who lives on in this room through the many azulejos that bear his work.
This ‘experience’ of fado and mando is the signature event of ‘Madragoa’ at the newly-opened Bharatiya-Portugez Kala Kendr, or Centre for Indo-Portuguese Arts (CIPA), which explores culinary, musical, literary and tile arts.
“This is our dream project,” says Orlando de Noronha, musician, azulejo artist, and curator. His family jointly runs CIPA in what was once their ancestral home. His elder brother Oscar, an English professor, lends his expertise to the books section, which has titles in Konkani, English and Portuguese — a researcher’s dream. Even the family’s littlest members help out with ticketing, dimming lights, etc. There’s also on display custom crockery and a slew of other Goan artworks.
But it’s for fado and mando that CIPA is fast gaining popularity. Even as the Noronhas grapple with houseful audiences at their bimonthly music events, they plan to throw the family’s expertise open to the public. “Not just fado, we’re trying to give our patrons an Indo-Portuguese flavour through the food we serve, too,” says Marlene de Noronha Meneses, one of the curators of CIPA’s culinary arts. “We keep it as authentic as possible.”
Unlike many other institutions, CIPA isn’t stingy with recipes. Soon, as part of its educational outreach, these recipes, sourced from Portuguese locals and Goan grandmothers, will be taught to budding chefs. “These items aren’t available over the counter anywhere in Goa,” Marlene says. Meanwhile, Orlando, Goa’s best-known azulejo artist, will teach students to create their own plaques.
And for aspiring fadistas, there is finally an avenue for performance in Goa. “This is a place where people can experience fado regularly,” says Shirsat, who works tirelessly to promote the genre in Goa and beyond. In the near future, her students, too, can hope to perform here.
At Madragoa, every performance starts with an eponymous theme song, then a fado, and always ends with the immortal mando, Adeus korcho vellu paulo (The time for farewell is here). Shirsat starts it in Portuguese, but when it moves to Konkani, on her invitation, everyone in the room joins in the chusmo (refrain).
Once the concert is over, audiences express their appreciation in a peculiar way. “If you liked the music, please press the baker’s horn on your way out,” Orlando says. Not surprisingly, everyone dutifully complies. Outside, darkness has fallen, but here at Madragoa, with the incessant squeak of the poder’s horn, it sounds like dawn has only just broken.
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