Sonia Shirsat calls for UNESCO recognition of Mando

Panaji: Fadista Sonia Shirsat on Saturday advocated for UNESCO's recognition of Mando as an intangible heritage. “The Fado was recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2011. I hope the Mando will follow soon,” she said while speaking at an International Women's Day programme organised by the Goa High Court Bar Association at Porvorim.
“The Mando, a Goan folk form in Konkani, is Indian yet based on Western music. Usually, a folk form is in the local language with local music based on local culture, but the Mando is Goan and Western simultaneously, which makes it so unique,” she said.
Shirsat, a former law professor with a master’s in law, has sung Fados professionally for 22 years. She was rated India’s best fadista and teaches music through her Fado de Goa project.
“Fado has been in Goa for over a century. It might be in a foreign language, but it is loved by people in Goa, so we need to protect it,” she said.
“While the Fado evolved in Portugal, the Mando developed in Goa,” she further said.