Herald: Stories Through Song – Connecting the Generations


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08 Dec. 2021 | 5:48 AM HIST

Stories Through Song – Connecting the Generations

The second volume of Heta Pandit’s well-researched book, Grinding Stories Retold: Songs from Goa, is an updated version of her first book that takes readers on a fascinating journey into Goan’s oral history tradition under the form of “oviyos” or songs sung with the millstone. Interestingly, this tradition has been followed by both the Hindu and Christian community and passed down by women from generation to generation. Giving us a glimpse into the lives of these women and the shared sense of hopelessness and hope, the book is a remarkable documentation of the Goan subculture that otherwise was forgotten in the annals of history.

Deepa george

“Oviyos sung in Konkani and Marathi are part of the Goan subculture that is quickly falling into oblivion,” explains Heta Pandit. For Goa, the pinhead of a state on the map of western India, the cultural connotation has always been that of fish, feni, beaches and a libertine “western” culture which is roughly misleading. As an author and founding member of the Goa Heritage Action Group, Heta’s work is emblematic of her mission to preserve, conserve and amplify various aspects of Goa’s cultural heritage.

While patriarchy is a recurring social construct that women have struggled against for centuries, Heta’s book highlights the absolute isolation and despair of a girl married at a young age and having to come to terms with a new home. without anyone or familiar friends. Giving us a sense of liberation that these songs offered to women of that time, Heta explains: “Songs and dances; folklore expressions are in fact always translations of professional and family experiences. This is true for all cultures and subcultures. There is a subtext in each of these songs and stories. She continues: “Why did they sing to the millstone? They were not allowed to touch percussion instruments! So, they devised a clever way to use utensils and stones in their control universe. They turned the mess, the dhavole, and used the back as a percussion of their song, to express frustration, grief and repression.

Giving us a feminist perspective, she adds: “When a married woman or child is given impossible tasks all day long, has no one in the marital home that she can call a friend, she can only depend on her. only friend in the whole world – the grindstone she brought from her maternal home. “He’s the only friend I have,” says one of the storytellers. What can be a more poignant statement than that? It’s also worth noting that not all of these monophonic songs were sad. Some also told of mythologies, ballads of bravery or even wedding songs.

And if one thought that the women of the Christian community were deprived of this institutional folklore, it is revealing to note the opposite. In fact, the book tells us that despite the Portuguese ban on singing oviyos, converts often called their Hindu neighbors to sing during the festivities. Adding an interesting facet, Heta says, “Dr Jayanti Naik from Goa Konkan Academy is pretty clear on this issue. She tells us that the Goan cantar (via Bombay) tiatr is actually a variant of the oviyo. It is a subject that I have not studied although it fascinates me ”,

This revelation was perhaps the moot point in revisiting the previous version of the book. “When I met Dr Carlos Fernandes, curator of the Central Library, with the previous version of this book, he asked me if I knew that the Christian Gavdas of Quepem also sang oviyos. I was totally baffled! I thought that after the (Portuguese government) ban on singing in Konkani, all of the Christian oral history in Konkani had disappeared from Goa. Amelia Dias and her group of sisters from the village of Avedem carry on this tradition. Dr Carlos sent one of his librarians, Anuja Naik with me and with his help I was able to retrieve the songs. Of course, the storytellers themselves, although illiterate, are worldly wise. They know the value of documenting oral history recording – their story. They were the most open, ”reveals Heta.

While this mammoth research exercise seems like a Herculean effort, Heta balances this recognition lightly and praises her fellow collaborators. “The exercise was only difficult during containment because the pandemic during travel was restricted. Otherwise, our task was made easier thanks to the help of Anuja and Kirti Naik and Shubhada Chari. It was also very important not only to do a translation, but also to do an interpretation. After all, this is an aspect of Goa culture that few people know about and it was our job to tell the world that there is more to Goa than beaches and churches!

Although these songs emanate from a Goan philosophy, this tradition is also spread throughout the west coast of the subcontinent. “The songs are sung by the millstone in Pakistan, Sindh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, Karnataka and Tamilnadu,” she shares. “There is a whole generation of storytellers and oral histories just waiting to be discovered,” she adds perceptibly. “It is a huge task and only an institution can take it up. Some of us have just opened a little furrow, a path. That said, each state or region has its own genre of music. In Goa, for example, in the regions of Valpoi and Sattari, the songs are filled with sadness, isolation, lamentation and loneliness. In Quepem, songs are sung at weddings and celebrations. Some are down-to-earth advice, others are warnings on how to follow the ethics line. It’s a vast canvas, a complete repertoire, ”she concludes.

For a subject relating to the past, Heta also managed to introduce a touch of modern technology by making this past accessible through the use of QR codes in the book which links to a YouTube interpretation of the songs. “All credit for this ‘first time in India’ goes to my designer and longtime friend, Dr Nina Sabnani and her team. She was frustrated that we couldn’t get our readers to see and listen to the original songs. Thanks to this concept, we were able to exploit new technologies to improve the stories of the past! The YouTube link allows readers to discover the song. You can actually see the storytellers in their homes, in their kitchens or anterooms, surrounded by the everyday objects they love and handle, their pots and pans, their favorite rugs, ”she adds with a smile.

For someone who has been the so-called “outsider” working tirelessly and contributing to the conservation of Goa’s cultural heritage, Heta has some wise words to solve the eternal riddle between insiders and outsiders saying, “Goa is a land that has so much wealth in terms of nature, culture, history and human ethnicity. Some of us make a contribution to this beautiful country and its people through this kind of documentation. We add, improve, try to restore what is lost, drawing the world’s attention to this vast and deep cultural richness. Second, we are all the children of a global village now. For us – all of us, it’s a duty to do something, to give something back to the land we live in, at a micro level to make a difference at a macro level.

With the pervasive sense of a sense of cultural and image loss along with the relentless crumbling of the state’s identity, Heta adds thoughtfully, “There are people who work in agriculture, permaculture, environment, fauna, architecture, history, intangible and tangible areas. … we must contribute and help mitigate the effects of this erosion of Goa’s cultural identity. Goa may not have been my janmboomi but it is most definitely my karmbhoomi. This land continues to give and to give and to give. Our Mother Goa can absorb any number of children around the world in her embrace. And, like any mother, she will also correct children who harm her, harm her or behave badly!

While these Goan songs may stay with only a few women in rural Goa, one wonders if they will stand the test of time. Yet for all of us who can forget, it’s the book that holds these songs forever in its embrace.

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