Panaji: The moment
Francis de Tuem
steps on to the stage at the newly renovated Kala Academy in Panaji, the crowd cannot contain its excitement.
This is what most have come for. It is “Ger’rak Nhoi Vor’rak Melo”, Francis de Tuem’s ninth production. But while his tiatrs do have a message to take home in the end, his political songs are the biggest crowd-pullers.
Here too, Francis does not disappoint the big crowd when he makes his first appearance.
“You have a problem when there are conversions but chief minister
Pramod Sawant
himself converted 10 Congress MLAs and took them into BJP,” he sings, a line that is cheered by the overwhelmingly Catholic crowd in the audience. Another line wonders, “If BJP is a secular party, why do you want a Hindu rashtra?”
Francis is renowned for his political songs. He has been highly critical of BJP, has not spared Congress either, and has in the past been threatened by politicians or their supporters. It has not had any effect, and he is in no mood to stay quiet, particularly with an election around the corner.
“I don’t know if my songs create an impact, but this is my mission and I cannot stray,” Francis told TOI after the show. “When a priest preaches a sermon, not everyone is convinced, but there are some who listen to every word that he preaches and transform themselves. Even if two people from the audience take my message home, I am happy.”
Not without a reason, Francis is known as the king of political songs. The queen’s crown has been safe with
Olga Vaz
. Here’s why.
In one song in the same tiatr, she calls CM Sawant names. Many other songs border on regionalism and sexism. For example, Olga walks on to the stage with a sari in hand, offering it to social welfare minister Subhash Phal Desai “if he does not withdraw the police complaint against the villagers who protested” against the installation of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Sao Jose de Areal.
“People clap when politicians are criticised, they enjoy that, but I am not sure if the song or those words stay on their minds long after they have left the hall,” said Socorro de Santa Cruz, a leading singer of the Konkani stage. “As a singer, though, you can feel the immediate impact with the way the crowd reacts.”
Politicians are used to such criticism, particularly from tiatrists. Most turn a deaf ear, while others have picked up the phone and confronted the singers. Many politicians, others said, adopt the elephant philosophy — they keep walking as the dogs keep barking.
During election time, criticism of politicians and parties has been particularly fierce.
A quartet involving Goa’s best-known singer, Lawry Travasso, warns Sawant that Goans will send him back to ‘Sawantwadi’, if Goans in London wake up. Not surprisingly, this song was cheered when staged in Hounslow in England.
Another song by Saby De Divar compares politicians to fishes. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has been sarcastically compared to a buranto (glassy perchlet).
There is a full-blown war out there in favour of parties and politicians too. While Cajie D’Costa has been extremely critical of RG and its supremo Manoj Parab (without taking names) in “Tum MP Zatoloi?”, Elsie Falco believes the party is the only hope in her song “Goem Amchem Sambaltele’.
When the Lok Sabha polls are over, tiatrists will pick up newer topics to “educate the crowd” but whichever season it may be, politicians will continue to be the favourite punching bag.
English (US) ·