EK-ANKI UPDES ANI SONDEX

Tiatr ani nattkulim Gõyant khub famad. Halinchea kallar tiatranchim vo nattkuleanchim hat-borovpam chhapun yetat (chodd korun Tiatr Academy-ntlean) hi gozal bhov khuxalkayechi. Osleach borpavollinchem ek pustok mhollear Arso: 26 Nattkuleancho Jhelo jem Pri. Michael Fernandes hannem boroilam. Hea pustokachem khaxelponn mhollear sovis-ui nattkuleanche mathalle, A-Z hea 26 Inglez okxoranche volleri promannem asat.

            Pri. Michael Fernandes-achem borovp Jivit, Gulab, Goan Review, V. Ixtt and kaim firgoz-potrancher uzvaddak ailam. Nibon’d, kannio, kovita, kantaram oxe sahityache sabar prokar tannem hatall’leat.  Arso hem tachem poilem nattkuleanchem pustok.

            Hea pustokacher nodor martoch amkam disun yeta ki him nattkulim bori dekh ani xikovnn diunk boroileant. Kannio sompeo asat ani hakach lagun borovpeak bori dekh diunk adar ditat. Bhurgeponnavoilo mog, vhoddilank respet ani man divop, promannikponn, Kristi mul’lyam , soimacho husko, adi osle mud’de hea pustokant borovpian ghetleat. Gõychi osmitay ani daiz, bhailo lok ani tanchea probhavank lagon je bodol ami onnbhovtat, osle-i mud’de Pri. Michael Fernandes-an amche mukhar manddleat.           

            Hea pustokant amkam oxem dison yeta ki jim patram vaitt monis mhunnon dakhoileant tanchem kalliz ani mon rokddench bodolta. Je toren – ani sompeponnim – him patram apunn borea rostear choltole mhonn utor ditat tantum kholay disun yenam. Punn ek-anki nattkuleank vell ani zago unno asta hem monant dhorun, borovpeachi hi oddchonn amcheamni somzum yeta.

Bãym hea nattkuleant Pri. Michael Fernandes amchea paromporik bãychem mhotv dakhoita ani ami udok kiteak chotrayen vaprunk zai temvui dakholl korta. Hea nattkuleant Saxtti boli vapurlolean ruch anink vaddlea. Dusrea-i kaim nattkuleamni Gõycheo her bolio vapurleat ani haka lagun borovpeak porbim! Kaim nattkuleamni je sonvad (dialogues) vapurleat te padriche sermanv koxe distat. Dekhik: Advogad. Sogllea suvatancher Povitr Pustokantle nomunne diupachi goroz asa,  hoi?

            Zantteanchi ani kheritponnim amchea avoy-bapaychi ami seva korunk zai hem dhoronn ak’khea pustokant amkam mellta. “Dor eka putak ani dhuvek mhozo ulo – tumchim avoy-bapuy kitlim-i zanttim pasun zalear, tankam pois korum nakat, nhoi mhonn azilant-ui ghalum nakat. Kiteak, je tyag ani koxtt tumchim avoy-bapuy tumche khatir kaddtat te sonvsarantle her khuinchech monis kaddchenant.” Pri. Michael Fernandes-achem hem dhoronn zorui hanv mandun ghetam torui hea rostear cholunk sodanch vatt meklli asta kai?

            Kaim nattkuleancho hangasor hanv ul’lekh korunk sodtam. Maim hea nattkuleant, Alroy-ak  sirvis mellunk ek lak farik korunk zai asta. Punn te itle duddu taka  mellttole zalear tannem poilim Saibinn mãycheo murteo moddunk zai asta ani Saibinnicher bhavarth dovorpant kaim boreponn ani faido nam oxem soglleank kollit korunk zai asta. Alroy oxench korta ani rokddoch taka aksident zata. Toxench Tallnni hea nattkuleant, ji zaun asa kanni dog supurlea bhavanchi, tanchi avoy tankam promannikponnan lisanv korunk sangta ani apunn bazarant veta. Eklo bhav tallnnek sampoddta ani aplea ixttam barabor khellpak veta ani thoimsor buddun morta.  ‘Devan-khast-laili’ osle vichar Pri. Michael Fernandes-a sarkea tornattea padrin soddun diunk zai. Amchea jivitant unneponnam asat, chuki ghoddtat hem monant dhorun ami amchem jivit jiyeunk zai, oslem novsorlolem  chintop khub gorjechem.

Hea nattkuleanchea jheleant zaite vixoy (themes) portun portun distat tori tanchi vachta asatanam addkholl zata oxem disonam. Kovorachem chitr Alvito D’Costa-n bore bhaxen kelam. Xevottak, hem pustok vachpak ruchichem asach ani iskolamni ‘Annual Gatherings’-a vellar machier haddunk khub faideachem poddtolem oxem hanv sobhemazar sangtam. Pri. Michael Fernandes-a sarkea tornattea borovpeank oslench protsahon mell’llear Konknnichem Sahitya pormollun, aninkui borovpi  mukhar sortole nhoi?

            Arso: 26 Nattkuleancho Jhelo borovpi Pri. Michael Fernandes (Bann’nnavle: Micferns Prokaxon), 2010; panam IX+237, Rs. 100/-; Fon: 91-0832-2221688 (Mellta: Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Ponnje)

            (Ho lekh Amcho Avaz-acher uzvaddak aila, tarik: 17 Agost, 2013, pan 10)

            Inglezint hoch lekh vach hanga.

26 ONE-ACT SERMONS

Theater in Konknni is a form of art that is very popular in Goa. Of late, it is heartening to note that many manuscripts are being published and a decent corpus of tiatrs and plays are now available for the general reader. Of the many tiatrs and collections of short one-act plays, Arso: 26 Nattkuleancho Jhelo by Fr. Michael Fernandes is one such book. This collection under review, consist of twenty-six one-act plays and the novelty about this book is that the titles follow the sequence of the roman alphabets from A-Z.

            Fr. Michael Fernandes is a young priest hailing from Benaulim. He has published his writings in various Konknni newsmagazines like Jivit, Gulab, Goan Review, V.Ixtt and some periodicals published by the Church in Goa. An alumnus of the Saligão seminary, Fr. Michael had also contributed to the nagri Konknni daily Sunaparant in its Campus Reporter section. A versatile writer experimenting with such diverse forms of writing such as essays, stories, poems, lyrics and besides being a playwright Arso is Fr. Michael’s first book.

            If we take an overview of Fr. Michael’s collection, we would find that these plays are written to impart good moral values. The plots are simple and move in a direction that allows the author to end with a homily. Issues such as teenage love, respect for elders and parents, honesty, Christian values, concern for the environment etc are discussed in Arso. Fr. Michael also discusses issues like the Goan identity and heritage in the face of rampant changes due to external influences and the in-migration of people from other states. After reading the book, one gets this impression that the main purpose of the author is to impart a virtuous and moralistic message to the readers and the audience. A recurring feature of the book, that one notices, is the rapid change-of-heart to lead a good, moral life of the bad characters found in the book. The way these characters pledge to reform themselves sometimes appears to be too easily done and that the author has taken shelter in convenience. Given the time and space constraints of a one-act play, such brevity is however understandable.

            In Bãym or Well, Fr. Michael stresses the importance of our traditional wells and also the need to conserve water. The use of a particular Saxtti dialect in this play makes interesting reading. In fact there are a few other instances where Fr. Michael has also experimented with other dialects, which is quite a commendable task. In some of the plays, the dialogues for lay characters are written in a way a priest would preach a sermon (for instance in Advogad), which makes the scene being enacted seem unreal. Is there a need to use lofty examples from the Bible at every turn of the phrase?

            That we should care for our old parents is one message that runs throughout the book. The position that Fr. Michael takes on such an issue is not a new one and we have all heard such arguments at various platforms. Fr. Michael’s position will be clear from the following quote from Inam’ where Marcus, a character in the play says thus: “Dor eka putak ani dhuvek mhozo ulo – tumchim avoy-bapuy kitlim-i zanttim pasun zalear, tankam pois korum nakat, nhoi mhonn azilant-ui ghalum nakat. Kiteak, je tyag ani koxtt tumchim avoy-bapuy tumche khatir kaddtat te sonvsarantle her khuinchech monis kaddchenant.” [This is my call to every son and daughter. No matter how old and infirm your parents may be, do not turn away from them, nor admit them in an old-age home. For they have toiled for you like nobody else in this world]. Though in agreement that we should care for the people who love us, is it always practical and feasible to walk the path that Fr. Michael is suggesting?

            I would also like to single out another play that could have benefitted from some fresh thinking by a very young priest like Fr. Michael. In Maim (Mother), in return for a lakh of rupees which would secure Alroy a job, the idols of Mother Mary need to be destroyed and he has to proclaim that there is no use in believing in Mother Mary. Alroy does as he is required by “the group” and immediately he meets with an accident. Or in Tallnni or Temptation, which is a story about two brothers. Since their mother has to go out shopping, she tells her two boys to sincerely sit down and study for their exams which are fast approaching. One brother succumbs to temptation and goes out with his friends to play – only to drown in a river in an act of Devan khast layli (God has punished).

This idea of divine retribution should be abandoned by young priests like Fr. Michael. Rather than continuing with old and stale ideas, Fr. Michael could have infused his writings with a new spirit, one that celebrates life with all its faults and shortcomings. I shall stop here lest I begin to sound too preachy!

            Though many of the themes repeat and overlap in many of the plays, the collection does not seem to be a boring repetition. In other words, the plays are written in a way that sustains the interest of the reader. Arso is neatly printed and bound with almost zero typos. The cover illustration by Alvito D’Costa, though a bit clichéd, is artfully done. The only problem is that the name of the author deserved better visibility, for it seems to be lost in one corner of the cover. In summation, this book not only makes a good read but could come handy to schools looking for scripts of one-act plays to be staged during the annual gatherings. For it is only by encouraging young writers like Fr. Michael that more Konknni writings would blossom forth.

Arso: 26 Nattkuleancho Jhelo by Fr. Michael Fernandes (Benaulim/Bann’nnavle: Micferns Prokaxon), 2010; pp. IX+237, Rs. 100/-; Phone: 91-0832-2221688 (Available at Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Panjim)

(A version of this article appeared on Gomantak Times, dt: June 23, 2012)

For the Konkani translation of this article see here.