By Nazia Anjum
Daijiworld Media Network—Vasco (CN)

Vasco, Apr 11: Tomazinho Cardozo, chairman, Goa Tiatr Akademi, said that people should acknowledge the fact that there was a cultural diversity among different sections of Konkani society and, we have to make our hearts accommodative so that Konkani with its different flavours will continue to flourish.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a function organized to launch the new musical feature designed and presented by ‘Swarshree-Goa’ on Saturday April 9. The function was organized under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Vasco-da-Gama.

The musical programme ‘Geet Manddvi Zuarichem’ comprised of Konkani songs penned by noted poets Yusuf A Sheikh, Uday Bhembro, Pandharinath D Lotlikar, and Ashok Chodankar, all set to tune by the Goa State Award winning producer Ramanand Raikar. While complimenting Raikar and his group, Cardozo brought to the notice of those present that Goa chief minister Digamber Kamat was a great lover of art and music and that he has enlarged the canvas of activities of the Department of Art and Culture. “Thus a number of schemes are now available to the artist and they should be availed,” he said.

Sanjay Satardekar, president, Vasco Rotary Club, in his presidential address, called upon the people to extend support to the activities in Konkani language. Noted artist Gurudas Kamat Bambolkar who attended the programme as a guest of honour, opined that musical instruments like ‘ghumot” give a unique identity to Goan culture and therefore could possibly be used in presentations of Konkani musical programmes. Prof Chandralekha D’Souza, head, Department of Konkani at Goa University, also spoke.