| Manddo
Manddo is a song or rather a poignant story of love told in the form of a
lovely song. The word Manddo, derives from the Sanskrit 'mandalam' meaning
circular movement. It is believed that originally the Konkani Manddo dance
involved movement in circle. At present such circular patterns are noticed when
the dancers get into a feverish pitch in the concluding stages of the dance. In the
normal course the dance moves along parallel lines, with graceful movements to
and fro, advancing and reading, the men displaying in a flourish towards the
women their colourful handkerchiefs and the women admiring their toy fans, with
an eye on the men.
The
Manddo music appears to have been strongly influenced by Latin or rather
Italian music. The dance-song Manddo may be called a synthesis of the Italian
minuet and the temple Devadasi dance-song.
The singing moves majestically in a slow, andante rhythm, with dignity and
grace. It falls into a drowsy dormant mood towards the fag-end of the singing
function when the singers are tired and may have imbibed considerable quantities
of alcohol and cannot go on much longer. The Manddo has attained the virtual
status of a classical or art song after being subjected to a process of
sophistication and stylisation. The ghumott provided the right beat, attuned as
it is to Manddo singing and dance. The beat of it moves faster and faster as the
singing progresses to a crescendo, on to a frenzy and conclusion.
Though the
Manddo is a story of love told in song, there have been a few
songs composed on a similar pattern but involving themes of a political nature
called Political Manddo. There are Manddos on the revolts and uprisings of the
Ranes, the legendary Warriors of the Sattari taluka of Goa, and the Christian
Kustoba's feats of daring against the Portuguese government etc.
Every year a Manddo festival is held as an event of importance
from 1966 onwards, with a special Bernardo Award for the best Manddo.
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The Dulpod Or Durpod
If the
Manddo can be called an expression of the romantic aspect of the Goan,
the Dulpod that follow it is the singing repertoire. The Durpod gives its
couplets a compressed and catchy note providing fleeting glimpses of the variety
of Goan life. It is a thing of joy and gaiety, evoking laughter, carefree in its
mood and lively in its expression.
As the hunting melody of the
Manddo moves towards a conclusion and ends, it
is followed by the Dulpod, the beat of which is the opposite to that of the
Manddo and more quick-moving, symbolising the lively sprightliness of life among
the common folk. The Dulpod moves into a staccato beat and quickens in a
syncopated rhythm.
The most popular among the Dulpods are the one about Cecila
and her sewing, Modgonvam Thovyanger and 'Maya-ya-ya' or Lia-lia-lo. The
Dulpod encompasses the whole of life in its infinite variety- human, animal
and vegetables. All of it is captured in the Dulpod in couplets, whose
effect in its wording, is very pithy and telling.
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Deknni or Dakhnni
It is a form of song-cum-dance in the Christian repertoire of song among the
people of Goa. It is a song composed by Christian artistes perhaps an expression
of the Goan Christian nostalgia for their lost Hindu past, where the Devadasi or
kolvont in Konkani was an alluring symbol.
The term Dakhnni in Sanskrit means devil of a female. It is
danced in a manner that verges on the voluptuous, with gyrations and significant
gestures which are so suggestive in character. The main danseuse is joined
by other females, enticing in their appearance, who announce themselves
to the audience. Then begins the pleading and coaxing by the women, including
finally the boatman with offerings of anklets, bracelets, nose-ringlets,
by turns and finally clinching the deal with the offer of a kiss, which
latter the boatman accepts in the surrender to their wiles, to ferry them
across to the other side of the river to a place belonging to a man called
Damu, where they have to perform at the wedding.
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