On a song and a prayer

The Monte festival that starts this weekend promises to be a cultural feast

Nigel Britto

It's that time of the year again when people make their way to a forgotten chapel on a hill for an annual pilgrimage they eagerly look forward to, arriving at one of Goa's most spectacular locations, Our Lady of Monte Chapel in Old Goa (Monte meaning hill in Portuguese).

Built by Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in the 1500s, the chapel is set against a breathtaking view of the Chorao and Divar islands on the Mandovi river. This picturesque place provides the perfect ambience for a three-day series of concerts that begin at dusk. Artists from all over the country come together to celebrate heritage and music in this quaint and rather off-the-touristy-circuit destination. The event marks the forgotten love affair between India and Portugal. Colonial romances are reminisced and shared histories relived.

From Portuguese choirs to Kuchipudi dancers to Indian sopranos, the festival, since its inception in 2002, has had all kinds of performances for the discerning spectator. Artists dressed in formal attires offer a glimpse to the audience about their history and culture.

The Monte Music Festival 2010 kicks off this weekend and is scheduled to run till Sunday. It wouldn't be a bad idea to be there.

Yvonne Rebello, who has coordinated the festival for the past eight years as part of Fundacao Oriente, a Portuguese organisation aimed at promoting cultural and artistic ties between Portugal and Asia, says, "It all started when the government approached us to renovate the chapel in 1999, which was then in a dilapidated condition." Since then, Rebello adds, the event has grown and attracts art aficionados from various parts of the country. A panel at the institute chooses the western music performers , while Anju Timblo, a Goa-based industrialist in whose hotel the performers are housed, selects the Indian performers.

For historical reasons, Fundacao Oriente is located in Goa, housed in an old Indo-Portuguese building in Panaji's most traditional neighbourhood. The building was purchased specifically for the purpose.

Since Fundacao Oriente used its funds to renovate it, Sergio Mascarenhas, the organisation's then-director , suggested having an annual festival there to celebrate heritage and music . Successive directors have ensured the festival has gone from being a mere 'experiment' to a 'global brand' . "There are lots of people who plan their vacations in Goa to coincide with our festival," Rebello says proudly.

Moreover, the bumpy ride to the chapel doesn't deter music lovers from flocking to this much-awaited event. One even has to leave his/her vehicle at the foot of the hill, and take a rickety shuttle up the serpentine roads. But that just makes the whole trip deliciously old-world .

At the venue, a makeshift platform serves as a stage for the performers while the fading Goan sun forms a magnificent backdrop. Acoustically, too, the setting is perfect. "In the past, Indian performers were apprehensive about the backdrop and setting; they were used to auditoriums with perfect sound and light synchronisation. But having performed here once, artists now believe that this experience is unlike any other," says Rebello.

But what's making organisers of the festival happier than anything else is the mix of crowds the event is attracting. There are the raucous college goers with their flashing mobile phone cameras -despite requests not to use them - and middle-aged and elderly quietly looking out for the best seats. In fact, it isn't unusual to see grandfathers and grandmothers being helped up the narrow winding staircase by their doting grandkids.

The focus of the festival is not only on international cultural bonding, but on retaining the local flavour. "We see to it that good Goan musicians get exposure," says Rebello. And this year, London-based mezzo-soprano Viola Da Cunha will join tabla player Amit Bhonsle, sitar exponent Chhote Rahimat Khan, the Goa State Symphony Orchestra and the Sta Cecilia choir of the famed Rachol Seminary to form the Goan contingent at the festival. They will make music with the likes of Portuguese guitarist Manuel Leao, Romanian pianist Delia Varga and Delhi-based Kuchipudi dancer Shallu Jindal , who is MP Naveen Jindal's wife.

Even in a music loving place like Goa, it's rare to see classical forms of music holding such sway and prominence at a public festival. In a world which seems to have left behind classical and folk genres, it serves as a refreshing change to spend three days at the festival in the 'rave capital of India' .

As a bonus, most of Goa's popular beaches—Calangute, Baga, Miramar, Anjuna—are all within half-an-hour's drive from the centrally-located chapel. And the fact that it's off-season means costs are low, the crowds are absent and tranquillity is guaranteed. Rejuvenation of the soul has never been so easy. For one weekend of solitude, scenery and songs, head to Old Goa.

This article was first published on the Times of India's Crest edition dated February 5, 2010