One of the most famous Konkani pop songs from the 1960s is Lorna’s “Bebdo”. Here it is, with lyrics and translation:
Pretty swinging, huh? The sassy tone and subject matter reminds me a little of Trinidadian Calypso from around the same period. It’s true that there is a dark side to these types of songs (alcoholism, and the hint of domestic violence), but there is also a buoyancy and power in her voice that I really appreciate; it sounds like she won’t let anything get her down. (Are there other 60s Goan/Konkani tracks available on sites like YouTube that readers would recommend?)
When this was first recorded in 1966, the effect on the local music scene was electrifying:
From a kiosk on the beach, a pretty lady named Bertinha played records on the speaker system provided by the Panjim Municipality. She had a weakness for Cliff Richard tunes, Remo says. But that evening, she spun out a song called Bebdo (Drunkard). Miramar Beach was hypnotised. “The Panjim citizenry stopped in its tracks, the sunken sun popped up for another peep, the waves froze in mid-air,” Remo has written. “What manner of music was this, as hep as hep can be, hitting you with the kick of a mule on steroids? What manner of voice was this, pouncing at you with the feline power of a jungle lioness? And hold it no, it couldn’t be yes, it was no was it really? Was this amazing song in Konkani?”
Bebdo had been recorded a few months earlier by Chris Perry and Lorna in a Bombay studio and released by HMV. The jacket bore the flirty image that would later hang outside the Venice nightclub. The 45 rpm record had four tracks, opening with the rock-and-rolling Bebdo and ending on the flip side with the dreamy ballad, Sopon. “Sophisticated, westernised urban Goa underwent a slow-motion surge of inexplicable emotions: the disbelief, the wonder, the appreciation, and then finally a rising, soaring and bubbling feeling of pride,” Remo says. “The pride of being Goan. The pride of having a son of the soil produce such music. Of having a daughter of the soil sing it thus. And, most of all, of hearing the language of the soil take its rightful place in popular music after a period of drought. Chris and Lorna had come to stay.” (link)
The article from which that story is taken is by Naresh Fernandes, and he goes on to give a really interesting (if digressive) account of the links between Goa and the mainstream Hindi film music world.
First, even from what little I’ve heard, it’s pretty evident that Goan pop music (which is deeply influenced by big band, bebop, and 1960s R&B) overlaps strongly with the “modern,” R.D. Burman sound that emerged in Bollywood in the late 1960s and 70s (think “Ina Mina Dika”). The reason for that is simple: the majority of the musicians employed by the film studios were Goans:
But the Sound of India actually was created by Goan musicians, men whose names flickered by in small type under the designation “arranger”. It’s clear. The Hindi film classics that resound across the subcontinent and in Indian homes around the world wouldn’t have been made without Goans. Their dominance of the Hindi film world is partly a function of the structural differences between Indian and Western music. Indian classical music is melodic. The ragas that form the basis of Indian music are unilinear, each instrument or vocalist exploring an independent line. To move an audience, film scores must be performed by orchestras, with massed instruments playing in harmony. Only Goans, with their training in Western music, knew how to produce what was required.
Frank Fernand was among the first Goans in Bollywood and assisted such worthies as Anil Biswas, Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar. As he describes it, the men who composed the scores for Hindi films couldn’t write music and had no idea of the potential of the orchestras they employed. They would come to the studio and sing a melody to their Goan amanuensis, or pick out the line on a harmonium. The Goan assistant would write it out on sheet paper, then add parts for the banks of strings, the horn sections, the piano and the percussion. But the assistant wasn’t merely taking dictation: It was his job to craft the introductions and bridges between verse and chorus.
Drawing from their bicultural heritage and their experience in the jazz bands, the Goans gave Bollywood music its promiscuous charm, slipping in slivers of Dixieland stomp, Portuguese fados, Ellingtonesque doodles, cha cha cha, Mozart and Bach themes. Then they would rehearse the orchestras, which were staffed almost entirely by Goans. After all, hardly anyone else knew how to play these Western instruments. To Frank Fernand, the music directors were mere subcontractors, men whose main job was liaising with the financiers. “We arrangers did all the real work. They’d show off to the directors and producers and try to show that they were indispensable. But to be a music director, salesmanship was more important than musicianship.” (link)
I don’t have independent confirmation of Fernandes’ account of the influence of Goan orchestral arrangers and musicians on the emergence of the “modern” (as opposed to Raga-based) Bollywood sound. But his account certainly seems quite plausible. (One way to check would be to look for the small print names in the credits on old Hindi films from the period to see if there are Goan/Portuguese names.)
I would also recommend another article in this series by Naresh Fernandes, here. Among other things, he talks about the influence of expatriate African-American jazz musicians in Goa (adding a further wrinkle to this rich story of musical hybridity).
Amardeep, Keep them coming. Loving it.
Here’s 2 more assignments for you on Goan music 🙂 Mandos Tiatr
That sure is swingin!
Interesting stuff on the “arrangers”, I’ve always wondered where old Hindi movies got their great western tunes from. Thanks for that!
Here is my assignment suggestion:
Claude Alvares.
I highly recommend Homo Faber. A typewritten version is here, a precis is here.
Other Writings
Thanks, Amardeep- the song is pretty cool.
Ina Mina Dika is from the 1957 movie Aasha. The music director was C.Ramachandran, who also composed ‘Ana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday’, and songs from Albela, Anarkali and the famous patriotic song ‘Aye mere watan ke logon’. He had a Goan assistant composer,John Gomes (from Wikipedia), and the song undoubtedly has Goan influences apart from the Konkani words ‘Maka naka naka’.
Amardeep,
You are forgetting………Remo Fernandes.
I was quite moved by those two Goanet posts. There are at least two great movies in there. One is a documentary on the arrangers. The other a wonderful love story. The scene where Lorna returns is a classic. If Karan Johar is reading this, please, please, let Mira make it.
Goanet article on Frank Fernand (RIP) here. Look up Amchem Noxib and Nirmonn on youtube for more classics. More Frank Fernand here.
Fun to listen to, but disturbing lyrics. Was Goa ever a “dry state”, was this part of a temperance movement?
Woot! Finally Konkanis get some lovin.
Probably the first couple of Goan music – Alfred & Rita Rose.
this totally reminds me of the konkani tapes (esp. Alfred and Rita) my dad always played on Sunday mornings when we were growing up. maybe songs like this are why he was sometimes reluctant to translate. thanks!
Thanks, I laughed and laughed, just like when my father first had me listen to it. Goa is THE musical region of India, no doubt about it. And I am not even from Goa (we are from the town across the border). I hadn’t heard this for 25 years at least …
OK, I am not being very responsible here, since I don’t have the time to monitor the thread. Take it for what it’s worth, I will just say that I mean this in a sympathetic way. Let’s stop agonizing over “dark themes”. Does anybody listening to blues raise “concerns” about themes of infidelity or drug use? This is the stuff of music, it hinders our enjoyment to pre-apologize to concerns-raisers. If you know what I mean. No need to defend our music to unmusical people.
Anyway it’s a lot more raucously funny than an English translation can convey. “Break your head” has a funny sound like “slap your ass”, probably something an angry drunk midget type would scream–and be too lame to actually think of doing it. As for the woman giving vent to her frustrations–“Lord are you SEEING this useless piece of shit?” etc–“and will you believe what he has the nerve to say, after that?” etc–well how many zillions of women have said this over centuries. It’s a fine line between sorrow and humor …
A community laughing at its foibles loved the song. The comic duo was recognizably theirs–a parallel would be Sundar Popo’s comic couple covering the “disturbing” themes of alcoholism and marital conflict in Indian-Caribbean people. Anyway, this is too much explanation. But you know, Goans won’t explain at all (it takes time away from dancing).
Without attempting to defend the claim here, perhaps it can be mentioned in passing that the family of the Mangeshkar
sisterssiblings also traces its origin to Goa. Their father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar was born in the village of Mangeshi in Goa, though they are likely from the Marathi speaking community.Also, the Konkani word ‘NoXib’ (pronounced closer to ‘nasheeb’ in Roman transliteration) seems to occur often – in the lyrics of this song, as well as in other Konkani songs and in this classic movie from 1963 (Amche NoXib ). ‘NoXib’ means ‘fate’ or ‘fortune’ or in general, just ‘life’. While one could read a certain ‘fatalism meme’ into the repeated occurence in lyrics into Goan life – it more directly shows the Persian influence on Konkani, dating from before the Portuguese era. The same word occurs often in Bollywood Hindi/Urdu lyrics such as in this classic with Big B as a waiter and Hema Malini as a .. well, I’ll let you decide.
If you mean Dharwad, it has its own musical traditions and musicians to be proud of.
I listened to Bebdo using your link and it has disturbing lyrics. Probably its dark humor but its certainly not funny.
Maybe because I’m prejudiced about Goans in general. All those whom I encountered over the years have either been alcoholics or illegal distillers or distributors. After all for a Goan, life is simply Fish, Feni and Folk songs.
ah, memories 🙂
Also, Goa and Mangalore are not the same.
Goan ladies pee standing up, according to my grandma. Although, according to the feisty Lorna, Mangalorean women definitely have balls too!
Sorry for bringing up the darkness of the lyrics, true that these are common themes in most folk music traditions. There’s nothing Goan about drinking your family into poverty, Tamil Nadu/Andhra Pradesh/Karnataka have all been “dry” at some point and during those times bootleggers have thrived. If anything Goans are the only people in India with a tradition of healthy social drinking (i.e. as opposed to binge drinking) .
Ramesh, 15th comment – a little too late for the grinding truth, no?
Jef Costello writes: WTF! And the few you have met can be taken to represent all Goans? Ian Cardozo, who retired a highly decorated general from the Indian army, is an honorable name to be reckoned with. My dad served with him! There’s also Sunith Francis Rodrigues, who became army chief. Kaka, you need to stop hanging around with “alcoholics and illegal distillers!”
Jef, the “few” that I met were scores in an area dominated with Goans. Namely, Vakola, Kalina – Santacruz (East). And you need not list out well known Goans cause I myself admire several of them. The cartoonist Mario, former police chief Julio Rebeiro, and ofcourse the Mangeshkar family, the name a few.
But its difficult to seperate a Goan from his drink and I’m not doing a Morarji-prohibition sentence here. The truth is, alcoholism is rampant amongst Goans in particular and a song which makes fun of a society ill with words like ‘he cut my hair when drunk’, is disturbing.
Greg Booth’s fine recent book, Behind the Curtain: Making Music in India’s Film Studios, delves extensively into the Goan link to the “modern” Bollywood sound of the 1950’s-60’s.
The book’s companion website has an excellent video component – here.
The slur about Goans and drinking and alcoholism is as old as Bollywood, and reflects not only Prohibition-era prudery, but also much older Raj-era British prejudices about an allegedly louche, deracinated Goa.
In fact, the Goan data compares favorably to the surrounding states and the rest of India.
Still, there is in fact a poignant and dark side to the song Bebdo, and the relationship between Chris Perry and Lorna. You can read about it in the first part of the article by Naresh Fernandes linked by Amardeep above – Chris Perry, Lorna, and the Bombay Goan Music scene.
Ramesh,
I think you are one frustrated mofo who did not get invited to the Catlick “dance” partes. I guess you will grow up (when you do) to be a Ramrao Adik.
Yeah goans drink, so do people in other communities. But it’s unnecessary to typecast goans as drunks and booze lovers.Goans have a culture of social drinking which is refreshing considering the hypocrisy concerning alcohol amongst supposedly conservative Indians.
How drunk were you when you tried? And why were you trying to grab the drink in the first place?
Mario de Miranda is much more than a “cartoonist.”
his work has been central to the development of postcolonial Bombay’s sense of itself as a multiethnic and multilingual metropolis in which local and cosmopolitan impulses play out an intricate dance of antagonism, mimicry and collusion – Ranjit Hoskote
Morarji was the original pee-yakkad.
Here’s a bit more of Hoskote on Mario de Miranda, a highly significant artist from Goa:
“In a society less addicted to taxonomy than our own, it would have been widely and immediately recognised that Mario’s gift far transcends the deadline-driven, wit-on-tap, demand-and-supply logic of editorial art. It would be far more accurate to shift the contextual frame that has been placed around him, and see him as an artist who, partly by choice and partly by happenstance, channelised much of his energy into the mass media. This should not detract, in any way, from the significance of his vision and his contribution; nor should it place him at a disadvantage in relation to those of his contemporaries who entered the gallery system and found a place and made a career there. He represents the lineage of the gadfly-provocateur and the witness to caprice and unreason, whose standard-bearers include Goya, Hogarth and Daumier.”
Mario de Miranda.
Neale said:- I think you are one frustrated mofo who did not get invited to the Catlick “dance” partes. I guess you will grow up (when you do) to be a Ramrao Adik.
Catlick ? So are you a Catlick Goan ? Thats a new one. Anyways, as expected, the truth always hurts.
Rahul said:-
But its difficult to seperate a Goan from his drink How drunk were you when you tried? And why were you trying to grab the drink in the first place?
I was sober and was trying to stop him from drinking and cutting his wife’s hair as suggested in the song.
I rest my case.
31 · Ramesh said
He was juggling his drink, a pair of scissors, and his wife at the same time? Damn, these Goans are dextrous.
Was going to rest my case but wish to reply to Mr Goenkar who stated:-
The slur about Goans and drinking and alcoholism is as old as Bollywood, and reflects not only Prohibition-era prudery, but also much older Raj-era British prejudices about an allegedly louche, deracinated Goa.
Maybe a few links will help:-
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3225308.cms
which states:-
Figures with the Goa police reveal that while in 2002 about 43 persons committed suicide due to psychiatric problems, in 2007 this had increased to 50. The second major cause, family problems, drove more than 40 persons to suicide. The third cause of suicides is alcoholism (25 in 2007) followed by failed romantic relationships (14 in 2007) and bankruptcy or sudden drastic change in economic status (8 in 2007). Interestingly, the exact reason for 78 persons committing suicide last year is not known.
And this PDF:-
http://pb.rcpsych.org/cgi/reprint/21/5/299.pdf
which states:-
Alcohol has always been an integral part of Goan lifestyle. Traditional brews derived from the cashew fruit and coconut are popular tipples. Tavernas, pubs and bars abound in the state, which has the somewhat dubious distinction of having the lowest taxes on alcohol in India. Unfortunately though, this drinking is not with out its damaging effects. Recent reports in a leading daily recorded a huge increase in cirrhosis deaths in Goa Medical College; the staggering toll of death and injury on Goan roads is also partly attributable to alcohol. Ethnographic studies with primary care clinic staff and traditional healers and priests have repeat edly brought up alcohol as one of the key problems leading to the breakdown of the fabric of family and community life. Domestic violence is frequently associated with male drinking. Yet, other than isolated efforts for detoxification and counselling, there are no public health initiatives to examine the extent of problem drinking nor to ameliorate its effects. Instead of billboards advertising the dangers of drink-driving, the highways of Goa are littered with blatant (and illegal) liquor advertisements.
And as I stated earlier, for Goans Feni – a strong alcohol is a must:-
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/511570513.cms
So in the case of Bollywood roles about Goans, art imitates life.
How are drinking attitudes by Goans, any less or any more different from drinking in other societies that permit social drinking? A healthy attitude towards alcohol will prevent binge drinking, driving under influence and other ‘ills’ associated with alcoholism.
‘I was sober and was trying to stop him from drinking and cutting his wife’s hair as suggested in the song.’
This particular situation is not in black and white. I am sure the nuances to it are enormous and you have chosen to highlight a rather weak link between alcoholism and Goans.
I wonder if this Ramesh troll’s comments would be tolerated st Sepia Mutiny if the ignorant, bigoted slurs were about Punjabis or Keralites. Both states have a significantly higher per capita consumption of alcohol than Goa…
goenkar, I was wondering the same thing. But really this was a fun thread before ramesh derailed it with his prejudicial remarks.
It really is nice to see discussion on Goans on SM. I’m east-indian or as we like to say, the original Portuguese influenced inhabitants of Mumbai before the Goans came to town :). I’m also a frequent visitor to Goa, mostly Mapusa and Panjim and I’ve always had a great time there. There is a good vibrant intellectual life to the area as well as the more popular perception of it as a party place.
On a side note, I find that fellow desi co-workers occasionally tell me that I don’t have an “Indian” name and I get the same vibe I used to when I encountered the question “No really where are you really from?” while growing up in the US.
I was browsing through and I have lot of Goan friends, they can hold the drinks just like the westerners, good livers. Its the drunk indians who stumble and ogle around the beaches are of real nuisance value. Goans here should not worry about them, probably just envious.
wil
“Ironically, the main substance of the Indian intelligentsia’s response to the Goan experience is directly cobbled and cribbed from British prejudices against the Estado da India, (as articulated in Richard Burton’s bilious, hilarious 1851 book, ‘Goa and the Blue Mountains’), ugly and simplistic stereotypes which have been sustained all the way into Bollywood’s perennially louche Makapaos. To a large extent, this caricature is the mainstream Indian view: Goans are inauthentically Indian, deracinated, denationalized and pitiable. And of course — especially if they have Catholic names — they can never ever be “really Indian” no matter what.“
‘On a side note, I find that fellow desi co-workers occasionally tell me that I don’t have an “Indian” name and I get the same vibe I used to when I encountered the question “No really where are you really from?” while growing up in the US.’
I have a traditional Indian name with a common Goan catholic last name and am always asked why I have an Indian name!
Sorry, meant to say Hindu first name
BTW, for people who really know their Konkani – a question. Doesn’t ‘Bebdo‘ convey a meaning closer to ‘scoundrel’ or ‘rogue’ or ‘wretch’ or ‘ne’er-do-well’ than ‘drunkard’? Many drunkards would be scoundrels, while not all scoundrels would be drunks. ‘The Scoundrel‘ is closer to the title a song might have in which a woman is complaining about her man.
If that’s indeed true, then the song is closer to the female-sung blues tradition, being first about men, their scoundrel-like behavior, and relationships, and only later about ‘can you believe what he did when he was drunk’. In this interpretation, the lyrics don’t foreground alcoholism as such; it’s just about men being men, as a woman might see it.
For the record, I always thought Punjab was top in per capita alcohol consumption .
Incidentally, I am in transit; Trolls will be dealt with the next time I have a good Internet connection.
There are also Goan versions of Baila which are great and Masala that I have heard at Goan/Manglorean weddings. One Remo song which is a favorite is Maria Pitache.
No, Kerala is top. Also top on suicides.
I am Mallu, and would actually welcome a discussion of the excessive drinking and suicides and accidents in Kerala, it is all swept under the “progressive” carpet. Goan drinking is an old stereotype, from a day when there was less drinking all around. There is a similar stereotype surrounding Anglo-Indians as well.
Hope the Intern has not been laid off, she was kinda cute!;)
I simply loved this post Amardeep! Really fascinating to hear about this groovy Goan music. You nailed it with the comparison to the Trini Chutney Soca in terms of feel and subject matter too.
Konkani does tend to be more literal. Perhaps its history as an orally evolved langauage makes it so. For example, “uzo lai taka” – literally means “Set fire to it” – but it is used to express any kind of disagreement. Another expression of anger is – ‘ton fodtolo’ – “break your face” , Even “thank you” is “deo bore korun” – “may god do good to you”
I can still remember being taught the language in school with the Devanagiri script, while my grandmother got her news from the roman scripted -“Voiraddiacho Ixtt” newspaper – The Workers Friend. All very entertaining.
..a couple more Konkani jewels: Side dish is referred to as “tonak laoing” – which literally translates to “to touch the mouth”. And if you gotta go (you know what i mean) , you mutter ‘tenkla’ – literally translates to “pressing”
Thanks for the music and the acknowledgement here. I am flattered that non-Konkanis know what Konkani is. Once my desi college roommate’s dad asked me what language I spoke, and when I told him it was Konkani he spent 1/2 an hour arguing there was no such thing, and that I had probably made it up. Now I just tell them I am from Goa, even if my ancestors have lived in Mangalore since the Inquisition.
Anjali said: Thanks for the music and the acknowledgement here. I am flattered that non-Konkanis know what Konkani is. Once my desi college roommate’s dad asked me what language I spoke, and when I told him it was Konkani he spent 1/2 an hour arguing there was no such thing, and that I had probably made it up. Now I just tell them I am from Goa, even if my ancestors have lived in Mangalore since the Inquisition.
Well your college roommate’s dad had a point. Where is the Konkani script ?
Now, before Prof. Amardeep dismisses me, I disappear.
what a great post! thanks, amardeep!
You’re not only a troll, you’re also totally uninformed. and totally wrong (as was this person’s dad)..languages don’t need scripts to be considered languages. You just seem to have some wierd axe to grind.
Amitabh – shows how much informed you are really. Konkani for centuries has been called as a dialect of Marathi, even much before George Abraham Grierson declared it so.
And all languages (to be called a language) need a script. Wonder why hieroglyphics were needed ? If one were to learn to write Konkani, he/she could be taught it in Devnagari, Kannada or even Roman like some Goans do. WTF !!
52 · Ramesh – the well informed troll said
you’re not very well informed. goan konkani is recognized as an independent language, and is different from the konkani spoken in the konkan region of maharashtra, which is recognized as a dialect. if you actually knew your grierson, you would know that he explicitly made this distinction.
looks like you are fighting the good fight of the maratha manus on all fronts, be it grabbing bottles from goans interested in shearing, or saying that they speak a pretend language.
of course, there is no point demonstrating your ignorance when you proudly make statements like: And all languages (to be called a language) need a script.