Goa-ing around the world with Fado

For Sonia, Fado exists in the whole world, in all languages and all cultures. She has

sung in 13 languages, and has been called the Ambassador of Goan Music to the

World. Abigail Mathias in a tete-e-tete with the artiste

Some people sing because they want to earn a living, others because there is a song in their heart. Sonia Shirsat falls in the latter category.

The sheer joy on her face when she begins singing is something unique. Shirsat hails from Goa. She sings in Portugese and Konkani and recently visited Doha and performed for the local community.

The 33-year-old singer seems to always have a smile on her face. Or maybe I caught her on a particularly good day. Despite a very hectic trip and singing at a football stadium in a new country for a great deal of her morning, she is ever eager to share her story with me. “Singing has always been a passion,” says Sonia. “Although I never got formal training, singing at home was part and parcel of my childhood. I entered the professional scene only at the age of 22. There was a time when I was studying for my LLB, but I continued to pursue my interests in music even through my Masters in law. The rest was history,” she beams. We meet at a small gathering that has come together to celebrate Goa Day. The crowd is eager to listen to the latest music, perhaps, some Bollywood hits as well. Sonia’s music is predominantly folk. That doesn’t have her perturbed in the least. “Please come back to the dance floor and carry on dancing,” is her friendly request to the crowds who do exactly as the singer says — perhaps, enchanted by her melody.

Long after Sonia leaves Doha, I’ve been hooked to the melody of her music. Somehow Sonia’s voice is soothing and melancholic despite the unending traffic jams. “My music is called Fado,” she informs. Fado is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal. Sonia is well-known for this genre and has even been compared to legendary Portuguese ‘fadista’ Amelia Rodrigues.

Sonia is now rated as the best Fadista (fado singer) in India of all time. She has been singing Fado professionally for the last seven years and has performed in Goa, Daman, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Luxembourg, Macau and Lisbon.

Sonia has also travelled to neighbouring Kuwait for a show more than once. She has performed with the greats of Fado such as Fadista Katia Guerreiro, Maria Ana Bobone, Raquel Tavares, Rao Kyao, Carlos do Carmo, Argentina Santos, Miguel Capucho, Ricardo Rocha and Mestro Antonio Chainho.

Sonia is no stranger to a number of various television shows in Portugal where she has had a number of live performances. For her, Fado exists in the whole world, in all languages and all cultures. She has sung in 13 languages, and has been called the Ambassador of Goan Music to the World. It is a title that she doesn’t get carried away with. “I have chosen to train in classical Portugese music,” she explains.

Sonia hails from Ponda, which is to the south of Goa. When asked how she strikes a balance as a law professor and a singer, she says, “While I was lecturing at the V.M. Salgaoncar college of Law in Goa, it was indeed a challenge. But as I enjoyed both the professions, there was always a way to balance the two.”

You can tell when someone is passionate about their roots. “I love everything about Goa,” says Sonia, who is rushing back from Qatar to judge a music competition in her hometown. “The mixed culture of Goa is so unique and results in varied food, traditions and culture.” Offering insight in to the musical traditions she adds, “There are a lot of groups that do keep up the folk music of Goa — some for basic touristic requirements and yet others for the preservation of the folk form.”

Goans take their music seriously. Sonia explains, “Mando has a festival dedicated to this folk form, likewise there are ‘ghumat- aarti’ contests as well. I would also say that there is much more that we could do for the folk music of the state.”

Sigmund De Souza, of O Heraldo, Goa’s leading newspaper describes Sonia thus. “When she sings, she’ll leave you with goose bumps on your skin. From Lisbon to Goa she is being compared to the greatest Portuguese singing icon of all time Amalia Rodrigues. But for a Goan girl to rake up such hysteria with her accentless Portuguese in the home land of Fado is no mean achievement at all.”

Explaining her brand of folk music, she says, “Fado is Portuguese. There however, is an influence of fado on the traditional Goan (folk music form of) mando. The emotion, the lament has similarities, but mando also differs from fado due to its rhythm.” Just as Western soul and blues music offers the listener a more melancholic tune, the Fado seems to do likewise.

After having performed in Macau, Lisbon and Seoul, I ask the singer about her brief visit to Qatar. “Although a short one, I had a wonderful stay in Doha. Singing at the stadium was a real experience!”  She adds, “The Museum of Islamic Art is really beautiful. So is Katara and the Pearl Area. I was fortunate to meet lovely and helpful people that took care of me. I hope to come back sometime in the future.” Sonia’s album Melodious Goa and Ugdaas (Memories) are both guaranteed to take you back in time.

The Ugdaas album is a collection of timeless Konkani hits. Songs that all those familiar or new to the language of Konkani, will love singing and listening to. The collection comprises songs composed by legends of the like of Alfred Rose, Chris Perry, Frank Fernand and Wilfy among others.

Ugddas is all about songs that we heard as children and danced to and I am sure in the future we would enjoy listening to all over again.

Sonia’s visit to Qatar isn’t treated like a flash in the pan; she makes sure rehearsals are given due attention. She weaves the magic of her voice, rendering popular songs in four languages. After taking the Konkani speaking folks to a nostalgic past she sways the whole crowd in Al Arabi stadium, who had come to watch the Al Alhi and Al Rayan football match, with popular Hindi songs.

In Ave Maria Fadista, Sonia uses a tabla player, thus merging Indian classical instruments with a quintessentially Western genre. She says, “I have been experimenting with Fado and a lot of Indian Instruments like the sitar, tabla, flute, ghumat and dhol. My belief is that Fado is a style that exists all over the world under different names, in different languages. For me, Fado is an emotion. If an Indian can sing Fado, why can’t we merge it with the sound of Indian instruments?”

She recalls: “I had never stayed in Qatar before. I usually visit the country in transit. I’m glad that my first visit leaves me with such wonderful memories.”

While others may be interested in buying branded products and the latest designer wear from Doha’s many malls, this singer is only interested in music. She says she is looking forward to visit the souq and may perhaps, pick up an Arabic instrument or two from Qatar — a true patron of the arts.