London Goan Community laud Konkani song presented at Republic Day event
London Goan Community laud Konkani song presented at Republic Day event
For the Goan Community in London, Republic Day, 26 January, was a special moment as a Konkani song was presented for the first time at the Courtyard of High Commission of India in London.
Notably, two sisters Lanisha and Delisha Vaz, upcoming singers, were invited by the Indian Mission in the UK to perform and they sang the Konkani song ‘Ami Soglim Ek’ originally composed and sung by the Goan legend, late Alfred Rose, amidst the official cultural event.
The Indian national flag was unfurled at India House by High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami.
Later, a cultural programme was organised in the High Commission’s courtyard, which featured presentations from different states of India. A special attraction was the presence of Bollywood actor Boman Irani.
Before the start of the song, Delisha briefed on the song ‘Ami Soglim Ek’ and in her address to the packed gathering, said that the message of the song is simple and timeless.
She went on to add that the two sisters may be from different states, speak different languages, be it Christian, Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs, but at the end of the day, all are united together as one, as Indians.
The audience got captivated with the Goan song and lauded the performance of Lanisha and Delisha. Bollywood actor Boman Irani heaped praises on the Goan sisters and even requested them to perform a verse again on stage.
For Clayton Barreto, a Goan serving as the social secretary to the High Commissioner, it was a proud moment for the Goan community to have a song in their mother tongue presented at the official Republic Day celebration.
She further added that she had requested the High Commission to include a Konkani song and they readily agreed. We then shortlisted these sisters and upcoming Goan singers who have been making waves in London and invited them to perform.
Much delighted to hear a song in Konkani, the Goan Community heaped praises on the HC Vikram Doraiswami for inviting and encouraging the two singers from the Goan community to present a song from Goa.
Incidentally, this is the second time that Lanisha and Delisha performed at an event hosted by the Indian High Commission. Previously, they had sung at a Christmas event in 2017.
The Vaz family expressed their was gratitude to Barreto for giving Lanisha and Delisha the opportunity to sing at this prestigious event attended by the Indians and persons of India origin along with the officials of the High Commission of India.
Pascoal Vaz, father of Lanisha and Delisha,on behalf of the Goan community,acknowledged
Clayton Barreto for his great efforts to propose Lanisha and Delisha for a performance and who were able to perform and showcase their talent of singing.
In the evening, there was a Republic Day reception hosted at London’s famous Guildhall. Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk KC MP was the chief guest, while other guests included Lord Bilimoria, other Lords along with MPs, government officials from different cabinet offices in the UK, heads of missions and community heads of the Indian diaspora along with members of the Indian community.
News Edit K.V.Raman
