TAG to urge Goa Board to include tiatr in school books

The newly formed Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) as a part of its ambitious plan to re-invigorate the essence of the tiatr for Goa and Goans, is set to request the Goa board and the textbook committee to include the tiatr in the school curriculum either as a lesson or as a part of dramatics which is currently being taught as an optional subject in many schools in the state.

According to the President of TAG, Mr Tomazinho Cardozo, tiatr plays a very important and relevant part in Goan society and is known to have had a major role in mobilising the public at the time of the opinion poll which played the most historic chapter to ensure that Goa remained as a separate state and did not get merged into Maharashtra. Songs and duets from tiatr are also known to strike an emotional chord with people in the state.

Mr Cardozo stressed that besides being a part of Goan culture, tiatr deals with social issues such as drugs and casinos and emphasized that anything that goes against the interest of Goans is brought to the fore by artistes from tiatr and said that students in modern Goa should be made aware about this fact.

Among the other things, to push the cause of tiatr far and wide in Goa and outside, Mr Cardozo lined out a series of activities that the TAG plans to undertake which include organising of seminars and lectures in schools and colleges on the different aspects of tiatr in Goa.

TAG also wants to document the history and experiences of the old tiatr artistes by interviewing them and recording their experiences on films. Tag will endeavour to document the history of tiatr by publishing books on it past legacy.

Preservation of tiatr literature is also high on the TAG agenda and it has resolved to publish scripts, one act plays and lyrics with the musical scores wherever possible.

A museum is being planned in the state of Goa which will house tiatr material in the form of manuscripts, handwritten lyrics, printed books, old records, CDs, DVDs which may be scattered around the state with government authorities as well as private individuals and collectors and will be exhibited at this museum. this collection of material is expected to begin this year in 2009 and go on uptill the museum is set up.

Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) which was set up by the government officially in February 2009 is expecting a funding of Rs 60 lakh towards its various activities. On the anvil is also a plan to encourage tiatr production by youth, technical workshops and seminars to upgrade the quality of tiatrs, promoting the art form as a means of communication outside the state and setting up a website for the academy.

TAG also wants to encourage and revive the use of wind instruments in tiatr and will host a festival of award winning dramas. Artistes of yesteryears will be remembered and honoured through various activities and persons documenting their works will b e provided incentives. A directory of tiatr artistes is also expected very soon. TAG in the meanwhile is also awaiting a premises in Panjim which has already been identified a provision for which is already made by the government which is reportedly to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore.