Panaji, Jan 7 (IANS) It is financially lucrative and vibrantly popular, but the century-old traditional Konkani drama form of 'tiatr' is still looked down upon by those who matter. Post-colonial culture in Goa has given step-motherly treatment to art forms influenced by the West. Even the minority Catholic elite here looks down on tiatr as being too plebeian for their tastes.
Now, a portrait photographer is attempting to change that image. Literally. Alex Fernandes, a photographer of Goan origin who grew up in Mumbai and worked in the Gulf, has taken it upon himself to exhibit the portraits of some of the best tiatrists (as those acting in it are called).
Fernandes, 44, is showcasing his portraits of tiatrists at a bookshop in north Goa this week. Fernandes runs a studio in Goa that specialises in portraits and is called Portrait-Atelier.net.
"I did the tiatrist bit, because I thought that is my representation of a Goan portrait," he told IANS.
"It struck me that in Goa everybody identifies with the Konkani theatre artistes. I thought it would be a nice idea to get all these together and do a series on them."
"Significantly, the tiatr also started in Bombay (now Mumbai) as a way for the expatriate Goans to keep in touch with their homeland (then still a Portuguese colony and a sea-journey away)," he notes.
"Growing up in the Dhobitalao (locality of Mumbai) was like being right in the heart of the tiatr. In two places, Rangbhavan and Bhangwaddi, Konkani dramas were regularly held. Tiatrists could often be seen at the Sonapur Church or the C. D'Souza Bakery after the mass," he said.
Teatr has a strong Portuguese influence.
"I'm not a big tiatr fan myself," Fernandes confesses. "But I saw in my work sharp similarities with those of the characters in (cartoonist) Mario Miranda's book on Goa."
US-based scholars of Indian origin, like the Sanskrit, Marathi and Hindi scholar specialising in Indian drama, Pramod Kale, have written about the Konkani stage, explaining the relevance of the tiatr in Goa's cultural and historical evolution.
While in Goa, Fernandes created three series of portraits, dealing with musicians, artists (shot for a major local art exhibition) and tiatrists.
"The musicians were a little difficult. For some reason, some seemed reluctant to cooperate. Once they got into the studio they were okay though. On the other hand the artists - perhaps because they were artists - built a different equations. In fact, tiatrists and musicians who came to the studio were not a problem. They become the collaborator very easily."
Portrait photography is a different ball game, especially when it involves non-professional subjects coming in on a walk-in basis, rather than professional models, Fernandes explains.
"The professional model is trained for it. They know their best angles and are not camera-shy. With a walk-in, it's a different story. Specially when it comes to communication skills," he says.
His first memories of photography go back to a time when as a 10-year-old he would mess around in a darkroom at the prominent Mumbai college - St Xavier's, where his father lectured.
In 1987, Fernandes headed for Kuwait, where he learnt more of the trade with top portrait companies.
In Kuwait, he kept honing his skills for the next 13 years, taking portraits. He shifted companies, faced the Gulf War, and came back home as a refugee-through Iraq and Jordan.
Later on, Fernandes shifted to Goa.
Fernandes is pro-digital photography. "There are some people who say 'film was the thing'. I think it's only fear of technology. You can still be purist as a photographer, and still use the contemporary top-of-the-line (digital) photography," he says.
IANS
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