~ On the eve of Republic Day, Museum of Goa organised ‘Concert for Goa’ in celebration of its 10th anniversary, with iconic band Susmit Sen Chronicles launching their new album ‘Azaadi’ and giving an electric performance.
~ Comprising composer, guitarist and founder Susmit Sen, percussionist Carlos Gonsalves, and other musicians from across India, Susmit Sen Chronicles performed one of the new album’s Konkani tracks ‘Saiba Tandela’ at MOG’s ‘Concert for Goa’.
As an ode to Goa’s rich musical history, Susmit Sen Chronicles performed the Konkani song, ‘Saiba Tandela,’ from the tracklist of their latest album ‘Azaadi’ at Museum of Goa’s ‘Concert for Goa’ on the eve of Republic Day.
The sold out musical event, anchored by Susmit Sen, co-founder of the Indian cult band ‘Indian Ocean’ was attended by artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, among other music aficionados and marked the 10th year anniversary of the Museum of Goa (MoG).
Susmit Sen Chronicles’ album ‘Azaadi’ features four tracks, including two Konkani songs, ‘Saiba Tandela’ (Master Boatman) and ‘Kuvar’ (The Prince). The two other songs are the title track ‘Azaadi’ in Sanskrit and ‘Mazaar’, a Tamil composition.
The Susmit Sen Chronicles performance was a segment of ‘Concert for Goa’, a MoG initiative that facilitates the organisation of events related to contemporary music by internationally renowned artists hosted at the museum premises at Pilerne.
Sharada Kerkar, operational head at Museum of Goa and co-founder of the Children’s Art Studio, said: “MOG’s 10-year celebrations couldn’t have had a better start than this. We are thrilled to have had Susmit Sen Chronicles perform at MOG as part of the Concert for Goa. The collaboration blossomed into a unique concert experience, where music and visual art converge to create magic. To see that vision come to life with such a wonderful, responsive audience was deeply fulfilling”.
After performing with Subodh Kerkar’s iconic ‘Carpet of Joy’, a colourful, larger-than-life installation made from one lakh discarded plastic bottles, Sen said: “Even before taking the stage, I knew it was going to be a fantastic experience. The setting, the people and the organisers, it is rare to find a combination of all of that on the top level. It was nothing but an absolute pleasure performing at MOG”.
The stage came alive with the talents of Susmit Sen on guitar, alongside Sudheer Rikhari (vocals, keyboard), Gayathri Natarajan (vocals), Tatyana Dichenko (piano), and Carlos Gonsalves (drums, ghumat). The album was produced by the renowned ex-BBC sound recordist Miti Adhikari, who was also present at the launch.
Goan percussionist Carlos Gonsalves, who brought the Goan ghumat centre-stage with a solo at the concert stated, “I have performed in various places all over the world but doing it on my Goan land in collaboration with people who appreciate and understand art is unmatched. It was a surreal experience performing at MoG.”
Concert for Goa was the site of many firsts, including a heartwarming performance by a long time admirer of Susmit Sen, Shubhankar Datta who is in his 20s, was flown down by Sen to play the guitar alongside him on stage at MOG. This performance by Susmit Sen Chronicles kicked off MOG’s Concert For Goa initiative and is the first in the line of events planned through the 10th anniversary year.
