Dramas of Goa

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Goa is highly rich in folk drama forms that narrate, often with songs and music, the stories of great epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and also project relevant, contemporary issues the society or the community is concerned with.

Tiatr
The Konkani tiatr, a dramatic art form, unique to Goa has flourished and thrived for over a hundred years. Tiatr has been sustained entirely by popular support as it has never been extended any patronage and help either by the Portuguese colonial regime or successive governments in post liberation Goa. This mix of songs and plays makes tiatr popular among the masses. The character of tiatr changed after the independence. While family quarrels, heavily laced with Portuguese language and influence, formed the story of tiatr in the pre-liberation era, social, religious and political themes crept in the post-liberation period. Khell Tiatr, a derivative of tiatr, performed in villages during the Carnival, Intruz and Easter in the open ground, differs from tiatr in that its songs are relevant to the main play.

Some of the other popular folk drama forms are Dashavatari, Goulankala, Kala, Lalit, Kalo, Ranmale, and Rathkala.

Jagar
This earliest form of drama in Goa is supposed to be the precursor of modern Marathi theatre. There are two forms performed by two different communities. One form, the Perani Jagar, is performed exclusively by the Hindu Perani community. The theme tackles philosophical questions like the origin of the universe in the background of mythology. The other form known as Gawda Jagar is enacted by the Christian Gawda community in different villages in Goa in different styles. The theme is derived from the contemporary village life.