Echoes of the Past: Goa's Folk Art Fights Oblivion

Folk art forms Gudulya Kani and Dovali Maand from Goa are facing extinction, with their last surviving artists performing to showcase these traditions. Gudulya Kani, a night-long oral performance tradition on mythology, was historically a communal gathering event. The performances involved creating symbolic objects from local materials and narrating stories about nature, morality, and village life.

Dovali Maand, practiced in parts of Sattari, Bicholim, and Pernem, combines folk singing with percussion from household items like coconut shells. These traditions, deeply connected to nature and daily life, served as emotional and spiritual companions. Cultural practitioners are urgently working to revive these forms, preserving valuable ecological wisdom and emotions at risk of being forgotten by modern society.