The paved walkway leading to the balcony of Solar Loiola Pereira, a heritage home located in Colva, is rich with the melody of a violin. I am there to attend the third edition of "Sounds From Goa," a unique heritage home concert conceptualised and curated by Omar De Loiola Pereira, a music director and Schubert Fernandes, a marketer with deep roots in Goan music.
Watching an eclectic yet sophisticated audience indulging from a spread of Goan snacks, I am intrigued and suddenly hungry. I walk inside to find a table laden with savouries and sweets and glasses of fresh kokum juice.
Empadinhas de manga stands out with a sweet mango filling and flaky crust, while the Pasteis de Carne and pork pies are a meat lover's dream come true. The holle, a sweet dish made of red rice, coconut and jaggery wrapped in jackfruit leaves, is a delight.
The front room, with a long balcony, has been done up cosily for a small band performance. Ghumots of different sizes complement the string instruments (violin, guitar and ukulele). A ghumot is a clay drum of Goan origin with a leather covering, traditionally made of monitor lizard skin.
The concert starts with a tribal Goan song driven by the beat of the ghumot. The performers practise a mix of Goan and Portuguese music and create a magical environment with their smiles, energy and the compelling vocals of Nadia Rebelo, one of the few remaining Fadistas in Asia.
The programme gradually transitions through the spectrum of musical influences that define Goan music, including "Dekhni," a classical style of music that complements the rhythmic dance form performed to the drum beats by Elton Quadros.
The progression gravitates to the Mando, a slow verse of love and nostalgia, rendered beautifully through the violin of Selwyn Menezes and Rebelo's emotional voice.
A section of the Mando brings Marilyn da Veiga in traditional Goan attire and Wonodolf da Costa on centre stage. They dance to the rhythm with swift movements.
Rebelo steals the show with her powerful Fado numbers, making it quite evident that she has a love for the music form that is almost fading away. We reach the finale with "Marcha das Fontainhas," a Goan folk song in Portuguese.
"We felt we should create an ambience where the audience not only hears but also touches, feels and experience these sounds," said Pereira after the performance.
Sounds From Goa happens every fortnight. The next edition is on Saturday, August 20 at 5 PM at Assagao in North Goa, at another heritage home. Limited seating is available on pre-registration only.
(Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay is an avid traveller, a writer and an independent marketing professional living in Goa)