Goa ropes in famed Konkani singer to draw tourists

PANAJI - After roping in Bollywood actress Prachi Desai as the face of tourism in Goa, Lorna — known as the nightingale of the state — will now play the pied piper to attract music-loving tourists to the state, which has faced a couple of lean tourism seasons on the trot.

After a lull of several years, Lorna (Lorna Cordeiro), a legend in Konkani music world with more than 300 melodies to her credit, will sing in a live concert hosted by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and a local NGO later this month. The concert is aimed at being a precursor to the Goa tourism season which begins in October.

“We are also looking at introducing Lorna in our Goa tourism campaign as she is a well-known name worldwide thanks to her amazing songs,” GTDC managing director Nikhil Dessai told reporters in Panaji Monday.

Born in Mumbai in the 1940s, Lorna has more than 300 songs to her credit and has also sung Konkani duets with Bollywood legend Mohammad Rafi.

“The performance of Lorna will be an added feature in our tourism promotion brochure,” Dessai said, adding that the live concert was too good an opportunity to let go by.

The concert is scheduled Aug 20, also recognised here as the World Goa Day, as it coincides with the anniversary of the inclusion of the Konkani language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution by parliament in 1992.

Heritage Jazz Goa, an NGO which promotes Jazz music in Goa, is partnering the GTDC in promoting live concert.

“Lorna is one of Goa’s greatest stars and we are making this star known to the world,” Armando Gonsalves, promoter of the NGO, said.

“With complaints that Goan culture is being diluted by tourism based on numbers, this programme is designed to make tourists understand the music and culture of Goa,” Gonsalves added. The liberally scatterred Goan expat families are being targetted to promote the event.