Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a landmark step to safeguard and globally promote Goa’s most iconic stage art, the Directorate of Art and Culture has constituted a Task Force Committee to lead the State’s bid for UNESCO recognition of Tiatr as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The committee, notified by Director of Art and Culture Vivek Krishna Naik, has been formed with immediate effect and will be chaired by Art and Culture Minister Ramesh Tawadkar. It includes leading figures from the Tiatr fraternity, academia, and the cultural administration.
Members of the panel include Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) President Anthony Barbosa, Vice-President Marcos Gonsalves, Member Secretary Carlos Fernandes, veteran tiatrists Tomazinho Cardozo, Wilson Mazarello, Roseferns (Antonio Rosario Fernandes), Fausto V. Da Costa, Prof Prakash Vazrikar, Frederick Noronha, Fr Luis Gomes, William Fernandes, Fr Doel Dias, Fr Milton Rodrigues, Agnelo Fernandes (Borim), Vikas Kandolkar, and Michael Gracias.
The move follows sustained appeals from Goa’s tiatr community, which has long sought formal recognition of the art form’s cultural depth and 133-year-old legacy. Earlier this year, the Tiatr Academy submitted a detailed proposal to the government outlining tiatr’s evolution as a unique Goan theatre form blending music, satire, and social commentary, while playing a vital role in shaping Goan identity.
Speaking about the initiative, TAG President Anthony Barbosa said UNESCO recognition would not only preserve tiatr for future generations but also give Goa’s cultural heritage global visibility. “Tiatr captures the essence of Goan life — it entertains, educates, and provokes thought. Global recognition will help ensure its continuity and respect,” he said.
The newly established committee will now coordinate with cultural historians, researchers, and UNESCO experts to draft a comprehensive nomination dossier, which will be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for onward recommendation to UNESCO.
With this development, Goa has taken a decisive step toward securing international acknowledgment for Tiatr, reaffirming its status as one of the State’s most enduring and socially conscious art forms — a theatre that continues to echo the spirit and stories of its people.
