CHICKENS & OUR CULTURE !
Chickens are domestic (farm) birds. They are one of the earliest domesticated fowl dating back to around 8000 years. The domestic fowl bred is believed to have been developed from the "kuva-kombi" (red jungle fowl) which is still seen in jungles, at large ponds and by the river banks. The scientific name of the chicken is "Gallus domesticus" (genus and species.)
The chicken has a long history of domesticity and service to mankind, and it has been an integral part of Goan household and culture since time immemorial.
The adult female chicken is called a hen (kombi), the adult male is called a rooster/cock (kombo,) and the young are called chicks (pilam.) The rooster is larger and more brightly colored than the hen; it also has a larger wattle and comb. Roosters make a very loud crowing and can be quite aggressive. There are many breeds of chicken that are different in size and color. In the past, breeds were developed to provide plumage for ceremonial costumes. Chickens always move in a flock and require no labor to control them.
Here are some of the characteristics of a chicken:
A chicken's heart beats 280-315 times a minute. A chicken's body temperature normally runs at 102o-103o F. A rooster takes 18-20 breaths a minute; a hen 30-35. There are over 150 varieties of domestic chickens.
Chickens are not capable of sustained flight. It takes a hen 24-26 hours to lay an egg. Chickens come in an infinite variety of colors and patterns. Chicken eggs range in color from white to pale brown and other pale colors. A chicken can have 4 or 5 toes on each foot. Grocery store chickens are 5-8 weeks old. A chicken takes 21 days to hatch eggs. An egg starts growing into a chick when it reaches a temperature of 86o F. It takes approximately 4 lbs of feed to make 1 dozen eggs. A hen lives an average of 5-7 years, but can live up to 20 years. She will lay eggs her entire life with production decreasing every year from year one.
In the olden days, every family in Goa, no matter how poor it was - cooked extra food just in case visitors dropped by. Even if nobody arrived, the food wouldn't go to waste; it would be shared with their dogs, cats, pigs and chickens. Chickens have a varied diet. They eat insects, worms, fruit, seeds, acorns, grains, slugs, snails, and many other foods. They have a well-developed gizzard (a part of the stomach that contains tiny stones) that grinds up their food. Since Goans are basically farmers, there is never a shortage of grains in their barns.
Until my mother passed away, we always raised chickens at our place. We never ran short of eggs in our house. Also, we always had an old chicken or two or a rooster which we could slaughter in case relatives/guests arrived at our place at night.
Every night, once all the chicken were let in the "kombiancho ghudd" (chicken room,) we were required to count them because if they were left out perching on a tree, a "kattanor" (wild cat) would devour them. If all chickens could not be accommodated in a ghudd, they would be assembled in a room and covered with a "panz" (a large basket made of bamboo with small window openings.) A large "munkutto" (wooden log) would be placed on the top of the panz so that the chickens could not escape from it.
Every time our mother went to Mapusa for shopping, we ran into a problem.
By the time she returned home late in the evening, one of the best egg-laying hens would go missing. The foxes which frequented our hill somehow always chose the day when our mother was away to snatch one of our best hens, and obviously mother blamed us for the loss and scolded us at our carelessness in not being able to guard things whenever she left the house.
During our childhood, every Christian family gathered at around 8:00 p.m. and said the rosary without fail. Sometimes, all of a sudden while the rosary was going on, a mother would interrupt thus - Noman Morie, kurpen bhorlele, Swami Dev tujea ttaim assa ......"Agho Ispu, soglleo kombieo bhitor eileat mungho?" ......ostoream bhitor tum sodev.....Jezu. ISPU: "Hoi ghe maim" ......Santa Morie Devache maie ami papiam khatir .....MOTHER: "Sarkeo mezleat mungho?" ISPU: "Hoi maim" ...atam ani amchea mornanchea vellar, Amen!"
This is not a joke but practical way of life back then.
A domestic fowl is bred for flesh and eggs. Chicken is the most versatile of meats. It can be prepared in many ways - chicken biryani, chicken cafreal, chicken tikka, chicken 65, garlic chicken, butter chicken, chicken massala, roasted, broiled, grilled, or poached, in soups, stews, and pot pies, and with a variety of seasonings, toppings, and sauces. No wonder it is a staple in practically every culture's cuisine. One of the best Goan chicken dishes was and still is "Xacuti," though in recent years the "tandoori" (chicken marinated in yogurt and a pungent blend of spices, and baked in special clay) has captured the hotel market. Xacuti still remains a common dish for picnics and home occasions. It is so common that readymade "Xacuti Massala" is now available in almost every grocery shop.
Here is how it is prepared:
Cut one kilo chicken into desired pieces and keep it aside. Crush 6 cloves of garlic, half an inch of ginger and apply them to the meat with the juice of a lime. Keep aside for an hour.
Fry in oil or ghee one large sliced onion. Add the meat and a half cup of water and boil until the water has evaporated. Add one tablespoon of the xacuti massala and half a ground coconut, tomatoes cut into pieces, sufficient water to make gravy, salt to taste, and just before serving, cover with some finely cut green coriander.
Alternatively, you can prepare xacuti in the traditional way as follows:
Cut one kilo chicken into desired pieces and keep it aside. Roast the following on a dry pan: 3 teaspoons of coriander, 8 Kashmiri chilies, half a teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, 5-6 peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of peanuts, half a coconut scraped. Add 1" piece turmeric, 4 cardamoms, 6 cloves and 1" piece of cinnamon. Grind everything together until fine. Warm some ghee in a hundee and fry the ground massala until it turns brown. Add chicken pieces, salt to taste and mix well. When cooked, add the juice of one lemon.
Eggs of a "ganvtti kombi" (local hen) which have become a rarity nowadays are more nutritious than poultry farm eggs, which are machine generated, and so is the meat of local chickens. In fact, you pay much more for a home raised chicken than a poultry farm chicken. Eggs play a vital role in our lives. 
An omelet is one of the most common breakfast dishes at home and in hotels and so are scrambled eggs. Practically all bakery products contain eggs.
The price for chicken today, when adjusted for inflation, is much cheaper compared to the 1960's. As a result, consumption of chicken has doubled since the late 1960's. But the low price isn't the only factor contributing to chicken's increased popularity. Most people have made a conscious decision to eat less red meat and more poultry in an effort to lower fat in their diets. When cooked, light meat chicken without the skin is 33% to 80% leaner than trimmed cooked beef. Chicken breast, the leanest part of the chicken, has less than half the fat of a trimmed choice T-bone steak. Moreover, the fat in chicken is less saturated than the fat found in beef.
To most people today, a chicken means nothing - just a couple of pounds of flesh. In Goa, in the past, a chicken was considered a partner in a household because it produced eggs and generated income to the family. In fact, many families survived on the income of eggs and the sale of chicks.
Hens were slaughtered only if they no longer laid eggs. Every Goan family had a small poultry farm at home but unlike today chickens were not raised in cages and fed entirely on chicken feed. Chickens were free to roam in the vicinity of the house where they picked up and ate natural food from the surroundings. In addition, after every afternoon meal, leftover rice was thrown to them. In the evening, wheat or paddy would be strewn as the last meal of the day. Chickens are so clever that they never cross their boundaries; they never go astray.
Chickens became such an integral part of a Goan's life that they went on to become part and parcel of our culture. They played a vital role in a person's life and people often referred to a chicken as a role model, especially as far as a mother and children were concerned. Here are a few chicken-related examples known to me and associated with our day-to-day life, household, and culture.
The chicken was once considered a sacred animal symbolizing the sun. No wonder the Hindus in Goa use it as a sacrificial bird. In the 1950's and 1960's and even later on, whenever the laying of a house foundation ceremony took place, the mason contractor would collect money from the property owner and buy a rooster or two. He would murmur a short prayer and slaughter the rooster and spill its blood at the site. He would then prepare "xacuti" with its meat on the spot in a "thop" (copper utensil,) and when it was ready, he would share it with the owner and his family. I have never come across any Christian masons in Anjuna; all the masons I have known have been Hindus.
In the olden days, once the "portonnem" (wedding reception at the bride's place on the fourth day of marriage) was over, the "zanvuim" (son-in-law) would spend at least one week at the in-laws' house. During this period, a mother-in-law was required to prepare special "kombiechea pilacho sop" (young chick's soup) with shredded meat in it and serve it to the groom every day before meals. This soup is considered nutritious and is meant to provide strength and keep the son-in-law fit during the honeymoon. The mother-in-law would also prepare various chicken dishes for him. Her main aim was to keep the son-in-law healthy and fit!
"Tisalacho Kombo" (three year old rooster): In the olden days, a 3-year-old rooster was very much in demand because it was considered medicinal. If anyone suffered from weakness or paralysis, they would prepare a dish of such a rooster and feed him/her. Actually, the more aged a rooster is, the tougher its meat, but since it was considered medicinal, people didn't mind the toughness of the meat.
In the past, there were no alarm clocks but a rooster served as one. The first crowing of a rooster would take place at 3:00 a.m., followed by the second at 4:00 a.m. and the third at 5:00 a.m. In those days, people went to bed by 9:00 p.m. So, when they heard the first crowing, they would just ignore it. The elderly would wake up at the second crowing, prepare a cup of tea, smoke a pamparo and wait for the third crowing by which time dawn would break which would enable them to step out of the house and go to the toilet, etc. The rooster alarm system worked perfectly well until the early 1970's when electricity was introduced in many parts of Goa, a fact which made the rooster crazy. People kept awake and went to sleep late.
They also woke up in the middle of the night and switched on the light to go to the toilet, etc. When this happened, the rooster was confused, and thinking it was already early morning, it would begin to crow at 11:00 p.m. or midnight, which obviously disturbed people's sleep and they remarked:
"Itlo vegim sadh ghalunk kombo tontela kitem?" (Has the rooster gone senile to crow this early?) How could they blame the poor rooster? If anyone was to be blamed it had to be us because we were the ones who disturbed the rooster's natural environment through man-made light!
The rooster even has a reference in our Holy Bible. Jesus knew that Peter would deny knowing Him. Therefore, when they gathered on the eve of his arrest, He said to Peter: "Kombo sadh ghalchea adim tum mhaka vollkonam mhunnon tin pauttim negar voitolo!" (Before the cock crows, you will deny knowing me thrice!) When Jesus was arrested, people questioned Peter about his association with Jesus and he denied knowing Him once, twice and thrice. At the third denial, a cock was heard crowing, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
A rooster/cock fight is one of the oldest sports in Goa. In the 1950's and 1960's almost every village in Goa held a cock fight on a feast day on the local village ground. The owners would sometimes tie a piece of a blade at the spur so that when a cock jumped on its opponent, it would cause cuts and the opponent would begin to bleed. Caetano Fernandes from Merces still breeds and trains cocks and participates in cockfights in Merces, Calafura (Santa Cruz) and other adjoining villages. He is always there to entertain the locals and their guests at Sant Khursachea festak (the feast of Holy Cross) which takes place on May 3rd of every year.
In the olden days, the only nutritious food we ate to gain strength was meat and eggs. As a runner, I would swallow at least two raw eggs after each morning practice. In those days there was no refrigerator. So, I would collect water in a container and keep the eggs immersed in it overnight and consume them as soon as I finished my morning running practice. My late brother, who was 8 years younger than I, did not like eggs. Business-minded as he was, he would sell his share of eggs to me. I paid him the same rate as others but it saved me time as I did not have to go around hunting for eggs.
Eggs get spoiled mostly during the monsoon season due to thunder. Some egg sellers would cunningly include a spoiled egg or two in a dozen eggs. We were always required to check eggs before bringing them home. So, we would ask the vendor to place the eggs in a container/bucket of water. Good eggs would sink to the bottom and spoiled ones would float! In the olden days, rotten eggs were thrown at the crooks and even at stage artist
underperformers!
Very often people think of the impossible and keep on building castles in the air. Sometimes people are so foolish that they spend large sums of money even before they know what they are about to do. In such cases, people use the chicken-related universal saying which goes thus: "Kombi rovannenk boschea adinch pilam mezinaka" (don't count your chickens before they are hatched.)
If you observe a flock of chickens on the move, you will notice that a rooster always walks beside a hen, as if hand-in-hand, unless he is attracted by another passing hen. Similarly, any man who sticks to his wife all the time is called:
"Bailecho gulam" (hen-pecked!)
A "kombo-kombi" (rooster-hen) became so much a part of the Goan culture that it went on to become an important part of the fireworks at the end of a Vesper. It was so famous and in demand in those days that it was always kept as the last item of the evening. People would not move from the site until they witnessed the kombo-kombi fireworks display. When the kombo-kombi was lit, the public would say in astonishment: "Polle, polle kombo-kombi kaiborim distat!" (Watch, watch how beautiful the rooster-hen look!)
When I was a child, I hated our neighbor's rooster because it always troubled our hens. I would get irritated and say to my mother: "Maim polle ghe to malcriad Bostian timaincho kombo amche kombiecher voir choddon tichea mathear tonch marta." (Look mother, that stupid Bostian timaim's rooster is climbing on our hen and is pecking on her head!) My mother would say: "To toxem korta dekunuch tuka tantiam khavunk melltat." (Because it does like that, you get to eat eggs.) I would ask: "Tem koxem ghe maim? (How is that mother?) She would say: "Ugi rav atam; tem soglem tuka magir kolltelem" (Keep quiet now, you will know all that later on.)
It is a well-known fact that you cannot clap with one hand; you need two hands to clap. Similarly, "Kombo nam tor kombi komban einam," meaning a hen cannot get into the mood without a rooster. Isn't it the same with human beings?
It is very interesting to watch chicken walk, especially hens. Every step of a chicken resembles that of a girl/woman! Nowadays, when men see a beautiful girl/woman graciously walk down the lane, they stop and remark:
Wow! What a way she wiggles! In the olden days, the expression was different; they used to say: Vah! Cheddum kitem bukanno haloun cholta re! (Wow! What a way the girl moves her butt and walks!)
People normally cut a chicken's throat with a knife, but I have known a guy who would separate the head of a chicken from the neck using both hands - he would hold the chicken's neck in his left hand and twist and pull the head with his right hand. In the olden days, when people were very angry, they would say: "Gomtti dhorun pilltolom/pilltelim eka kombiechea pilachi pill'llelea porim." (I will squeeze your neck just as I would that of a chick's!)
We have heard this expression umpteen times: "Eke kombiechim bara tantieam 13 kadleant pilam!" (13 chicks were born out of 12 eggs!) How is it possible to have 13 chicks out of 12 eggs? I leave it to you to figure it out.
Some people are so lazy in life that they do nothing but eat and sleep. In the olden days when people stayed indoors all the time, they would remark:
"Girgol ghorantlo bhairuch soronam, rovannenk bosla kitem?" (Gregory is always indoors, is he hatching eggs?)
In life, some people are so restless that they want everything in a jiffy; they refuse to be patient. In such situations, people use the chicken-related saying: "Kombiek atanch tantem ghal formailear tantim ghalunk zata?" (If you order a hen to lay an egg right now, can it?)
Because, as we all know, it takes a hen 24-26 hours to lay an egg!
In Konkani, a mature chicken which is about to lay eggs is called a "Tolog." In the past, people referred to a mature teenager girl as a tolog. When a grown up girl passed by, they would remark: "Tem konnamlem, sobit tolog re baba?" (Whose beautiful, mature daughter is that?)
In the 1950's and 1960's the only sandwich known to us was that of fried eggs. Whenever we went for a picnic, everyone was required to carry his/her own lunch and the only food we carried was fried egg-pao, or boiled egg-pao, or simply boiled eggs and bananas. In those days, people did not use separate utensils to boil eggs but they would just wash and place the eggs in boiling rice or pez and then remove them with a "kottecho dovlo" (coconut shell spoon.) If hungry while cooking para-boiled paddy, we would just go to the storeroom, place our hand in the "tandullanchem bhandd" (earthen pot containing rice) or "kunddeachem lat" (tin containing husk,) remove an egg or two and place them in the "bhatachem bhannd" (paddy pot.) We would remove them within 5-10 minutes, peel off the shell, cut the eggs into two halves, apply a little salt and pepper and place them in the mouth. I loved to eat semi-boiled eggs in which case I would make a hole at the large end of the egg, dig out the contents with a teaspoon and enjoy every teaspoonful, and wash it down with a cup of hot tea.
During the monsoon season, there is an acute shortage of fish because fishing is not possible due to rough seas. So, the people either make "sovrak or ankvar koddi" (curry without fish,) or they opt for "egg-curry" which is quite simple and can be prepared as follows:
Hard-boil half a dozen eggs. Remove shells, cut into halves and set aside. Grind the following together: Half of a grated coconut, 4 red chilies, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/4" piece of ginger. Fry one sliced onion and when brown add the ground massala, one chopped tomato, tamarind juice and salt to taste. When well fried, add desired water and bring it to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then place the eggs gently in the massala. Cover the pan and cook for approximately 5 more minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.
As toddlers, it was fun to run after small chicks. Although they were tiny, we never succeeded in catching them. We would keep on running after them and keep on falling and crying but they would not even stop or look behind, let alone have pity on us. The only time we were able to catch them was when they were placed under a panz. Sometimes, we would lift the panz a little too high and the chicks would escape - "magir, poddlem ek thapot" (then, we would get a slap) for letting the chicks loose!
A hen is always protective of her chicks and is often compared to a human mother. If it senses danger from a crow or a hawk, it spreads its wings and hides the chicks under its wings, looking in all directions until the danger is over.
They say: "Men get naughty at the age of forty," but many get naughtier as they grow older. If a college guy expresses his admiration for a girl, it doesn't matter because he is a youngster; if a guy in his forties does the same, he is criticized, but if an elderly guy does it, he is not only criticized but he is called a "kombo or kombeakar," meaning crazy like a rooster! There you are! So much for appreciation of the elderly!
Everyone in life is different - while some are active, others are lazy; some are smart but some are dumb; some are fast but some are slow. Some boys grow up faster than others and also behave differently. When such boys played mischievous pranks on their elders, the people who knew their ages would remark: "Tantieachea korlan astannam sadh ghalta!" (A minor pretends to be an adult!) Sometimes, when a teenager acted like an adult, the elderly remarked: "Arre, tum azun tantieachea korlantlo bhair soronk nam, ani mhaka xapotam sangtai?" (You are still in the egg shell, and you think you can lecture me?)
In the olden days, if anyone caught a bad cold, a "tantiachem massad" (beaten egg) was recommended. Break an egg and separate the albumen from the yolk. Place the yolk in a bowl, add a tablespoon sugar and beat it until it turns thin. Then add half or a full peg of brandy or cashew fenni, mix it well and drink it just as you would have a drink. Continue the massad for three days, and your cold is bound to get cured. The massad is to be taken early in the morning before you brush your teeth!
In the past, we knew of only the "chicken pox" disease which mainly affected children, but most recently the "bird flu" disease has played havoc with human lives throughout the world, especially in Far Eastern countries.
A person who lacks guts/confidence is called chicken-hearted.
Chicken feed - Very little compared to the usual!
Chicken feathers are used to make feather pillows.
Egg shells are used for decor.
Although people raised roosters, they still loved to have its replica in the house. So, they would buy a rooster-shaped "gurguret" (pitcher) of clay and place it on the dining table or on a stool in a corner in the dining room. The water in such pitchers remained cool and tasted very good, and it was great fun to watch water flow from a rooster's beak!
People also bought rooster figurines and fixed them at the top of the house, and it was really great to see a rooster on the roof!
We all know that in the olden days Goa was plagued with the dowry system; this disease still exists in some interior pockets of Goa. Usually, a proposal was followed by an engagement - but not until both the parties had agreed on a specific dowry and
"vojem."
In the olden days, marriages were either arranged by a soirik'kar (matchmaker,) relatives or elderly people. A bride-to-be or groom-to-be could not meet before the celebration of the nuptials. Sometimes, they did not know each other at all until they stood next to each other at an altar in a church. In those days, most grown up girls and boys did not know what a marriage meant and what they were supposed to do after their marriage, but they would gradually learn the tricks of the trade and proceed in life. Ordinarily, it was almost impossible to enjoy the bliss of marriage beforehand, but if anyone became a prey, the only solution would be a forced marriage.
The lyrics of the following Konkani folk song "KOMBO-KOMBIECHI AMIZAD" (Rooster-Hen Friendship" is a sequence of events which takes place between the owners of a rooster and a hen. The song begins with praise for the rooster, followed by allegations which result in a proposal and a demand for a dowry and vojem, and finally a forced marriage because the hen is already laying eggs!
Legend: M = Male; F = Female
M: Kaiboro mozo kombo, zobor apurbaiecho
Tambddem xenkrem, xedachim pakam, rupest dista to
Ani sadh ghaltoch kombo, kombo-kander kombiancho
Sezarnigelea kombianim mojea kombeak pirdear kelo
F: Xeu, xeu, xeu hi moji kombi
Rupan assa kaibori, pollounk dista
gori, gori
Anik dekun tika patienam mhunn paiank bandlea dori
F: Oh senhor kombeakar
M: Kitem ghe kombiekarn
F: Samball tujea kombeak, mojea kombiek korta bejear
M: Mozo kombo nhoi guneanvkar, tuji kombi malcriad
F: Ago doxelea lokalea kombeak korunk kortai pirdear
M: Poi, poi, poi tuji kombi dolle morta
F: Ago doxea noure zai tuka, khorench mure ti modelea
M: Mojea kombeacho kosloch guneanv nam, tuji kombi apoita
M: Zobor mhaka khoxi, tuje kombiek sun korchi
F: Ani hanvui khoxi zanvuim korchi, doth ghetoloi
kitli?
M: Ti diteleachi khoxi
F: Borem kunddo ek paili
Barik tandull don poddi ani nachnneanchi annatti
M: Sang almar tum ditoli kosli
F: Panz kelea zonelanchi, rub ani andulea vanttli
M: Ani hachea xivai sutti zai ponas rupia mudhi
M: Anik sang vojem dusrem, tum ditoli koslem
F: Xit sizlolem, mannus, dusrem anik zai
kitem?
M: Ani dusrem
dosichem?
F: Arre tem magir pollonvchem
M: Hem upkarchenam kimchonnem, kobul koru poilem
F: Tor nam, nam, nam, itli doth hanv dinvchinam
M: Toxem zalear mojea kombeak tuzo zanvuim korchonam
F: Arre forsan korchem poddtelem, kombi ghalta
tantieam!
In the 1950's and 1960's when agriculture in Goa was still dominant, as soon as paddy harvesting was over, paddy would be thoroughly dried before it was stored in the barns. Similarly, before the commencement of the monsoon season, people would cook para-boiled paddy and dry it thoroughly before taking it to a paddy husking machine. If chickens happened to graze close by, they would get to the paddy and begin to eat it. If the chickens involved belonged to a neighbor, swearing of words would take place which would lead to a quarrel between the neighbors. This reminds me of the following lines of
Dekhnis:
Sezarnincho kombo ievun bath kelem padd
Sezarnincho kombo ievun bath kelem padd
Aghe sezarni tujea kombeak dampun ghal
Aghe sezarni tujea kombeak dampun ghal
Dogi sezarni zogoddtai sarni funtteani
Dogi sezarni zogoddtai sarni funtteani
Tumi zogddai moraii, mojea kombleak soddaii
Tumi zogddai moraii, mojea kombleak soddaii
The above lines remind me of my first childhood role as an actor in the late Minguel Rod's drama in the early 1950's which was staged at Pornea Tinttear in Gaumvaddy, Anjuna. The scene was thus:
Two families with different backgrounds live as neighbors. However, their lives become a nightmare because of me. Being a very mischievous boy, I always create problems for my parents. One day, I kill the neighbor's chicken with my "robonn" (catapult.) This leads to a heated argument, followed by a fight between both the families. My sister also acted as a child of the other family. Our reward was one kilo each mix
khajem!
Here are four more lines of another Dekhni pertaining to a
kombo:
Kaiboro kombllo mozo, main mhaka dilolo
Konn re melean tacho donko moddilo
Kaiboro kombllo mozo, main mhaka dilolo
Konn re melean tacho donko moddilo
Re kombea bha, re kombea xeu
Re kombea bha, bha, bha re kombea xeu
Re kombea bha, re kombea xeu
Re kombea bha, bha, bha re kombea xeu
Manuel Aguiar, popularly known by the Goan stage name "M. Boyer," has been one of the best composers Goa ever produced. He has composed songs in all categories - decent, comedy and cultural. His songs are always full of wit. One of his songs - Kombi-bokddi-mazor was one of the best songs of yesteryears. Please find below the lyrics of the first verse and chorus of the song which are related to
"kombo-kombi:"
Respetachi kombi asli mojiKombe disti poddlear kori loji
Kitliim tantieam ghalunk asli raji
Pedruchea kombean vatt laili kombiechi
Chorus
Kombo roddta
kok-kok-kok, kok-re-kok-kok-kok
Kombo bhair ravon ghuddachem kaddta zok
Mhunntta
kok-kok-kok, kok-re-kok-kok-kok
Hem aikon ghuddan moje kombiek ieta shock!
Here is another part of M. Boyer's song "Ankvarponnar Mog" in which he emphasizes the necessity of a man for a woman:
Ankvarponnar bonvlo bhava tum jetan
Kazar zaun tuzo judev kelo xetan
Tum ratcho ieta dis bhor vavron otan
Tuka late zalear tim udok ghaltat xitan
Chorus
Amkam bebde mhunnon bhair nidoitat, khoxi Devachi
Bebdea govanchi goroz nam mhunn bobatt bailanchi
Konn soth mandit bailek goroz nam mhunn ghovachi
Eke kombiek passun tantem ghaluncheak goroz
kombeachi.
A rooster did not only serve as a very important bird to Goans in the past but it is also now used as a means to promote Goan products. One of the recent audio cassettes of Lawrence de Tiracol is titled: "Nidlolo Kombo Zago Zalo!" (Dormant rooster awakened!) The cover design of this cassette depicts a rooster with a guitar. Actually, the title refers to a dormant partner who awakens like a rooster. It is indeed a brilliant idea which goes to prove that a chicken still plays a vital role in Goans' lives!
Here are the lyrics of the song "SOSUNK ZAINAM" sung by none other than Prince Jacob and Rosy, which is bound to get everyone into the mood:
Legend: R = Rosy; J = Jacob
R: Atam kainch hanv aikochinam, anik mojean sosunk zainam
Atam kainch hanv aikochinam, anik mojean sosunk zainam
Sov vorsam zalim mogak tum hath passun lainam
J: Goeam thaun ietokuch bai, kazar zaviea Carmin bai
Moji koddon vanvta pirai, kitlo teomp rav mhunntai
Chorus
J: Rokddoch ieta mhunn fottovn pai Goeam gelo
kesso?
R: Paichi vatt pollovn goviea zalai bombil kosso
J: Mog kesso suru
korum?
R: Tenkon mhaka bosso
J: Ani beij ghetai
kesso?
R: Osso vontt chinv re
esso.
J: Avoish! godde
mungo!
R: Ho sarkoch bhozo mhunnon monan dubav khevtalo
Mogachem lisanv paikodde xikonk ravtalo
J: Hanv govieo uronk karann, mhaka pain kela Narann
R: Mog xikoitam ek horan, chol bhitor ie ghoran
Chorus
J: Ekuch lisanv xiklolom, poi fulon zalam vag
R: Atam pemprem nastannam poieat nanchonk lagla nag
J: Agho any time hanv ready, beiz zai title mag
R: Pai nidoilolea kombeak derepent zalea
zag!
R: Atam paik boroi re Tatoo, gunnanchi mevlea mhunn sun
J: Tem morning evening honey dita one full table spoon
Boroitam paik very soon, xiklam korunk honeymoon
R: Goeanch rav mhunn sang paik to mog xikounk ieta put
Chorus
J: Agho fuddlem xikoi mhaka, lisanv zavunk dhi purem
R: Haka mogachem tuition diun mojem zalem khol'lem
Hanv one, two, three mhunntoch
J: Mojem start girgirem
Mhaka chodd dislam borem
R: Mojem bhair sorlem varem
R: Atam kainch hanv aikochinam, anik mojean sosunk zainam
Sov vorsam zalim mogak tum hath passun lainam
J: Goeam thaun ietoch bai, kazar zaviea Carmin bai
Moji koddon vanvta pirai, kitlo teomp rav mhunntai
Fuloi kombo!
That's all for now from Dom's antique shelf!
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
From:
"domnic fernandes" 
