The St. Andrew’s All Bandra Parish Zonals which was inaugurated in 1953 is a commemoratory occasion where we joyfully witness authentic talent being born and genuine relationships strengthened. The whole Bandra suburb gets serious while practising and honing their skills until they reach perfection to greatly inspire some highly reputed judges as well as audiences far and wide.
The competitions are numerous such as art, singing, dancing, recitation, dramatics and choirs. The participants start at the meagre age of three and end even at ninety with performers singing “I did it my way”, by Frank Sinatra, which leaves everyone in true awe and etched in their minds forever. The zonals is your green ticket to absolutely doing it your way whether it’s standing in your light or sharing a collaborative spirit!
We spoke to Leanne Manchanda who’s a member of the Andrean Cultural Council (ACC) and she shared the following:
“Bandra is unique in so many ways to conduct the zonals, one of which is the sizeable Catholic population and the numerous parish churches in this relatively small suburb. Almost everyone over a certain age has memories of walking down the streets of Bandra on a Sunday afternoon listening to music blaring from houses all over. As the zonals grew over the decades, building community became easier. People all over Bandra get involved: as performers, as behind-the-scenes organisers, as costume and set designers, and more. People contribute homemade goodies for the fund-raising ‘tuck shops’ each zone holds. Others open up their homes as practice spaces.”
Individuals with remarkable careers owing to the zonals include Shannon Donald, Samantha Noella, Carlton Braganza and Rozzlin Pereira aka beloved Aunty Maggie.
In these pandemic times, one cannot underestimate the sincere power of the arts. It’s been mighty difficult to overcome these rough tides and without a doubt, music, as well as the support of families and friends, have proved beneficial. Here, the Andrean Cultural Council decided that the show must go on and they will draw the curtains open to a spectacular online event on August 28, 29, September 4, 5 on Facebook and YouTube Live. These will be hosted by Melody Laila, Daniel D’souza and prominent radio personalities, Brian Tellis and Erica D’souza. Make sure you watch to gain plenty of entertainment and feel nostalgic.
Calvin Vaz (Bandra based) and Shaila Miranda (based in North Carolina, USA) didn’t start out to hit any particular number when forming a 100+ international choir. “We looked long and hard to see whether we could put up a choir without people meeting in person – and while the obvious answer was no – we decided to give it a try,” Calvin said, “We pooled all our resources into one big, united choir”. Initially hopeful for forty to sixty people, they were stumped when over a hundred people internationally responded enthusiastically. The choir transcended all zone loyalties, geographies and age groups. Tune in to see them and many other amazing acts from across the world.
So, see you buggers online at the zonals!
