Competition of Zomnivoilo Khell

What is the Competition of Zomnivoilo Khell?

Competition of Zomnivoilo Khell is scheme number 27 of the 41 schemes run by the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG), the autonomous body of the Government of Goa under the Department of Art and Culture. TAG organises the competition every year in different parts of Goa, and states the purpose plainly in the scheme document: to preserve and promote the traditional folk theatre of Goa, 'The Khell'; also called 'Fell' and 'Zomnivoilo Khell'.

The khell is the older and rougher cousin of tiatr. Where a tiatr is staged on a built stage with a curtain and a full band, the khell is performed zomnivoilo: on the ground, traditionally at village crossroads and open spaces during the carnival season, with the audience standing around it. It is one of the few Goan performance forms tied to a specific point in the calendar, and TAG's competition is deliberately built around that: only khells actually staged during the current carnival season are allowed to enter.

What exactly is the khell format TAG requires?

Rule 1 of the scheme lays down the format in unusual detail, and this is the single most useful part of the document for any troupe entering.

• A Zomnivoilo Khell comprises 8 to 10 songs called cantos.
• The entire story is narrated to the audience through the cantos.
• Each canto consists of 2 verses and one chorus.
• Dialogues are limited. The khell is a sung form, not a spoken one.
• Duration of each khell must be not less than 40 and not more than 60 minutes.
• The comedy in the khell should be related to the story of the khell.
• Musical instruments used in the traditional khell are drums, bass guitar, two blowing instruments and organ as per requirement.

A troupe that turns a khell into a dialogue-driven play, or that adds a modern instrument line-up, has moved outside the form the competition exists to preserve.

How does TAG choose the 12 troupes?

Rules 2 to 5 set out a selection process that is unusually mechanical, and worth understanding before you apply.

1. In all, 12 khells will be permitted to participate.
2. Only those khells staged during the current carnival season can enter.
3. The three troupes that won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the previous competition get direct entry, provided they apply within the stipulated time. Missing the deadline forfeits that direct entry.
4. The remaining 9 places are filled by taking lots if the number of applications exceeds 12 including the three direct entries. TAG calls a meeting of all applicants and draws the lots there.
5. If any of the 12 withdraws, the vacant place goes to the khell first on the waiting list, and so on down the list.

Applications are invited by releasing press notes in the local dailies (rule 7), on the prescribed form available at the TAG office or website (rule 9), and incomplete and late entries are not entertained.

What does a participating troupe receive?

Under rule 6, each participating troupe is given financial assistance towards production, as fixed by TAG from time to time. TAG has not published a fixed rupee figure in the scheme document, so ask the TAG office for the amount applying to the current edition rather than assuming a previous year's number.

Rule 6 is equally clear about what is not on offer: there will be no cash prizes, only mementos will be given for the first three winners. Rule 20 confirms this. The prize list is trophies only.

The trophy categories under rule 20 are:

• Best Performance to 1st, 2nd and 3rd
• Best Actor Male and Female to 1st and 2nd in each category
• Best Comedian Male and Female
• Best Script to 1st and 2nd
• Best Director — 1st and 2nd
• Best Supporting Actor Male and Female
• Best Child Actor Male and Female
• Best Music Modd
• Best Music
• Best Background Music
• Best Opening Chorus
• Best Cantos

Under rule 14, TAG video films the performances of all 12 participants for preservation in the TAG library for future generations, and a copy of the DVD is presented to the director of the khell, a real benefit for a troupe that would otherwise have no recording of its own work.

Who can and cannot enter the Competition of Khells?

You can enter if:

• You are an institution or an individual running a khell troupe in Goa. The application form takes both.
• Your khell was staged during the current carnival season.
• Your khell follows the format in rule 1 to 8 to 10 cantos, 2 verses and a chorus per canto, limited dialogue, 40 to 60 minutes, comedy tied to the story.
• You can submit one typed copy of the script and of the song lyrics with the form.
• You hold an Aadhaar card and a PAN card, self-attested copies of which are compulsory under rule 18.

You are not eligible, or your entry will not stand, if:

• Your khell was not staged in the current carnival season.
• Your entry is incomplete or late. Rule 9 excludes both without exception.
• You submit a handwritten script or handwritten lyrics. Rule 10 says these will not be accepted.
• Your khell runs under 40 minutes or over 60 minutes.
• An artiste, technician or backstage worker appears in more than one khell. Only musicians may work across troupes.
• The applications exceed 12 and your troupe does not come out in the draw of lots: in which case you go on the waiting list rather than being rejected outright.
• Your script, lyrics, performance or speeches carry adverse remarks against any government, individual or institution, or anything against caste, creed or religion that may hurt sentiments. Under rule 11, TAG may disqualify the performance and refuse payment or recall payment already made.

How to apply for the Competition of Zomnivoilo Khell

1. Stage your khell during the carnival season. This is a precondition, not a formality, rule 2 admits only khells staged in the current season.
2. Watch for the press note. TAG invites applications by releasing press notes in the local dailies, and that notice carries the closing date.
3. Collect the prescribed application form from the TAG office or download it from the TAG website with scheme 27.
4. Fill the form completely. It asks for the name of the institution or individual, the name of the fell or khell, the address, Aadhaar number (copy enclosed), PAN number (copy enclosed), contact number, email, playwright and director.
5. Type the script and the song lyrics and enclose one copy of each. Complete the separate cast sheet listing up to 10 characters against artiste names, plus costumes, live music band, writer and director, and have the director sign it.
6. Submit everything to the Tiatr Academy of Goa at AS-1, 2nd Floor, Campal Trade Centre, Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001, so that it reaches the office within the prescribed time limit.
7. Attend the lots meeting if called. If TAG receives more than 12 applications, all applicants are called to a meeting and the remaining 9 places are decided by lots.
8. Attend the compulsory discussion session. Rule 15 requires participants to attend a discussion on the positive and negative aspects of the performances at the TAG Conference Hall, Block A, 2nd Floor, Campal Trade Centre, Campal, Panjim, on the appointed date and time.

When and how is the assistance paid?

Rule 16 fixes one thing precisely: the cheque towards financial assistance will be issued in the name of the applicant only, as appearing at serial number 1 in the application form. If a troupe applies in the name of a club but expects the cheque in the director's name, the payment stalls. Enter the correct name at serial number 1, and make sure the PAN copy you enclose matches that name.

Under rule 8, the date, time and place of staging the khells are communicated to the participating groups well in advance, so keep the contact number on the form current.

What are the common reasons an entry fails?

• The khell was not staged in the current carnival season.
• A handwritten script or handwritten lyrics.
• Missing Aadhaar or PAN self-attested copies, contrary to rule 18.
• An artiste appearing in two khells; only musicians are exempt.
• A late or incomplete application.
• A previous winner missing the deadline and therefore losing the direct entry that rule 3 would otherwise have given.
• Content breaching rule 11, in the script, the lyrics, the performance or a speech.
• A mismatch between the name at serial number 1 and the PAN, which delays the assistance cheque.

TAG reserves the right, under rule 19, to make any changes in the rules, and rule 17 makes TAG's decision final and binding in case of any dispute regarding the rules. Work from the current PDF on the Schemes of TAG page.

Where do I raise a grievance about this competition?

Contact the Tiatr Academy of Goa on 0832-2230738 (fax 0832-2230739) or by email at tiatracademy@gmail.com. The office and the Conference Hall are both at Campal Trade Centre, Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001.

Under the Right to Information Act, the Member Secretary of TAG is the Public Information Officer and the President of TAG is the First Appellate Authority. Because rule 17 makes TAG's decision final on the rules, and the judges' assessment is not open to appeal, a grievance is best confined to procedure, a pending assistance cheque, an undelivered DVD, an unacknowledged entry.

Key facts to remember

• Competition of Zomnivoilo Khell is scheme 27 of 41 run by the Tiatr Academy of Goa.
• The khell is also called Fell, and is Goa's traditional ground-level folk theatre.
• Format: 8 to 10 cantos, 2 verses and a chorus per canto, limited dialogue, 40 to 60 minutes.
• Only khells staged during the current carnival season may enter.
• Exactly 12 troupes take part; the previous top 3 get direct entry, the rest are drawn by lots.
• Every participating troupe gets production assistance fixed by TAG.
• There are no cash prizes: trophies only, across 16 categories.
• All 12 performances are video recorded and the director gets a DVD copy.

How to check your application status

This scheme has no online portal or applicant login, so status has to be tracked directly with the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) office at each stage of the process.

1. Confirm your entry was received. Since incomplete and late entries are not entertained under rule 9, call the TAG office on 0832-2230738 a few days after submitting your form to confirm it reached them and was accepted as complete, rather than waiting to hear only if there is a problem.
2. Check whether you are among the 12, or on the waiting list. If more than 12 applications came in, TAG calls a meeting of all applicants to draw lots. Attend that meeting in person: it is the fastest way to know your troupe's position, and if you are not selected you can ask where your khell stands on the waiting list, since a vacancy is filled from that list in order.
3. Watch for TAG's staging communication. Under rule 8, TAG communicates the date, time and place of staging to participating groups well in advance. If your troupe was confirmed as one of the 12 but you have not heard the schedule as the carnival season progresses, call the TAG office and ask for the schedule directly, quoting the applicant name exactly as it appears at serial number 1 of your form.
4. Follow up on the production assistance cheque after your performance. The cheque is issued in the name of the applicant at serial number 1, so if payment is delayed, call the TAG office and check whether the name and PAN copy on file match, since a mismatch is a common cause of a stalled cheque.
5. Follow up on the DVD copy. TAG video-records all 12 performances and gives the director a copy for the troupe's own records. If it has not arrived a reasonable time after the results are announced, a phone call or a visit to the TAG office at Campal Trade Centre, Panaji, is the only way to chase it, since there is no tracking number or online reference for this.
6. Escalate through TAG's RTI channel if a query goes unanswered. The Member Secretary of TAG is the Public Information Officer and the President of TAG is the First Appellate Authority under the Right to Information Act. This route suits a stuck cheque or an unacknowledged entry, not a challenge to the judges' assessment, which rule 17 makes final.

Keep a copy of your submitted form, the date you submitted it, and any acknowledgment from the TAG office. Since the scheme runs entirely offline, that paper trail is what you will refer back to whenever you call or visit for a status update.