BY CLARA A RODRIGUES | NT NETWORK
They talk, they laugh, they sing and they make music together. They are the silver citizens of the amiable senior citizen’s choir. Cheery, hearty and happy-go-lucky, boredom and worry dare not be there to hassle them as they immerse themselves in the endless ocean of music chords.

The members of the choir sing in Konkani, Portuguese, Hindi, French, Italian and Sanskrit. Music is a universal language. “Music helps in national integration and that of mankind, too. There is no limit to what we sing. Anything pleasing to the ear is music for us,” says the conductor of the choir, Prof Agnel Crasto. 
Rev Fr Fredrick Rodrigues, the principal of the Fr Agnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar calls the choir a healthy outlet for its members. He describes it best as an ‘opportunity to break free from the monotony of life’. Fr Rodrigues, who is also the spiritual director of the Senior Citizen’s choir says, “The choir sings Gregorian music, which is Church music that used to be sung once upon a time at the Latin masses that were celebrated in Goa. This music should not die out.”
For Prof Crasto, Gregorian music is something that has always occupied prime space. Mr Crasto, shares his intention of passing on this knowledge coupled with the experience he gained from conducting choirs abroad, he explains, “Through this choir, I wish to share my music. The choir experiments a lot. As a young boy I have been well acquainted with Christian music.”
This choir has had two major performances in Goa so far. Apart from that, the choir perform at weddings, funerals and for special occasions. Says Mr Crasto, “We started in the year 2006 and have members from all over Goa. We are waiting for a sizeable number to get started all over again.”
For those who do not know this kind of obscured music, the choir is a means to propagate it. And for those who are familiar with it, it is a chance to get nostalgic says Prof Crasto. The choir disperses its diverse repertoire in voices, and sometimes in unison.
A noble attempt at reviving music styles has been met with a fair amount of success and an equal number of hardships. Adds, Prof Crasto, “We are also trying to revive Sanskrit,
sacred music. This music comprises of invocation to God. We may invoke him in different names, but ultimately it is the same God.”
From this time on we have decided to extend the bracket of the senior citizen choir. Although the senior citizens organise it, youngsters are welcome says Prof Crasto. “With age comes a certain amount of unpredictability. The old get sick. To up the stability factor we have made this a family choir, where the entire family can join in.”
The problems of the choir are myriad but it is the energy and enthusiasm of this resolute lot that keeps the choir going. 
There are times when many have tried to sabotage my choir by taking members over to their choir, but it’s never seen as a dampener to the spirits. In retrospection, one can choose to use it as a measure of the superb quality the senior citizens choir. 
The choir visit hospitals and aged homes to sing and bring joy to the inmates. Travelling is a major problem for the choir. The immobility of members is often an obstacle. “There is a need to consolidate the numbers and also overcome this problem. Perhaps we may go from parish to parish and hold a weekly meet,” says Rev Fr Rodrigues.    
Making music in the twilight of their life is what keeps them happy.