MANGALURU: More than 6,789 Konkani singers from India and abroad will gather in Mangaluru next month for a 300-hour-and-12-minute singing marathon, aiming to enter the Guinness World Records for the Longest Singing Marathon (Multiple Singers).
Titled "Konko'nni Niro'nto'ri - So'msar So'raso'ri" (Eternal Konkani - Unto the World's End), the attempt will begin at 6 am on November 3 and continue for 12 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes, ending at 6.12 pm on November 15 at Mangaluru Town Hall.
Singers from India, Australia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar will perform more than 4,500 Konkani songs by over 250 composers. Around 300 teams will sing for an hour each, with no singer or song repeated during the attempt.
The Guinness World Records office in London has completed the registration process and appointed a senior adjudicator to oversee the event. 'Sangeeth Guru' Joel Pereira will be the chief music director.
The record attempt is the centrepiece of the First World Konkani Music Mega Convention, organised by Mandd Sobhann as part of its Ruby Jubilee celebrations. The convention, scheduled from November 3 to 15, is dedicated to late Mandd Sobhann Gurkar Eric Ozario for his contribution to Konkani music.
Announcing the event at a press conference on Tuesday, Mandd Sobhann president Louis J. Pinto said the convention aims to unite Konkani-speaking communities worldwide, celebrate Konkani music and showcase it on the global stage.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will inaugurate the convention, while Mangaluru Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha will deliver the benediction.
The organisers will confer the World Konkani Musical Excellence Award on 12 senior musicians, including five posthumously. The awardees are Chris Perry (Goa), Lawrence Saldanha (Mumbai), Fr Lino De Sa (Goa), Vasanthi R Nayak (Mangaluru), Alfred Rose (Goa), Shridhar Kharvi (Bhatkal), Melwyn Peris (Mangaluru), Nemiraja Gowda (Kompadavu, Dakshina Kannada), Jerome Dsouza (Mumbai), Mamdu Ibrahim (Shiroor), Ullas Buyão (Goa) and Juliana Siddi (Haliyal).
Other attractions include 'Ful Fulota', a musical programme for children on November 13, an exhibition on Konkani music and culture, a Hall of Fame featuring eminent musicians and stalls serving traditional Konkani cuisine.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is expected to attend the valedictory programme on November 15, after the record attempt concludes.