Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar is a folklorist who has spent his life reviving and recording the folk and tribal traditions of Goa. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of art, from Goa ^[1].

Gurukula training

Khedekar was born on 29 September 1938 ^[2]. He had no formal schooling, but completed twelve years of traditional Sanskrit and Vedic study in a gurukula ^[2]. There he was drawn to the songs, stories and performances of the tradition and watched the yearly rituals closely ^[2]. He went on to perform keertans in towns and villages across Goa while building a career in journalism ^[2].

Lokakala

The word Lokakala, folk art, came into use in Goa through him, as he rediscovered old art forms and presented them on local, national and international stages ^[2]. He worked to revive old customs and to trace the roots of rituals among the Gawda community ^[2]. For the Sangeet Natak Akademi he recorded 104 musical instruments of folk and tribal communities across Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan, along with the Goan festivals of Shigmo and Dhalo ^[2].

Writer

He has written 17 books, among them Lokasarita and Goa: Land, Life and Legacy, and more than 400 articles ^[2]. He has presented research to the Ford Foundation, the American Institute of Indian Studies and the National School of Drama, among others ^[2]. After 25 years in senior posts he retired in 1996 as member secretary of the Kala Academy of Goa ^[2]. His honours include Goa’s state cultural award and the Kalidas Puraskar ^[2].