Alisha to team up with 2-Sharp at Navelim Feast Celebrations

-by gasper crasto www.goa-world.com

Kuwait: Alisha Esparanca Fernandes, a seventh standard Carmel School prodigy will team up with 2-S#arp musicians at the feast celebrations of Our Lady of Rosary, Thursday 22nd November 2007 at Hotel Village Inn, Kuwait City.

Our Lady of Rosary Church, Navelim -- one of the oldest churches of Goa - built by the Portuguese

Every year, Our Lady of Rosary feast, patroness of Navelim Church is celebrated in Goa on the 3rd Wednesday of November. Navelim Youth Centre (NYC) celebrate the feast in Kuwait on a Thursday with a Thanksgiving mass at the Holy Family Cathedral 6.30pm followed by a get-together of club members and families later in the evening. The function will include young Navelim sons Lentini and Platini Louis performing on keyboards.

Daughter of Neeta Fernandes and NYC Advisor and longstanding President Agnello A.S. Fernandes, Alisha will play on the violin accompanied by the musicians. Alisha is trained by Salvador, a well known Goan musician living in Kuwait.

“I have performed at many functions but playing in front of my beloved villagers and family...i think that's cool,” remarked an excited Alisha adding, "I thank dad for encouraging me to learn music and the violin. I intend to master the art of music and perhaps one fine day get to play in a mega assemblage like Yanni.."

Alisha is also a fluent Bharat Natyam dancer and has won many prizes for her performances at inter-school competitions.

Profile: Alisha Fernandes
Date of Birth: 10th December
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Place of Birth: Dar Al Shifa Hospital – Kuwait
School: Carmel School
Future Plans: Medicine
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite Food: Authentic Goan dishes
Favorite Song:Jab se tere Naina – “Saawariya”
Favorite Indian actor: John Abraham
Favorite Indian Actress: Angelina Jolie
Hobbies: Likes to hear music, playing Badminton, etc.

--Greetings on the occasion of feast--
to all devotees of Our Lady of Rosary
May our Lady bless us all!

Other Links:
Shahu forms 2-S#arp - a 2 men band

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulf-goans/message/14559

BLACK to be screened on 30 Nov 2007 with English Subtitles

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Making of 'Black' - I
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Riana Azavedo to leave an impact with 'Black'
A Tete-a-Tete with superstar Sylvester Vaz
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A Tete-a-Tete with Cajetan Pereira
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Rowla Lewis: Amazing 'discovery' of BLACK
Crowning of 'Comedy Queen Querobina'
Black: Braz de Parra composes songs with danceable beat riffs
Lead actress of Black - Gracy Morais Speaks 'Black' film shot in Kuwait set for release

SANNY MELO VO TAKA MARLO?

Sanny singing in Rosary's musical show

Sanny de Quepem’s body was taken to Goa and he was buried in his home village Cemetery on the 15th of this month.

That death can come to anyone at anytime is a sure fact but still we have some reasons for our deaths. What was the cause of Sanny’s death? According to hospital report “his heart was depressed”. Did this happen because he was deeply depressed during the Goa Day function?

According to information available, Sanny was asked by the Goa Day organizers, Goan Welfare Society – to sing a song on Goa Day on 9th of this month. He prepared a nice song for the function and it was his wish to render it during the presence of visiting NRI Commissioner from Goa Eduardo Faleiro when attendance was at its peak. Sanny’s wish was to convey his message to larger audience including Faleiro. But to his shock, he was not allowed to sing his song when he wanted to sing it. He tried his best to plead his case with the organizers but all in vain. This was probably the shock that made him extremely depressed. To his chagrin he was made to sing at the last stage of the function when the attendance was thinned and Faleiro had already left the hall.

Sanny Vaz singing a manddo as a lead singer with Querobina, Rosary and Sandra in a group

With a depressed mood he went home and sat on his bed with a stressed mood feeling uneasiness all over his body. He then called his brother and asked him to give him a glass of soda. By the time his brother went to bring soda, Sanny collapsed on the bed. Immediately he was rushed to the nearest Hospital but at the entrance he was declared DEAD.

By nature he was not aggressive and not very stiff to accept humiliations and negatives. Any downbeat answer he would take very seriously and to his heart. He was very sentimental and a emotional man. I am sure the negative answer to his request by Goa Day organizers must have made him depressed which in fact he should not have taken so seriously. But Sanny’s nature is such.

I don’t know why Sanny gave so much of importance to Eduardo Faleiro’s presence in the hall. Who is Eduardo Faleiro and what he can do? He is only an NRI Commissioner having Cabinet Rank from the Goa Government. This post was given to Eduardo Faleiro earlier by Rane as a “bokxis” to keep him occupied. Even if hundred NRI Commissioners appointed nothing much good will happen to us in Kuwait or anywhere in the Goan world abroad. By doling this post to Eduardo Faleiro, Rane and Goa Government have kept Faleiro occupied in something at the cost of tax payers otherwise as a politician, Faleiro would create some mischief which may disrupt the Goa Government. When dealing with the Government of Kuwait, representatives of Indian States have very little say or nothing at all.

According to further information, the organizers of Goa Day and the persons dealing in Sanny’s song were very adamant. By acceding to the request of Sanny heaven would not fall but why this request was denied is beyond my imagination. This was a small request but made “MOTTO” (FAT) unnecessarily. Was it to satisfy the anger of Sanny’s adversaries in Tiatro fraternity? Sanny had his adversaries in Tiatro fraternity since he sang that piercing song against “To Aslear Aum Nachona”.

Those who are involved in denying Sanny the privilege of his simple request should be exposed and if it was done with malice then they should be held responsible for his death. There should be debate on Sanny’s death not only in Kuwait amongst the followers and supporters of Sanny but also in the entire tiatro fraternity spread all around the Konkani musical world. The death of Sanny is a big blow for the development of Tiatro as a whole. He deserved highest respect and highest consideration for his request. Sanny’s death should be the talk of our conversation anywhere amongst us. This is not a simple issue. Thru this issue a “MOTTO” crisis was created because of which not ‘MOTTO’ but “Bharik” Sanny had to sacrifice his life.

Sanny’s wife Meera once thru telephonic conversation requested me to tell her husband to give up Tiatro activities because she felt this activity would lead him into problems. She did not like some of the people around him in this activitity. Maybe she felt one day these people will destroy her husband?

Sanny with Rosary Ferns & Querobina in a trio

Worst of activities amongst Goans are happening during the Goa Day functions. Past experience tells us that Goa Day is a very sinful day. It is a day where you notice “goondagiri”, “Soro” and “Pozoddponn”. Goa Day proved to be synonym with Sex – liquour and fights. It is like a curse and because of this curse I think God sent his punishment in the form of deaths. Earlier my colleague John Fernandes after attending Goa Day at Funaitees died of heart attack. This time after attending Goa Day function another Goan and popular figure Tiatrist Sanny de Quepem died. Whose turn will be the next in the coming year?

When John died GWS was headed by one of the three persons involved in illegally holding the 30,000 plus Kuwaiti Dinars of GWS fund, when Sanny died GWS is headed by second person involved in this fund scandal. For two fund scandalous persons two deaths have occurred. For the third scandalous person will there be another death of third innocent person like John and Sanny?

With these tragedies in mind, I think we should be very cautious in attending Goa Day. Our elders and even Church leaders should take note of the all the nonsense going on during Goa Day and advise the faithfuls accordingly. It is the duty of the Church leaders and especially priests who are conversant with us to advise people to take a correct path. Goa Day is become the day of sin and the day of death. Why? Because of the punishment of God for the sinful acts committed during Goa Day functions and because of the misappropriation of the huge funds by the three persons?

Goa Day is organized under the leadership of persons with dubious character, one of them was also involved in demanding sex from young girl for the favour of job. Such Narvenkar-ism should be punished by the people of good character by not attending Goa Day functions. As it is many of the decent Goans have stopped attending Goa Day functions especially the decent families who loathe indecent behaviour.

Some mystery is surrounded in the two deaths following Goa Day. There is a saying in Konkani, “Adaum korta pap ani sonsot dita zap”, “Chor kortat bamtteponnam ani innocent Goykar bhogtat mornam”. God alone knows what is lying next in Goa Days in the years to come!

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

Mathew Araujo - passionate and dedicated about acting

-Daniel F. de Souza, Goa

Mathew Araujo is the man who refused a tempting offer from a mighty playwright like the late Rosario Rodrigues in the year 1991 not because he did not want to act in his troupe but more because he wanted to honour his word given earlier to another playwright. Incidentally, Mathew had committed himself to playwright Jack Ferry in his show ‘Devak Sangat’ and hence did not want to ditch him for another much lucrative offer. And yet today he ranks among the top leading and much sought after male actors of the Konkani stage. Stylish and with a slim and trim athlete body frame, this wheat complexioned leading actor can enact any dashing roles with equal ease and panache, though he is well suited for a villain, or an Police Officer.

He is one of the few actors who has received the prestigious Gulab award consecutively for two years for his best acting ( For ‘Bovall’ in 2002 and for ‘Devak Zai Zalear’ in 2003). But he has neither pride nor any kind of ego and is a down to earth simple man with humility being his second nature. Soft spoken and a man of few words Mathew Araujo endears to just about anybody who comes in close contact with him, and that’s because he always maintains a low profile on and off the stage. A successful businessman by profession who runs a fleet of tourist cabs, he took to acting just like the way fish takes to water and today is a most recognized face in town.

Mathew Araujo hails from the village of Cabesa, Santa Cruz in the North and had his schooling in St. Cruz High School where he completed his studies till S.S.C. As a matter of fact there is no one in the family who had any professional engagement with the Konkani stage and yet Mathew somehow had the urge to prove himself on the Konkani stage. He was offered a small role by fellow villager Candido Araujo in 1982 in one of his tiatr staged on the feast day. The same trend continued in 1983 and 1984 too. But, in the year 1985 Candido Araujo having convinced of Mathew’s acting talents, offered him a much bigger role in his tiatr “ Mhoje Dolle Tuzo Uzvadd”. That was perhaps the beginning of much bigger things to come, and from then on there was no looking back for this enthusiastic young man who has till date bagged only the leading roles in most of the dramas he has acted.

Mathew has also had a short stint with the All Goa One Act plays which gave him a wider and much bigger exposure across Goa, but his real break in a professional troupe came in Pascoal Rodrigues’ tiatr ‘Mog asum di’ followed by another professional playwright Jack Ferry. So far there is not a single playwright director of the Konkani stage who has not requisitioned the acting services of Mathew Araujo. From John D’Silva, Rose Ferns, Prince Jacob, Pascoal Rodrigues, Menino de Bandar, Ben Evangelistgo, Peter D’Costa, Anthony San, Jose Rod, Samuel Carvalho, to Agostinho Temudo have all had Mathew on their shopping list. He is a complete actor and gets fully involved in the role that he is called upon to enact. He admits that he still follows the age old practice of rehearsing his lines first before the mirror at home to fine tune his acting. On several occasions he has stepped into the shoes of other actors in emergencies and done justice to the role at very short notice.

Though a self taught actor, Mathew acknowledges the guidance he has received on acting and dialogue delivery and modulation from other seniors. He is all praise for playwright John D’Silva, who he says has polished his skill during his stint in John D’Silva’s dramatic troupe for nearly 4 years. When asked who is his favourite Konkani stage artiste Mathew replied after a little thought “ The late Seby Coutinho is my favourite, though I got to see him act only on few occasions.”

In recent times Mathew is seen acting in many of the short video films that are produced in Goa. One VCD film that instantly comes to mind is Samuel Carvalho’s ‘Ghat Apleak Sontos Peleak’ where he acts as the romantic Police Officer. He has even acted in the role of Jesus in one of a religious taitr presented by the St. Cruz parish. To a pointed question whether he is selective or choosy about the roles offered to him he answered without any hesitation “I make no demands for any particular role, being an actor I am open to any role offered by the playwright. Similarly, I have no reservations whatsoever, whether the role is big or small. I give my 100% in any role that is offered to me. For e.g., I was offered a major role in the tiatr ‘Daddy’ by Samuel Carvalho, in his latest tiatr ‘Mhaka Sangat’ the same playwright offered me a comparatively smaller role of an Police Officer, this did not deter me in giving my best to the role and get appreciation from the audience.”

A widely traveled actor overseas in the Gulf with several playwrights, he is shortly scheduled to make a long overseas tour of the Gulf States of Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Muscat with Agostinho Temudo in January next year. In 2007 when he visited Kuwait he was felicitated by the organisers for his excellent acting skills. When asked to name his favourite Director/playwright among the present ones, he instantly mentioned the name of Rose Ferns, whom he said he holds in high esteem for his professionalism.

Father of two school going children Mathew Araujo is a family man when not busy with his shows and likes to spend quality time with them at home. 'They are my first critics at home with respect to my acting and dress code and are a great encouragement and support everything thatI do' Mathew told GO during the conversation. In all simplicity he admitted " I love good food, Chicken is my favourite, and when I have spare time at my disposal, I do chip in to help my wife in the kitchen" . Besides tiatr, he also has a great love for football and was a footballer with the famed ST. Cruz football club in his younger days.

Sounding a caution to the youngsters and newcomers to the stage he has this advice " Respect the senior artistes, be humble in whatever you do and achieve greatness through your dedicated work. Never try to show off with just a few performances. Simplicity and humility wins admiration and gets success".