TIATRISTS AND THEIR CONCUBINES.

TIATRISTS AND THEIR CONCUBINES.

Recently I came across the June Issue of Roman script Monthly Konkani Magazine “JIVIT”. Many articles are written by lot of writers, John Gomes Kokoy, Margao was one of them who wrote a nice article on “TRIO KING: ANTHONY SOUZA”. Kokoy is a good Konkani writer, writing on Tiatros and yesteryears Tiatrists is his forte. In that article, Kokoy describes Anthony’s full history as a tiatrist where Anthony boldly and very sincerely declares that it was “Alexinho de Candolim” who introduced him to the professional Konkani Stage at Mapusa in his tiatro “Sonvsarant Konn Konnacho”. According to elders in Candolim this tiatro Alexinho de Candolim wrote on the basis of his own personal experience. Not only this, Anthony further states that his share from Rs. 5/- changed to Rs. 50/- by Alexinho de Candolim only by showing very preferential treatment to Anthony because of his tiatro competence.

When Alexinho de Candolim died, somewhere in 1964, Anthony was a part of Trio Kings comprising Conception-Nelson-Anthony. While as a member of this trio Anthony was always singing in the trio and not solos or duets as he used to do earlier before joining in this trio. But to break from the tradition and as a mark of respect for the departed soul, Anthony rendered an especially composed solo on the death of tiatro wizard Alexinho de Candolim and received tremendous goodwill from the audience. Some of the lines of that historical and magnificent song run like this:

Poilo, Minguel Rod Devan tukam velo,
Uprant, Julinui sangat tuzo kelo,
Effie ani Almeidai kobar zalo,
Xekim Alexinho de Candolim kallzak tuvem toploi bhalo.

Cheallis ani Nou vorsam idad tuji,
Bhurgech ponnir uxearki dakoili vegglli,
Lhan actorank hath diun voir kaddunk sodhi,
Kednanch dhinasloi fals budi.

Khorench, penank tujea pavor also,
Dusreachem, tem aplem mhunnpi nhoi tum toslo,
Derrepent, kallzak tuvem amchea toploi bhalo,
Ugdasak dourun gheloi tiatro tuzo “To Bhavtto Dhormancho”

And concluded saying thus:

"Tuvem tor voir kaddunk nasloi zalear aum aiz palkar pavcho naslom”.

Very few tiatrists in todays era openly discloses the gratitude of their “gurus” and of those who give them helping hand. Anthony Souza was one of the rare tiatrists in many respects. Like Alexinho de Candolim , Anthony Souza was known for leading a decent and clean life as a tiatrist and also as a family man taking care of his wife and children. Nobody has heard any vulgarity and immorality in the lives of Anthony Souza and his guru Alexinho de Candolim who not only remained faithful to his wife but also took care of his wife and children till his death maintaining the holy vow he took in the Church at the time of his wedding. Because of his high morality and family life discipline he was respected in the locality and society too. Married men who jump from one tree to another like Monkeys by discarding their wives, children and family obligations are always treated with disdain by the society, if not externally then at least internally. And those who break the marriage vow and neglect their own wives and children the punishment for them from God is very harsh, if not today then tomorrow but surely it will come (Ravon na pavon). It is said marriages are made in Heaven and no power on earth can break them. Alexinho de Candolim preached this doctrine from the stage and used his stage talent to reprimand and correct those who are going astray from their married vows. His two songs “Dadlea, Adhartai Tum Vhoddli Chuk” is a very good lesson for those husbands who desert their wives and “Aik Moje Kazari Bhoinni” is a cautious warning to wives who desert their husbands too and live as concubines to satisfy the sexual lust of their illegal partners. And concludes saying that those ladies who destroy the family life of married men are bound to receive highest punishment from God – and this punishment in this world only. Such golden songs nobody in the current era can compose.

For this reason, the great Goan intellectual the late Fr. Mendonca, the then principal of Arpora School, once commented thus: Oh my God!! What Alexinho de Candolim is!! If this man had little educational background (meaning University Education), he would be a genius”. Normally, many of the top tiatrists are known to live a vulgar and illicit life not befitting their stage status thereby bringing bad name not only for them but also for the Tiatro. For this reason during earlier days tiatrists were considered as of low moral standard and elite class of Goans never used to patronise tiatro. Saib Rocha was the first known tiatrist to lead a vulgar and illicit life in the history of tiatro. He was the first Tiatrist in the history of Tiatro to have a concubine thereby breaking the natural law of discipline. Those who break the law of nature and lead an illicit life, finally they suffer. Saib Rocha finally inspite of being revered as “Saib” of Konkani stage died a miserable death in the Asilo run by Provedoria at Santa Inez, unwanted – uncared - unsung – unadored & unattended. When he died in seventies, somebody passed a remark saying “Kunkod melem funkott gelem. Jieta tosso morta”. Then as we know many of the top directors followed the bad example set by Saib Rocha. Now-a-days we see many of the directors and leaders of the troupes are having one of their actresses as their permanent mistresses who play major roles in framing the working of the troupe leaders. In fact they act more than legal wives of the troupe leaders and because of this many a time we noticed the disorders in the family life of the troupe leaders who even maltreat their own wives in a sadistic manner and thus receive curses from God. In Kuwait there is one well known actress who told me once that because of so and so mistress of the so and so director and troupe leader “I was kicked out of that particular troupe because the mistress of the troupe leader was jealous of my superlative performance which she could not digest”.

Anthony Souza has done enormous services for the cause of Konkani, Goa, its culture, tradition and history from the stage His trio composition was surely wonderful. He has devoted fully and wholeheartedly for the cause of Goa and not for the cause of money as most of the current tiatrists do. During Bandodkar’s time he made havoc of MGP rule, what UGP could not do in the Legislative Assembly, Anthony did thru his trios. Compared to many of the today’s bribe prone tiatrists, Anthony was different. Bandodkar tried to induce this trio into silencing them and when everything failed to work in Bandodkar’s favour then Bandodkar introduced Salazarist censorship and entertainment tax on tiatros only to punish the trio kings. Like his guru Alexinho de Candolim, Anthony too had challenging nature. Alexinho de Candolim during those strict Portuguese days challenged Portuguese Government of Goa and rendered a beautiful song on the murder of the son of his own Professor in Candolim. Because of Portuguese censorship he was denied permission to sing this song in Goa. Hence he fled to Bombay with this song. It was on his colleague who was brutally murdered in Candolim by the Portuguese military Negroes. It was beautifully composed and beautifully rhymed. Some of the lines of that golden and highly politically challenging song, I give herebelow:

Konnuch vollkonastana aschenant bhavani hangasor,
Agostinho de Souza Candolim Igorjecho Professor,
Mistirpon tanne choloilem vorsam cheallis bhor,
Bharkaen tachem jivit ami niallun pollen tor,
Bharikuch also khoro pun xinkop tachem chodd vhodd,
Tachea hathan kitle xinkon zalet bandmastor,
Kantorist sadoitat stage ani Igorzanche kor,
Derrepent melo babddo saiba sorg taka favokor.

Ch.

Burgo Felix Put tacho ekloch apurbaecho,
Pai moron adhar na zaun hanga thuim zaito boumlo,
Akrekh Augadchea Comenadiche Choriek sampoddlo,
Decembrache tin tarker ratcho taka dhorlo,
Justis kornastana hath paem bandun Aguad haddlo,
Kotta team zonglli khapreani taka vatter jivoch marlo,
Xekim moddem passun dhi nastana kotta Sinquerech purlo .

Zori tor hi ghoddni anink khuincheai ganvan ghoddti,
Ghanv ekttaim zaun suru zateleo asleo morti
Pun Candoikaranchea rogtak bhavani aiz aili sukti, etc.

The beauty of this song lies not only in the wordings but more than that in the ryminc. In the history of Tiatro and tiatrists it is said only two tiatrists were excellent in composing songs with perfect ryminc and they were from the same village Candolim - Alexinho de Candolim and Young Menezes.

In order to sing this song, Alexinho de Candolim had to flee from Goa to Bombay where he sang this song of course to the anger of Portuguese administrators of Goa. Portuguese chamchas of Candolim even tried to put a blockade to his returning back to Goa. About his Professor Agostinho Desouza, during those days he stood first amongst all the Parochail Mestiris in Goa in their examination of writing and reading solfas. According to my father Mestiri Agostinho Desouza was writing Solfas like writing Shorthand. I have seen Anthony Desouza from Siolim, the former music director of Emissora de Goa also writing Solfas similarly. They were genii in their own ways.

Alexinho de Candolim in fact gave push to many tiatrists even in his own village Candolim. He was the first director to introduce Hindu artistes on the Konkani stage. Some of his songs were recorded at Emisora de Goa and they are worth listening. Such songs are not composed by anyone now and nobody will ever do in future too. He was not only a very good composer but a very good singer as well with very sweet and melodious voice. He was my father’s colleague in Parochial school where he was a very good choir singer. As a small Choir boy in my village I once sang along with him Motets in our Church during the Lent season and also a Latin song “Laudate – Laudate – Laudate Maria”, he was lending his beautiful higher second voice while me as “primeiro”. It was not very easy to sing along with him. He was a perfect singer. When he first time came to Bombay to sing on the stage, the then The Goa Times Editor commented thus “Konkani palkar ek novo kunvor udela”.

His songs from All India Radio Panjim should be collected and converted into a special CD for posterity because they are golden songs, as done for Minguel Rod’s songs by his son Julie. There are so many Konkani activists and organizations in Goa. They should come forward to do the needful before the remix “Chor” would destroy the original beauty of his golden songs. The popular “chor” “remixvale” are now prowling on beautiful old songs of yesteryears great tiatrists and by altering the originality destroy the greatness of the original songs. This has to be stopped otherwise the remix “chor” will destroy everything best in those beautiful songs. The remix “chor” are shameless, they take law into their own hands and do as they want. The immediate family members of Alexinho de Candolim if they can afford must do something to preserve the treasures of Alexinho de Candolim. His songs are priceless.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.