TIATRIST FATIMA D'SOUZA.

 

FATIMA D’SOUZA.

 

Suddenly the other day, my curiosity aroused  to know the where about of our yesteryears, the senior Tiatrists and what they are doing in their retired life.  Some of them are seen occasionally not on the Stage but elsewhere while others are totally eclipsed and still others are spending their time in recollecting their earlier glorious days.  In order to go deeper into their current life, I met some of our senior Tiatrists recently who are very much responsible to promote and to protect our great art of Tiatro which  was initiated by Lucazinho Ribeiro from Asagao, Bardez, Goa over a century back exactlexactly in 1892 not in Goa but incidentally in Bombay which was the citadel of Tiatro for many years.

 

In this connection, I met first one of the then beauteous and youthful spot of Konkani Stage and a Goa State Awardee Bai Fatima D’Souza born and brought up in Bombay at LISBOA HOUSE.  She needs no more introduction as she is very  well known Konkani Stage Artiste since last so many years  who ascended on to the Konkani Stage when  she was very young School going child.  It so happened being the younger sister of the renowned Konkani Stage artiste Bai Antonette Mendes, Fatima by accompanying her elder sister went for the Tiatro staged by the great J.P. Souzalin where due to some emergency, the need of one Child artiste was felt.  Since Bai  Fatima  was readily available and Fatima having some knowledge of Tiatro since sometimes rehearsals of the Tiatros were also held at her place, she immediately volunteered to play her role  and meantime Shalini also encouraged her and in fact she played her role excellently not only to the satisfaction of J.P. Souzalin but also to  the astonishment of everyone especially those  who were aware that it was her maiden appearance on the Konkani Stage.

 

_{Then step by step she was introduced to other well known Directors in their Tiatros not only to play the roles of young girl but also to sing solos. By nature she is gifted with a beautiful and very attractive voice and when she sings her songs with  her beautiful Voice, her songs get extra melodious and more attractive. Her specialty lies in her being an all round artiste performing any role of any type and it is on record that she even performed during her earlier stages the role of comedian too along with the then topmost comedians Mendes Bros., Jacinto Vaz, M.Boyer, Joe Rose, Wilson Mazarello, Robin Vaz and later on Prince Jacob & Humbert. One more role of her with Comedian Domnick, Luis Bachan and Johana in the Drama “Pedro Portguez”  was admired by the audience. She also participated in the Tiatro “Jesu Christ” by Fr. Planton Faria where she  played the role of Mother Mary. It was during her participation in Tiaros that she came in contact with her husband Anil Kumar who was an excellent actor, script writer and director.}

 

When questioned her about her impression as a professional artiste, she said she is very happy  in this profession because of which she got so many laurels and facilities and above all the recognition in  society. She earned she said much respect and adoration in the community in particular and society in general  because of her entry into Tiatro field. Further she said she was very grateful to Prem Kumar for moulding her to  what she is renowned now   describing  him as the best director, a perfectionist in every aspect of the Tiatro.  Besides she is grateful to Rosario Rodrigues for  writing best of scripts and Cantos for her in his Non-Stop Shows thus getting her a big booster   in his plays. She is still getting offers from different directors to perform in their Tiatros and even Films including that in Malyalam Films. She acted in countless Tiatros of different directors including all the top directors and acted with all the heavyweight artistes, males and females.  She is called an English Madam of Konkani Stage in Tiatro circle because of her excellent role she played as English Madam in the Tiatro written and directed by John Claro under the same name i.e. English Madame. Her latest film Bhumiputra is creating lot of impact these days.  Her one more film “Ordhem Chador” already got her best Artiste Award. She also has high regards for Prince Jacob for the nice scripts for his Dramas and for being very systematic. Above all, she said she admires him for his patience and kind heartedness towards others especially the needy.

 

Though the Shares of the artistes were  not very high then yet what they were getting during those days gave them satisfaction. However, what Shares the seniors getting were low but we must know that during those days the purchasing power of the Rupee was high and not like now. As a child artiste she was even given Chocolates as her Share in her performances conducted in Goan Clubs (Kudd) where she was often invited to sing in the Shows organised there.

 

Tiatristpon is in her blood since her father was also a well-known Tiatrist then, Mr. A.K. D’Souza who had unique distinction in staging the first ever Tiatro “Aum To Tarvotti” at Southamton Union Hall in England with all but Miss Mohana participants were the crew members from the Ships along with Mr. A.K. D’souza. About her mother whose name  Inocencia Alves, she was a very good singer having a melodious voice.

 

About her visits to Goa along with the Bombay troupe was one of the enjoyable features of her life.  Said she “What an excellent time haven’t we spent?  The residential places were we stayed in Salcette were just thrillers in every way, the Goan food prepared by the Goans was fantastic, the people around us were fantastic and the treatment we were given was the most great.  I don’t think I will get such a treatment again anywhere”.

About her message to the Tiatros – Tiatro artistes and – the audience, she said nothing to worry, Tiatros are stable and they will survive.  It is already a part  of the Goan life and Goan audience is doing very well in patronizing this art very fabulously and further requesting them to move ahead in furthering its patronage and the show must go on. While concluding she said – Viva Tiatro – Viva Tiatrists and Viva everyone involved in the staging and promoting of our Tiatros.

 

A.Veronica Fernandes.

 

MONUMENTS OF SPORTSMEN.

 

This is in reference to the news in the local Press 2 days back showing Minister Michael Lobo indicating his pompousness of inaugurating in his Calangute Constituency  the Statue of the current World renown Portuguese foot-baller Christiano Ronaldo.

   

No doubt, it was a nice gesture to erect this Statue of the World renowned foot-baller Ronaldo so that our young footballers get some inspiration from Ronaldo and emulate his feat thereby creating innumerable Ronaldos in Goa. This will never happen in India in general and in Goa in particular where the tin pot politicians involving in the local politics also shamelessly involve in organizing soccer activities. In Goa  politics is the bread and butter of politicians and thru which they accumulate illicit wealth and innumerable Concubines and still moving in society shamelessly as if they are saintly pople,  

 

However, I feel it would be much better  instead of Ronaldo’s Monument, Eusebio’s Monument was erected since Eusebio was far better foot-baller than Ronaldo.  This I can say with concrete evidence that following the final blow by the match umpire of the qualifying encounter between Portugal and Brazil in the 1966 World Cup where Brazil following their defeat from Eusebio’s Portugal, while Pele exchanging his Jersey with Eusebio remarked saying “now you are the Pele” – the best ever footballer of this planet.

 

Instead of a foreigner’s Monument why not the Monument of our own local Calangutcar Goan, highly talented Bruno Coutinho’s statue was erected for our future generations to know that such a class of footballer was there in Calangute, Goa, to emulate him.  Or still better it would be if the statue of another the then renown foot-baller from Calangute - Naikavaddo, Eustacio by name, playing for the then mighty Salgaocars. Even after so many years of his retirement and death not only Calangute but even India failed to produce such magnificent Corner Kicks exponent that will go straight into the opponents goal thereby fooling some of the best keepers even during the colonial rule. Or even any other great Goan footballer of yesteryears.  Would not fit this honour to the greatest footballer of Goa from Assagao Bardez Goa, Neville   D’Souza?

 

The other news is that of Michael Lobo’s anger on the leadership of BJP for ignoring him.  This is the prize he is getting from the BJP for helping BJP to form the government, as informed,  following the last election, in a rude manner by depriving the right party to form the government.   He is after his wife to brighten her chances to contest the election in Siolim but I don’t know on what basis he is pushing his wife in Siolim from Parra  and what her plus points that merit her candidature in Siolim. Instead, it would be better if he withdraws in her favour in Calangute.  Otherwise, while both husband and wife keep themselves busy in their campaign they may both  be the losers as people are expecting.

 

  A.Veronica Fernandes.

 

 

POLITICAL MEET OF ROSHAN MATHIAS IN CALANGUTE.

 

On Wednesday, 22^nd of this month Goencho Awaz organized their meeting with the participation of some of the members of the  core segment of GA at Calangute at the residencial  compound of the much popular activist and known all around the Goan world for his UTube programme where he conducts the Nuremberg Type of Trials of the people mainly the politicians and this meet was organised under the leadership of their Calangute Constituency candidate Roshan Mathias the much talked about activist from Calangute Constituency hailing from  Dando Candolim and much matured political thinker who always think of the good of next generation as against the overwhelming majority of our politicians who are a curse on Goa.       

It was a good number of attendees for this meet, males and females from different villages of Calangute Constituency who all took active part in the healthy discussions. They all took a decision to activate their campaign in every segment of this Constituency so that every voter knows his candidate well by  knowing his capacity based on his earlier efforts in doing so much for the cause of locality and Goa.

 

Speaking on the subject, Roshan while welcoming the gathering, expressed his happiness over the big support he is getting from all sections of Calangute populace comprising different parties.  This is the rare type of support Roshan is getting and of course deservingly.  I am sure people from Calangute Constituency knows the excellent work Roshan has done in different fields beneficial not only for the locals and people from Calangute Costituency but also from Goa.  Such excellent work on some of the subjects I don’t think anyone  has performed and I am sure they must have not even dreamt of the same. Later on I will write on these.

 

According to me, this is the best opportunity for the Calangute Constituency constituents to get them such a clever candidate whom the voters from Calangute Constituency should not miss.         

 

 

A.Veronica Fernandes.