MINGUEL ROD�s Death Anniversary. I
4th October this year was the 48th death anniversary of the greatest tistrist that Konkani Stage has ever produced, the late Minguel Rod. I bow down my head with deep respect to this Konkani stage genius and pen down this article on this giant. Though the power of my pen to make a write up on this man is small compared to the greatness of this legendary figure yet I try to make some sketches of his life. May his soul rest in peace. To mark this day, Basilio Magno (Spain) wrote a wonderful article on this man, which appeared on Goanet dated 2nd of this month. In response to this article on 3rd of this month Dom Martin another intellectual giant also expressed his opinion with beautiful words on Minguel Rod. Though belatedly yet rightly I feel I too must add something on this great Konkani Tiatro personality. The death of Minguel Rod at the tender age of just 32 was a great loss not only to Konkani Stage and Goa but more than that for Konkani language as a whole. It was he who during those days attracted in greater number the Goan aristocracy, Bhatkarshai and Bamonnshahi to Konkani Stage who many times used to attend his tiatros even by disguising themselves not to disclose their real identities. This they used to do in order to witness in person what Minguel Rod depicts of them on the stage. During those days attending Konkani Tiatro was the work of semi literate or illiterate persons and precisely because of this the so-called elite Goans used to refrain from watching the tiatros. No doubt he was not schooled at Arpora or any other reputed school of the then Goa yet he underwent basic schooling in Roman Script Konkani at his local Parochial School which during those days used to enrich the students with good moral education and music � reading-writing-playing. To become genius one need not go to Oxford or Harward or Sorbone. William Shakesphere never attended any University and yet he became what we read him now. Minguel Rod was born genius and his genius came to surface only when he landed in Candolim to do his apprentice in Tailoring newr the Candolim Church which finally he left unfinished and embarked on Tiatro. The reason for this was that in Candolim during those days he came in close contact with great tiatrists of that era namely Alexinho de Candolim, Young Menezes, Vitorino, Maestro Isidore and many Konkani intellectuals of that time. In their company he learnt many things, which soon developed into him the great Minguel Rod the Tiatrist.
When he entered the Konkani Stage he was burning with fire to bring about total revolution in Goan Society. Some of his tiatros such as Gorib Sezari, Gorchem Kestaum, Bapul Bhau are just a few to name where one could easily notice revolutionary ideas running in his blood. His tiatros dealt not only in hammering the Bhattkashai and Bamonshahi only but also hammering the dadageri and arrogance of family life in the lower strata of Goan society. That was the need of the hour and still it is, for this reason his tiatros will never attain the old age.
Currently many of the present day tiatrists are borrowing their stories from Hindi Films but Minguel Rod was giving originality in his tiatros and songs. Though in his tiatros one could see originality yet in many of his songs and solos one could by observing minutely come to know that the tunes were borrowed mainly from English songs. As I was told, one day while he was passing by my neighbour�s house, Radio Cylon was playing in its morning programme one song. Hearing this song from a distance of few metres, Minguel Rod suddenly stopped and picked up the tune so perfectly that based on this music he composed a beautiful but sorrowful song in his great Tiatro Bapul Bhau. It was said that while Kid Boxer singing this song � canto � the Village Regidor seated on the first row was sobbing like a child, of course the theme of this canto had great significance. The father (Kid Boxer) of the dead child carrying the new born babe to the cemetery to bury her without anybody attending the funeral, this was due to extremely bad poverty. The words of this canto run something like this:
�Puta Pai tuzo dis kaddta khavun Bakri, Tukam purunk zai also laun bend ani sontri, Pun atam purcho poddlo nastana kon lok ani padri�.
It was not very correct to say that he was not singing Zupatti. The zupattis of Minguel Rod were of totally different category. By the way the core of those days tiatros was nothing but Zupattis and without zupattis the audience would not enjoy tiatro fully. Hence zupatti became the part and parcel of the then tiatros, either mild or harsh. One great zupatti Minguel Rod rendered was if I am not mistaken, at Navelim. Two groups of tiatrists were performing their tiatros for the local feast there. One of Alvares and his troupe and the other by Minguel Rod and his troupe. Because of high profile propaganda of Alvares tiatro people were thinking to watch his tiatro but suddenly news spread all around that the legendary trio of Kid-Young-Rod will render an excellent zupatti trio and within a split of moment things turned down upside down and people flocked for Minguel Rod�s tiatro. It was a direct hit to C. Alvares and his group. Few words of this zupatti run like this:
�Nesson Dusreachem Kapodd,
Hath paem kamrun bosleat makodd�
Kosiens mellem, ginenar kayem,
Bhau amche buddtale tankam hath dium voir kaddlet ayem.
About criticizing females, Minguel Rod was last yet he many times in his songs mocked and joked at them. One song that justifies this statement is his song �Peixe Mulher�. One thing one must admit that he was a staunch supporter of emancipation of females and always fought for their rights, he showed total sympathy for them. His campaign against dowry is a genuine example of his support for the suffering females.
A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait.
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