For his failure in life as a man his wife was partly responsible, as per the information gathered. She was not a lady who could understand his genius and treat him thus. He failed in his married life. As a husband he was not well understood by his wife, she was too pigmy intellectually compared to his gigantic intellectual capacity. He had a very nice girlfriend in Candolim at Saipem Vaddo while he was doing his tailoring apprenticeship but due to caste and class differences he never got an opportunity to marry her and in the end the poor girl out of frustration turned mad. While they were in love Minguel Rod used to whisper in her ears some romantic words which during her madness she used to say in the form of a song. Few of these words later on Minguel Rod ingrained in one of the cantos of his wonderful play, if I am not mistaken �Lembddo Santan�. Some of the words run thus:
Pettoi re kaddi tujea mogachi,
Bagoi re axea mojea kallzachi,
Kallzan uzo pettla sang axea korunk konnachi?
Kuwait based tiatrist the late Fermino from Tivim was very close to Minguel Rod while in Bombay. Before leaving for Goa Minguel Rod met Fermino at his Club house (Kudd) and told him that he will never meet him again as he is surely going to die. When Fermino asked him why he speaks thus, Minguel Rod replied: There is nothing left for me on this planet. �Sounsar ho fottkiro. Hea sounsarant maka kainch ghodd mellonk na, fokot koddu. Ho sounsaruch koddu�. Hence his last tiatro was named �Koddu Sounsar�. After his death with the help of Jacinto Vaz and Anthony D�Sa who especially came from Bombay, his tiatro �Open To Close� was staged at Mapusa which I personally watched as a small boy seated on the lap of my mother. Before the start of this tiatro, his wife along with his children were brought to the Stage and shown to the audience. Seeing them thus, the entire audience applauded them with deep reverence to Minguel Rod, it was not just applauding but standing ovation for few moments. It was during this time that I first time saw his son Julie (Jr. Rod) singing a solo on his father which goes thus:
�Aikotoch Pai Raddiar tosso gramaphonar tallo tujo, Tum assai so dista jivo, pun amchea noxiban pai tum na favo�.
�Kitlech pai tuvem tiatro boroilei bookar, Pun tanchim solfam sarkim nant mapar, Toxech kitle tiatro amkam tuje mellonk nant sabar, Haddun dixeat tor vhodd zait upkar�
The last lines indicate that the moment Minguel Rod died, some of his close ones robbed his dramas and songs. Even while he was alive, under the influence of liquour he neglected his drama books, which were taken by anyone and used the way they wanted.
Young Menezes was his close disciple but inspite of being in Goa he did not know that Minguel Rod died till the completion of funeral. Young Menezes was also a heavy drinker and due to this drinks I am sure he never remembered that his colleague died inspite of heavy announcement in the Goa Radio � Emmissora de Goa. In fact according to my information Baldinho Araujo announcer of Emmissora de Goa gave a running commentary of his funeral and yet Young Menezes did not know that Minguel Rod died means surprising. Though it was surprising yet it was true. Within 24 hours of Minguel Rod�s death Young Menezes was acting in one tiatro at Merces or Kalafura, I am not very certain the exact village. News went all around that Young Menezes is going to sing a solo on the death of Minguel Rod. Only to listen to this song people came not only from the locality but also from Bardez and Salcette. According to those who witnessed Young Menezes singing this song that day they said that Young Menezes came on the stage bare footed, folded hands and in complete black suit, totally drunk yet totally sober in delivering his song. When music started playing for this song, by listening to the sound of Clarinet and drums, the audience starting screaming sorrowfully because the song was such sorrowful. Some of the words of this most sorrowful song go like this:
Outumbrache chear tarker, ixttra mojea tum melo, Burgech ponnir sounsar ho soddun gelo, Orixt palkacho khambo, Deva umttun velo, Goyam asson pounk paulona derrepnt tum melo
The songs finally ends thus: Gomlolem zalear chimtti bhor tori galtom aslom mati
Otmeank tachea korat ek amchea bapa noman mori.
Commenting on this song, legendary Alexinho de Candolim said: �I have never heard such an excellent song before and I doubt anyone will compose such a beautiful song in the future�.
Minguel Rod was not only a great tiatrist but also a great human being. The way he kept his purse open for others so too he kept his stage open for all the tiatrists. Today many of the tiatrists sing hosannas in praise of him and yet others treat him as their model. Today if tiatro has come to this high level it was partly because of the enormous contribution of Minguel Rod. Though there are so many avenues created for the promotion of Tiatro now a days but regrettably to keep his memory alive no prize is instituted in his memory nor any Street is named after him. It was Minguel Rod who did the revival of tiatro when just before him tiatristpon went into the hands of some "Rostad" tiatrists. It was exactly during this period Minguel Rod came on the scene and brought total revival in tiatro. For such a man we just cannot forget. A few years back, about 5-6 when his son came to Kuwait to act in one drama, Minguel Rod was posthumously honoured by Kuwait Konknni Kendr in one of the city hotels. But this was not an end . Something more is required. To keep the memory of Minguel Rod alive, we must have excellent tiatro and excellent tiatrists to attract greater number of audience as Minguel Rod used to do. To keep the memory of Minguel Rod alive the tiatrists must attain high ideals and not act like stupid by creating the means for the destruction of tiatrists. As a tiatrist Minguel Rod was not jealous of other tiatrists, on the contrary he was co-operative and helpful to other tiatrists. He would not deny even his adversary his rightful place on the stage by using the terminology �To Aslear Aum Nachona� as it is shamelessly and disgracefully done in Kuwait by tinpot "Rostad" tiatrits and regretably accepted by other tiatrists who are equally "Rostad". He never made an attempt to kill the art of tiatr in any tiatrist as it is done in Kuwait by some "Rostad" tiatrists under the leadership of one double "Rostad" tiatrist who was formerly a drug addict and a rapist. In the end the late Minguel Rod loved tiatro, he loved tiatrists. May Konkani Stage and Goa produce more of such Minguel Rods. But will it ever happen again? I doubt, because such persons come to a land once in centuries. May be our land will never get such a genius again.
Concluded.
A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait.
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