Manuel de Santa Cruz Manuel Francisco Xavier Fernandes hails from Kalapura (Santa Cruz, Tiswadi). Born on Christmas Day in 1945, he is the son of late Diogo Alfredo do Rosario Fernandes and late Maria Zoraida Elvira Germack de Souza. Manuel studied Portuguese (Primeiro and Segundo Grau) in the village school and later at Liceu Nacional Afonso de Albuquerque at Panjim (now Panaji) where he studied upto Terceiro Anno (Third Year). Consequent upon liberation of Goa in December 1961, "Liceu National Afonso de Albuquerque" was affiliated to Delhi Board of Higher Secondary Examination where he completed his Std. XI, Manuel proudly reminenses.
>From an early age, he had the interest to act and sing on stage. It was in 1959 that he was given an opportunity by late Florence Fernandes in his tiatr Atam Sampodlo as a child artiste. Since then, his passion for the Konkani stage increased in leaps and bounds. Every ward (vaddo) in Santa Cruz village organized one tiatr practically all year round. Santo Agostinho Ward was not having any tiatr and Manuel approached other wards to cast him in their tiatr. They were not interested to absorb him citing the reason that he does not belong to their ward and this led Manuel to try and present a tiatr all by himself and he took up this challenge. On 1st January 1967, with the assistance of fellow artist Hilario do Rego, he jointly wrote and directed his first tiatr Axec Lagon in his Santo Agostinho Vaddo (Maddir). He showed his acting and singing caliber in his tiatr Axec Lagon and the audience heaped praises on him. Having been successful in his first venture he penned and directed another tiatr Pissudlelem Kalliz on 28th May 1967 followed by Maim-Sunn on 10th December 1967, three tiatrs in a row in the same year which was a hat trick. He recollects the tremors that followed on the night of December 10th, which shook the whole of Goa and the Koyna region. Manuel was well noticed at this junction and the writers and directors who once refused to cast him in their plays offered pivotal roles in many tiatrs held in Santa Cruz and its vicinity. He is well remembered for his tiatr Bhau-Bhau ani Zau-Zau which the audience rated as his one of the best. His interest in social work at the village level as well as his keenness to support social causes and justice to his fellow villagers at every level took to him to the charms of politics. He canvassed extensively for the separate identity of Goa and toured all North Goa during the Opinion Poll and addressed public meetings along with United Goans stalwarts such as Dr. Jack de Sequeira, Erasmo Sequeira, Ananta Narcinva Naik, Orlando Sequeira Lobo, Jagdish Rao, to mention few which brought him to lime light and he gained name and fame as an orator at the tender age of 22 years. In year 1968 Manuel took up a job as a Lighthouse Keeper in the Captain of Ports and soon thereafter worked in the Secretariat as a "LD Clerk" in various Departments. Politics was the second passion for him and he made up his mind to contest the Goa Assembly elections in the year 1972 as an Independent candidate from Santa Cruz Assembly Constituency and for this he sacrificed his job at the Secretariat. He received good number of votes (4,483), but for a simple young man that he was, Manuel could not defeat the very influential Dr. Jack de Sequeira. Until this stage (1972), no independent candidate garnered this many votes in any constituency in Goa. Later it was another political leader, the late Dayanand Bandodkar (Bahusaheb) who absorbed Manuel in his Orient (Goa) Pvt. Ltd. Company where he worked as a Senior Assistant. After exactly three and half years, opportunity knocked on his door and he was selected for the post of an Executive in D. B. Bandodkar & Sons Company where he devoted his services until February 1982. He continued to act and sing in several tiatrs as the acting talents were in born in his blood. A new genre of tiatr in the form of Khell-tiatr were presented and it was in the late 1970s that such presentations were receiving attention. Alexander Noronha selected Manuel for a powerful role, which revolved around the story theme in Ekvottan Somplo khell-tiatr. Manuel has also acted in several tiatrs written and directed by Peter Barbosa, Frank de Santa Cruz, Candido Araujo etc. It was now for Manuel to show his talents to the judges and the audience at the annual Kala Academy Tiatr competitions. It was for Caetano Pereiras Tukaim Tench and Ugdass Tiatrs and Peter Barbosas "Asro" tiatr in which Manuel was adjudged the "Best Actor". His name figures prominently in the Kala Academy's Competitions Record Book. In 1981, Manuel acted as Batkar (Landlord) in Ping-Pong Rod (Lawrence Rods) tiatr at Aldona-Carona. It would interesting to mention that without a single practice he played the role to perfection. He just read the script once and everything was done immaculately in detail. In continuation of his interest in politics, he was elected to represent Santo Agostinho-Ubo Dando Ward 5 of Santa Cruz Village Panchayat. It was in March 1982, he looked for better pastures and landed in Kuwait. He was elected, as Member of the newly formed Goan Welfare Society (GWS)-Kuwait in 1989 and has been a committee member for several years until recently. He worked for a major Trading Company as a Commercial Assistant and while he was on vacation the invasion of Kuwait took place. At this point, he provided his full support towards the movement in support of Kuwait condemning the invasion. He rendered valuable support and assisted in whatever way he could. Upon his return to Kuwait in 1992, he continued his passion for the Konkani stage and it was for Kuwait Konkni Kendr (KKKs) Songit Sanz (Musical Evening) where he was bestowed the pen-name "Manuel de Santa Cruz". He acted for Kala Mogui Kuwait's one act Konkani play "Mafi Magtam" (December 2002) written and directed by Dominic Araujo in which he did a memorable role as "Mama" (Paternal Uncle). Yet another performance worth mentioning was for United Club of Utorda's 2nd One Act Play Competition, also directed by Dominic Araujo and written by Maria Esteves titled "Ho Niah Koslo?". Since then on and off he has acted in Konkani tiatrs and musical shows. Manuel was also elected as a Managing Committee Member of Kuwait-Goa Tiatristanchi Sonvstha (KGTS) and has sung in the first KGTS Musical Show "Tiatr Ani Tiatrist". While on vacation in Goa in December 1999, with the assistance of Joaquim Jose Fernandes and fellow villagers of Santo Agostinho Vaddo, he scripted and directed his tiatr Vegglozar which was part of the program presented by Santo Agostinho Vaddo during the Christmas Season. I have assisted several amateur as well as professional tiatrists to edit and script their tiatrs, he recalls. Manuel has two daughters and a son. I have a lovely grand-daughter and a son-in-law, he smiles. He is well supported by his wife, Espy, throughout his long career. Manuel has been well appreciated by the Konkani tiatr lovers in Kuwait for his meticulous acting - the most recent one being Rosary Ferns' "Bhurgim - Mai-Paichem Sukh" (August 2005). A special mention is made here that he supports the organizers and even donates towards their efforts - his valuable time as well as monetarily. He was also featured in Marcus Vaz' tiatr "Almachea Disa" (Sept. 2004). "A tiatr is not only drama, or only music or only comedy; it is a fine mixture of all the above ingredients - drama, music, comedy and improvisation. Appropriate blended music provided by a brass band is a noteworthy element of this popular art form. I am happy to see more of the brass band and blowing instruments for a tiatr or a Konkani Musical. Tiatr has today evolved as a powerful medium for mass communication", Manuel remarks. "We should continue to demand more support from the Goa Government as well as from the Central Government. Why shouldn't the State Language of Goa and the Konkani Romi Script be supported at par with the Devnagri script?" He is hailed by none other than the Konkani writer and collector of Konkani books and archives, Brazinho Soares (Kalapurkar) as "A versatile actor and a good tiatr writer and director" in his article published in Goa's only Konkani monthly publication "GULAB" under the caption "Manuel Fernandes - Boro tiatr-borovpi, Voznadik bhumika korpi". "I will continue with my passion for acting and will also, God willing, produce and direct tiatrs, when I return back to Goa", Manuel says it with pride. "Some professional tiatrists have recently offered to have him in their troupes", he laughs mischeviously. Here's wishing you all the best! - Gaspar Almeida, Associate, http://www.goa-world.com Moderator/Editor, Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter since 1994 www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans/
