TRIBUTE TO MUSIC LEGEND EMILIANO DA CRUZ
By Dr. Francisco Colaço Emiliano da Cruz, the legendary musician who hailed from Loutolim, Goa, passed away peacefully on May 15 after a prolonged illness. He was a long-standing diabetic who tried everything from home remedies to the best allopathic medicines to tame the disease. Many years ago he underwent stenting of two coronary arteries (was the procedure really required?), and four years ago he began to suffer from overt kidney failure. He was now dialysis-dependent which he underwent thrice a week. Sadly, during one of the dialyses possibly at a public hospital, his blood became infected with the hepatitis C virus which led to liver cirrhosis and ascites (the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, causing abdominal swelling).In the end, he succumbed to ammonia intoxication and sequential organ failure. During his long years of suffering, as he bore his brunt with difficulty, many a time he broke down while tears rolled from his eyes. But his zest for life and optimism never left him till the very end. Even a few days before he died, with a twinge of happiness, he narrated to me how a priest had prayed over him and assured him that he would be cured. But it was God that at the end of much torment took him to the place “where tears are wiped, where there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain”... Even when illness after illness had taken a heavy toll on him he kept playing with the same gusto his beloved violin and mandolin. His mastery of the instruments was proverbial. In an effortless manner, like a maestro, he filled the air with the aroma of heavenly melodies as his fingers danced and swayed all over the fingerboard mesmerizing listeners and sending the audience into raptures. He produced many CDs. LATIN ROMANCE But the last one entitled “Latin Romance”, which was released on February 9, 2014, was his best parting gift. On the inside cover he insisted that he would put my photo as I scribbled these lines straight from the heart, “A soul stirring and satisfying ode is this treasure trove of golden oldies. Emiliano’s ability to produce such refreshing tones with his superb arrangements is what sets him apart”. Emiliano averred that he was doing all this as an eternal tribute to our mutual friendship as well as a gift to the caring doctor I had been to him during the greater part of his illness. Even as a child Emiliano showed a rare penchant for music. Wherever he went he would stop to listen to the sounds and musical reverberations that emanated from around him. Only music performed sweetly could entice Emiliano to a world of his own. And the message to his parents was loud and clear: one day he would take the musical world by storm. Having gifted Emiliano with a brand new violin, at the age of ten, his father said him: “now you can go and play to your heart’s content”. That marked the beginning of a scintillating career. Talking of laurels in his long career Emiliano had seen them all. Teaming with other bands he went on to have his own 20-piece jazz band at the Taj Aguada Hotel with some of the jazz stalwarts performing under his baton. What a band it was! He was also a force to reckon in Hindi film studios having written scores for famed movie producers. SERENADER PAR EXCELLENCE He was the pioneer of “Serenatas” in Goa. A group of three serenaders, led by him, donning Spanish attire and Mexican hats, moved from table to table thrilling everyone’s hearts at galas and grand receptions. He went on from peak to peak but his finest moment came when he serenaded the Commonwealth Heads of State and later the great violin prodigy Yehudi Menhuin during their stay in Goa. What is remarkable is that during CHOGM, hosted by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Goa, he rendered to each dignitary songs of their own countries in their own language. When serenading Mrs. Margaret Thatcher he had been particularly instructed not to play the song “Don’t cry for me Argentina” because of the tension that had prevailed during the Falklands war. So he didn’t but, later he confessed, “it was too painful for him”, because this was among his favourite songs which he rendered with impeccable finesse and aplomb. One could go on and on recounting Emiliano’s magic moments that catapulted him to fame. However, let me highlight only a few qualities that set him apart. He was someone who could make a billion hearts flutter and make them skip a beat. He could pull every string in every heart to make people sing and dance. Although he excelled in Latin and Western semiclassical music he had a knack for playing every brand of music. He had a heart of gold. In his 50-year long illustrious career he groomed many a young talent as he believed in the philosophy of giving back to the society more than he had received. He remained a class by himself, an invaluable part of our Goan heritage. His range of emotions in life was encompassing: he could be gentle and angry, capable of child-like simplicity and mature wisdom. He loved nature, piggery and farming. He had a delightful sense of humour. HIS HEART BLED FOR GOA He was terribly disappointed the way things were going on in Goa and would vent his anger and anguish both in private as well as publicly. His heart bled to watch how Goa’s entire face was changing for the worse. He was an avid reader and always kept himself abreast of the latest news in politics and other fields. His favourite daily was the Herald and his favourite weekly was the Goan Observer. It is with a complete sense of persuasion that I can say that his musical prowess was most astonishing bordering into the genial. Let’s rest assured that his name will be carved in letters of gold in the pantheon of Goa’s great musicians and composers. I can’t end this tribute without extending my heartfelt sympathies to his dear wife Lilon who through thick and thin always stood by him like a rock. It was not easy to accompany Emiliano so closely through his immense suffering. But Lilon did it with patience, zeal, fortitude and dignity at all times. My sympathies also to his three children, in-laws and grand children. It is nice to know that his son Zubin excels in music and has picked up the baton from his Papa.
