########################################################################## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
There are a few incomplete sentences in the email I sent earlier. I would also like to add few new comments, particularly since one Romaldo Dias has also questioned my credentials to write reviews. Murli Deora was municipal councillor and later MP for South Bombay. I think at the time of forming the critics' panel, he was president of the Bombay Pradesh Congress Committee. It was a Goan, Nolasco Dias, who was president of the Girgaum Congress Block, who approached Orlando a trophy donated by Murli Deora. Nolasco and Orlando, I think, lived in the same lane, the former Dukurwadi. Nolasco, I think he is from Cuncolim, was well-known among Goan tarvottis. Nolasco wanted to be close to Deora and this was one chance to suck up to the Congress boss. I never asked to be shown the trophy because I was never a part of the panel. And I was in shock when the Man of the Year award was announced at the open-air Rang Bhavan Auditorium (I think it was at that venue, if memory serves me right) saying that I was a member of the panel who voted for Boyer. I am not sure if the Man of the Year award was given to Christopher Leitao, the late tiatrist, or it was some other award. To tell a secret, Christopher, was a favourite of Orlando and when Chris and Meena, his tiatrist wife, delived a child, Orlando become the child's godfather. As I said in my earlier post, friendships and alliances form part of Konkani theatre. Deora was a wheeler-dealer, very pro-American. When I covered the Municipal Council occasionally, he complained to the owner of Free Press Journal about me. His complaint was that I wasn't giving him enough coverage. The FPJ owner, a Marwari like Deora, questioned the editor and the editor, in turn, asked the chief reporter. I told the chief reporter that Deora was hardly present in the chamber during question period and when he was there he hardly spoke much. The chief reporter defended me. One of biggest suprises in Indian politics was that Deora was never made a minister though he represented one of the "richest" constituencies in India. Congress High Command knew about his "deals" and they didn't want a minister who would be the target of the media. He was bad for the Congress image. South Bombay is a prestigious seat that was once represented by S.K. Patil, known as Kingmaker in Bombay, who was dethroned by George Fernandes. I think George lost to Deora. Deora, in the election previous to the recently-concluded one, lost to Jayantiben Shah (I hope I got her name correctly) of the BJP. However, Deora's son, Milind, avenged his father's defeat in the recent elections by beating out Jayantiben. On the Cine Times issue, I was later told that the CT guys hated Ophelia for some differences they had with her. These guys, especially Elliot de Elly, who was with All-India Radio's Konkani section, and who edited the paper though the "official" editor was his brother, Enclidas, had their own axes to grind. They bullied and they threatened triatrists. Triatrists were scared of getting bad publicity as CT was read widely by Goans, especially those who lived in kudds. Their third brother was James de Elly, who was a tiatrist/singer, though not very successful. The paper once denounced Souza Ferrao as being too old and called upon him to retire. They said the veteran actor was "shaking" while acting. Ferrao was once their neighbour in the same building in Dhobitalao. He told me lot of things about the family. I once asked someone close to them as to how they got the surname de Elly. A story hangs over the surname. Elliot was the person who ruined the family life of Cyriaco and Jessie Dias, both triatists. I had warned Cyriaco in Bombay to beware. When Cyriaco came to Toronto from the Middle East to attend the First International Goan Convention in 1988, he said to me, "Eugene, I should have taken your hint." Cyriaco's marriage ended, though not sure if he and Jessie were legally divorced. He asked me if I knew that Elliot had died. I said I read about it. He told me that Elliot had a stroke and was suffering before he died. Cyriaco felt God had punished Elliot for his deeds. Regarding Prem Kumar, I reviewed his play (forget the name) with the heading, Failure Amidst Success, which was given by the copy desk. The review appeared in the Free Press Bulletin, an evening paper, a sister-publication of the daily, Free Press Journal. He met me that day and I told him the review has appeared. He went and bought at least a dozen copies of the paper. Not knowing much of English, he showed the paper to someone who told him the review was favourable to him. He took a copy to Dr. Simon Fernandes, editor of Goa Times, who told him that I have called him a "failure." In the review, I had praised Tony Sax. Prem's belief was that he wrote the play and directed it and no matter who acted well, the credit should go to him. Ridiculous, indeed. But that's Prem for you. I had said that though Prem hogged the best dialogue lines, he came second best to Sax. Probably he didn't take kindly to this comment. He stopped talking to me. Some months later I bumped into him in Margao. We met face to face. He offered to take me to lunch, but I said on one condition that I pay for the lunch. He agreed. We went to Shalimar (don't know if it still exists) and over lunch we reconciled. I was well aware of what Prem would tell fellow-tiatrists later on and that's the reason I insisted I pay for the lunch. I knew the world of Konkani theatre very well. I knew or still remembers many of the intimate details about the lives of some of the top-notch tiatrists, though I never sought them. Jealousy among tiatrists made many of them leak out details on each other. One day, Prem came to my office. I was at my desk. Prem suddenly opened my desk drawer and pushed something wrapped into the drawer. I reopened the drawer and the wrap and saw it was a whisky bottle. I was mad like hell. I told Prem if he wants me to lose my job. I told him to take it away. I also warned him never to see me in office but I would be willing to meet at our favourite haunt, Kyanis Restaurant, in Dhobilao. He told me that the typesetters and those in charge of classified ads had no problem in taking whisy bottles. These guys would often accommodate Prem's ads at the last minute and, hence, Prem would "bribe" them with whisky bottles. After my review, he told me that these lino-typesetters and compositors liked his play and how come I wasn't very pleased with it. Just imagine, comparing the views of a critic with those of these workers. The workers didn't care as long as they got their whisky bottles and free tickets. I have sent this second email to show Romaldo Dias (whose email to goanvoice.uk has been forwarded to me by John D'Souza) my involvment in Konkani tiatr. I pity Romaldo for not checking about my background before writing. He says, "It's a pity you had to rely on some prompting too, from you accomplices because we are pretty sure you know nothing about tiatrs and how it is all done. The very bias report you gave obviously gave away the ful pre-meditated story. How old are you by the way? In you life how many tiartrs have you witnessed ? What's the difference between amateurs and professionals ? What's the difference between cultural promoters and money makers? Your ignorance told a tale on you because as you said, it takes one to recognise another weakest link. Try again and better luck next time." He accuses me of "bias" but gives away his "bias" by signing off as "An ardent school pal of Tony Alfonso." He says I wrote the review from "some promting of your accomplices....." He also wants to know my age and how many tiatrs I have seen. My previous email, Chukh - late reply, should give you a clue to both my age and the number of tiatrs I have seen. And may I ask Romaldo his age and how many tiatrs he has seen? And by the way, who are the "accomplices" Romaldo talks about? For his information, I have spent countless hours behind the stage during tiatr rehearsals and also during actual performance. I have also watched noted director Alyeque Padamsee during rehearsals. But English theatre is a different genre and I wouldn't want to mix the two here in this discussion. Before my review came on goanet, my friend Silviano Barbosa provide a brief review that said good things about the play. How come the "supporting cast" of the Alfonso brothers never said a word? They probably were tonque-tied with the praise lavished on them. How come they never questioned Barbosa's "qualifications"? This reminds me, what qualifications does Mike Alfonso has in penning the play/songs and directing the play and in acting? Also what qualifications the others have in acting/singing? Having given my background, does Romaldo still think I know nothing about tiatrs? Would Joyce and Romaldo care to reply to issues and counter-questions I have raised? Eugene Correia __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger. http://messenger.yahoo.com/