Yesterday, September 24, 2009, at around 6:30 p.m. another star from the Konkani celestial world, Hermegildo Camilo, popularly known to tiatr lovers as 'H. Britton', faded into the oblivion.
Originally, H. Britton hailed from Agasaim but he settled in Britona in the mid Sixties. Maybe that's why he took his stage name as 'Britton' for people to know that he came from the new place and not from his original place. In the past and even now it has been a fashion for tiatrists to add the name of the place they hail from to their names. For e.g., M. Dod de Verna, Bab Peter de Anjuna, Marcelino de Betim, Lawrence de Tiracol, Francis de Tuem, etc. Until around the middle of the last century, no females were allowed to act in Konkani tiatros, as it was considered below women's dignity. Female roles were played by males like the late Vincent de Saligão, the late Aristides, Remie Colaco, etc. However, we had one seasoned Konkani stage artist for around four decades who earned a name for himself by singing songs dressed as a female - he was none other than the talented H. Britton. H. Britton was one of the Konkani stage humorists who has entertained Goans with a variety of songs for over four decades and won accolades for his singing and acting, especially in imitating women's fashion on the stage. Many, who saw him on the stage for the first time, couldn't believe he was a male because he dressed and behaved exactly like a woman. He mostly sang solos dressed as a female. He wore a maxi or draped a sari below his navel and over that he wore a short blouse with deep neck. He held a ladies handbag in his hand or placed it on his shoulder. He used colorful umbrellas matching his dresses/saris. He wore ladies high heel shoes and gave a cat walk on the stage. He wore a pair of Ray Ban glasses and emulated a Gulfee's wife of the 1960s and 1970s. He used just enough lipstick and rouge to give him that female appearance. He had a big collection of wigs. Obviously, he needed them in order to enact the several female roles he played! He was the darling of the audience! A Goa State awardee around 21 years ago, H. Britton carved a niche for himself not only in Goa but also in Mangalore and other parts of India, as well as in the Gulf, especially in Kuwait, where he was employed for a brief period. He was a crowd puller from the 1970s through the 1990s! He was one of the few actors after the late M. Boyer to be encored for almost every song - the public just loved his singing style and dress attire; they had fallen in love with him! His famous songs "Bandra Festak," "Pandu Lampianv", "Kanknnankar" "You are my Sonia" - a duet with Lorna, etc. will live forever in our minds. Here are the lyrics of a comedy song "Amchea Bapa" (Our Father) taken from H. Britton's cassette titled 'GOEM KONNACHEM" - Vol.12. AMCHEA BAPA by H. Britton I Sonvsarant hea ghoddtta poi tem nhoi baba sonspachem Zanntteank toxem nenntteank poddlam fashion korpachem Igorjen zalam competition, fency dress-achem Tea fency dressak lagon mis pidd'ddear bhavarteanchem. CHORUS Bhogos Saiba! Amchea Bapa, sorgar asai, tujem nanv vhodd zanv Disandis unnem zait veta amchem devosanv Fashion-ing lagon gharan bhurgim kortat kestanv Dekun ragan ghalun bhonvtam dhuvechem kalsanv II Adlea tempailo ugddas asa mhoje motin Zannttim zanv nennttim gomttean ghalit Saibinnimchem Bentin Bailanchea mathear saddiecho pallov, rezarachem kont hatin Atam bhangar hatin, saddiecho pallov mathear doronam gho Ritin CHORUS Bhogos Saiba! Igorjen fashion korun aileam distat dansak Thoddim igorjen bhitor sortat ordea misak Taimar sarkim pavtat offisak Devak fottovnk zata, fottovnk zainam boss-ak III Sarkem mon divn konn mis aikota zait hea tempar Mis choltannam toklen bhitor bhailim chintnam sabar Thoddim ghoddialak pollovn mhunnttat 'mis kednam zatelem kabar' Thodde mhunnttat edo vhoddlo sermanv kiteak sangta ho Padr Vigar CHORUS Bhogos Saiba! Bhavarti munis igorjen rozar korta High heel ghalun cheddvam-bailo bhitor sorta Mocheancho avaz kanar poddtta Automatik bhavarteanchi gomtti gunvta H. Britton is survived by his son Diogo, daughter Augusta and grandchildren. The funeral will take place in Britona on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 11:00 am. I earnestly request readers of this message to say ek ABNM (Amchea Bapa Noman Mori) for H. Britton's soul. May his soul rest in peace! Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna, Goa Mob: 9420979201
