January 3, 2025

I first met Eric Ozario in the then Bombay city in the year 1978 which means our association is 46 years old, out of their 50 years of Wedding anniversary, celebrated recently in Mangalore in much fanfare.

We met at Preston Enterprises Kalina of Henry D’Silva, another Konkani director. Ozario had come with his team to canvas for a drama festival of Late Cha. Fra. De’Costa who incidentally was my literary guru.

But I had known his wife, Joyce Fontes much before as she used to come to our small town Kinnigoli, as part of Wilfy Rebimbus drama troupe to sing in between the scenes. (The ‘Wilfy Nite’ shows were yet to start…!)

During one such drama, ‘Tisri Chit’ (‘the Third Band’ written by Wilfy Rebimbus which later was made into a colour film, the first colour film ever made in Konkani in Mangalore.) I, a school boy then was instructed by the organiser to fetch a few flowers for a singing scene. It was the dry month when no flowers blossomed. I out of curiosity entered a cemetery and found the Crossandra flowers which were in plenty. I did not know then that someday Joyce Fontes will be bestowed with the title ‘Konkani Abolem’. (Konkani Crossandra) In a way I was the one who offered the flowers to the singers, Joyce (Fontes) and Meena Pinto (who later married Wilfy Rebimbus, the legend of Konkani songs and music.) for their song ‘Ami Phoolvalim’ (‘We are the flower girls.’) Immediately after the above incident Joyce married another legend of Konkani music, Eric Ozario. All of them were born and grown in the same vicinity, Jeppu Compound.

Next time, I met Eric in Muscat in a hotel in 1994. Again, he had arrived with his team as part of ‘Konkani Divti Abhiyan’ to raise funds for Vishwa Konkani Adhiveshan. He made it a point to visit every Konkani home in Muscat where a Konkani lamp provided the light. I remember meeting my other friend, Late Mickmax during that event as his famous song, ‘Tuje Sobhit Don Dole’ that Eric sang and surprised even Mickmax.

The next time I met him in the year 2000 in Dubai. He had come to collect funds for Kalangann, an amphitheatre of Mandd Sobhann, the premier Konkani cultural association. Daiji Dubai supported the movement wholeheartedly. Not only the Mangalorean Catholic community that hardly supports any other cultural activity but in contributing towards building churches, Eric’s cause attracted their attention, besides of course the Bhatkal based Konkani Nawayat’s who contributed generously. Eric Ozario was a happy man by now.

I met him again in 2009 when Daiji Dubai under my stewardship invited him to hold a musical evening. As our friend Mickmax was ill and was hospitalised we decided to stage his drama, ‘Lekh tem Lekh’ch’ and contribute a considerable amount towards his treatment. Although Mickmax passed away on the same night, we were able to collect a whopping Rs 7 lakh that financially supported his family.

Next was my turn to be a part of ‘Mandd Sobhann; celebration, as it had completed 25 years of its existence. Out of 25 programs planned for 25 days, my drama, ‘Ghantichi Thor’ was played on behalf of all the Konkani people in the Gulf countries. Many of my friends from the Gulf, James Mendonca the president of Mangalore Konkans and Walter Nandalike from Daiji Dubai were present.

Soon, one of our friends, Melvyn Rodrigues received ‘Sahitya Akademi’ award for his book of poems, and a large felicitation program was organised under my leadership in Mangalore. More than 20 Konkani associations and Konkani journals for the first time came together in organising this felicitation program and we requested Eric to arrange music segment which he readily accepted.

Of all the anecdotes in the above events one particular etiquette I observed in him was - When I wrote about him in my column “Amchi Mati Amchim Monxam’ in daijiworld website launched in Dubai those days, (Later the same columns under the same name were printed in a book format.) he wrote to me saying – “Thank you for writing about me. I don’t think I deserved such appreciation.” He further wrote – “As I did not have a computer, I went to a cyber to read your article, ‘He fulfilled our dreams’ and I could not prevent the tears dripping from my eyes. Such humility coming from a thespian.

Later Leslie Rego interviewed him as part of our TV show in daijiworld, (Amchi Mati Amchim Monxam) and he repeated the same, that he doesn’t deserve the appreciation for his work for Konkani music. He thought it’s a duty for his mother tongue.

When I met the couple at St Joseph's Church in Jeppu, a few days ago, to celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversary I found the same in them.

*It was a ‘Powerhouse Couple’, always indefatigable, Eric being the tireless and stubborn crusader besides being a simple artist (whom many called an ‘eccentric’)
*He was and is the musical messiah, the ambassador of Konkani music
*His heart cried for the poor, the less privileged, although no one noticed it.
*He emptied himself through a WILL and donating everything to others.

*He was rightly a true Indefatigable Crusader, nothing less.