May 28, 2024

Eric Ozario turned seventy-five in mid-May 2024.

Though it is akin to carrying coals to New Castle to introduce Eric Ozario to Mangaloreans, I will go by the famous twenty-first century writer Nicholas Rescher who said that there is plenty of ignorance in the middle of knowledge, and write about him. Konkani music, dance and Mandd Sobhann are synonymous with Eric who carried them with him not only through Mangalore, Karnataka and the country but also through different countries abroad where Mangalureans live. He took music and dance to hundreds of young people.

I have known him for long. The earliest association was when he was a student and when he was more revolutionary than now, not that he lost that fervor thereafter. His mettle of rebellion was a part of his personality since his younger years and they built in him a leader. Generally, leaders are of different types like servant, tempered radical, fifth level executives, crazy passionate and outliers. Eric originally, and even now is, is a crazy passionate leader. However, as he moved out from his youthful years, he turned himself into a tempered radical and as he grew into seniority, he mixed it up with a good amount of service. So, he has a rare mixture of different types of leaderships as he grew into them gradually, resolutely and intently. The vibrancy of his personality speaks volumes about this rare mixture.

The radiant, unsophisticated, instinctive and definitely visible human trait in him is that he is a humane human who expresses his concern for fellow beings, especially those of the lower levels of being downtrodden. Down the years, he has stood with them and fought for them, in the process denying himself plenty of privileges. His life has been a saga of denying himself very many things which other people would have easily fallen for. His student leadership shifted him to his leadership among workers, whether it was at a hospital or a bank or a temporary community gathering, and he did not mince his words while emphatically declaring at the top of his voice what he was convinced about and stood firm on it. His was always a principle-centered leadership where his commitment was for the deserving and the deprived. A small local Che Guevara indeed, of course with limited local area of network and contacts and representation.

Leadership has only one other word which can itself equate with it, which is ‘influence’. Robert Cialdini has a book with the same word as its title. He writes about the need for practical intelligence for influence processes to work. Eric took with him wherever he went this practical intelligence in abundance, and in definite streams as and when needed, that he pushed himself to several measures of action plans and performances that assured a certain guarantee of effectiveness and success.

That he was fully humane in his humanness, I witnessed almost four decades ago. Cajetan Mathias, former students’ union chairman of his college, died at the Maravanthe beach. I knew him well and so rushed to the spot and found that the body was not yet discovered. The local fishermen assured me that it would get washed up to the shore somewhere within a couple of kilometers within the spot of drowning. Many students who arrived were instructed to be there to save the body from animal attacks. It is then that Eric arrived, for Cajetan was his friend. Within a short while of his arrival, the body was noticed in the waves and the fishermen brought it ashore. Eric, after seeing the body, burst into tears and it was difficult to control him because he was sobbing loudly like a child. In fact, my ability to attend to the body and the need to do the talking to the policeman and others around were affected by Eric’s expression of sorrow and loss. I found him to be fully human and humane. It also goes to his credit that he was able to regulate his grief and lead a procession in honour of Cajetan after the funeral.

Eric remains a worthy, dependable friend. There are any number of occasions that I can refer to about his dependability which is a rare quality in people who performs successfully. This is because most performers are concerned about success and therefore, they would compromise on some of the belief systems that they carefully practice at other occasions. For Eric, reasons were more important than success. Rationality and logic appealed to him at moments of loss and success equally. His tenacity was always equal to the quantum of willingness to work hard and contribute to any endeavour which was always admired by others.

Undoubtedly, Eric is also a showman. His position on the stage had always been at the center even when he offered developmental steps to identified people. All stage performers need a certain amount of showmanship, undoubtedly. But when showmanship descends into crowd pulling, it can lose its charm. However, Eric’s showmanship was a type of floridity, in fact it was merely an ornate decoration that did not mar the people-centeredness and the need of the common man. He impressed people with such ornateness that sank into them with their content and the associated decorations of flourishes and orchestrations.

It was Robert Kennedy who said once that any person who stands up for an idea or adds to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice sends out a tiny ripple of hope. Indeed, Eric honestly did that. The adventurer in him allowed himself to focus on two separate ideas, one of revolution and another of aesthetics. In his case, both complemented each other though he moved from one to the other without giving up any. Both always stayed with him. His voice would be heard against any injustice even when he was physically weak or the opponent was stronger. The adventurer in him led him to become an institution builder. He established it with very great amount of sacrifice on his part. Probably, there may not be another aesthetic organization in Mangalore which has done as well as Mandd Sobhann in the near past. The ripples that he created in the world of music and dance are bound to shine in future too.

Most people are result-centric or profit-centric. Eric was cause-centric and people-centric. One cannot imagine him without people. He always belonged to the crowd even when he was attempting something alone, rather psychologically and sociologically. His programmes were mostly his own designs and spread in themselves the fragrance of originality. It is mostly this that made his music and dance, a part of the common people. When one is people-centric, one has to contribute two things. Primarily, it is that one has to sacrifice one’s own gains for the sake of the people. In addition, it becomes essential that a person who is people-centric, easily comes across people’s needs or suffering and they unconsciously become a part of it.

Mandd Sobhann is a contribution that Eric made for Mangalureans. However, there have been a lot of people who supported him in this venture of his. Many institution builders for social needs build them virtual. However, Eric did not do so. His institution is visible to people and has its own assets in addition to those connected with intellectual properties. Transience is a normal nature of many an artist. They live behind the products of their artistry. Only the very rare among them build permanently visible and durable structures for the use of those who come after them. Eric has done that and Mandd Sobhann, the institution, is there for all to enjoy. This indeed is an asset that he has created in addition to the artistic products that he contributed.

Some social activists or leaders of social movements or contributors to the society stand-alone even when they have their influence on both individuals and the society. However, their impact at such moments of their influence on the society becomes a non-entity after them. Eric had a large number of benefactors and friends who contributed to his initiative. Apart from continuing possibilities for permanence, he also showed his quality of relating to people and receiving their support. People-centeredness, thus, can contribute to the well-being of any society to which someone like Eric belongs.

One can only wish that from seventy-five years he will proceed forward with greater impact.