Mangalore: Rebimbus Creations : Continuing Wilfy’s Legacy in a Creative Way

by Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media NEtwork - mangalore

Mangalore, Apr 23: The Easter Sunday of April 24, 2011 will add another feather in the cap of Konkan Kogul, late Wilfy Rebimbus who was unequivocally responsible for taking Konkani music to newer heights with his unique compositions and virtuosity for wrining, composing and singing.  The Town Hall of Mangalore on April 24 will resonate with memories of Wilfy and his songs, in this “Tribute to Wilfy”, the first musical programme  sans Wilfy,  presented by the Rebimbus family and  members of “United Youngsters”, Mangalore, the brainchild of late Wilfy Rebimbus.

This evening is going to be unique for another equally important and commendable reason, which is sure to warm the cockles of heart of innumerable Wilfy fans.  The Rebimbus family has taken a bold and noble step of preserving and promoting Wilfy’s lyrics, his songs and his literary works in a unique way, so as to do justice to his talent and his unique personality.  Wilfy’s fans will get a foretaste of this new venture of the Rebimbus family during this programme.   The logo of “Rebimbus Creations” started with the foremost objective of promoting his rich heritage and making it available to a wider audience the world over, will be released on this auspicious occasion.  The evening will also witness the release of the literary work of Wilfy (four short stories), release of the 41st CD “Tu Maka Hamv Tuka”, a tribute to Wifly,  comprising selected songs of his including two new songs written by his Son Vishwas and Daughter Veena Rebimbus Pais. 

In a way this tribute show is going to be a ‘Wilfy Nite’ all the way, which he richly deserves, coming as it is just one year after his death. 

Wilfy’s son Vishwas  Rebimbus,  who is the  personification of all that humility his late father is known for, says “I don’t think we could aspire for a better forum to inaugurate the logo of  “Rebimbus Creations” because this venture is nothing but our little contribution, our small efforts to treasure and also to promote  Wilfy’s work  in a unique way.  We are sure we have the blessings and quiet support of our dad in this challenging task we have undertaken”. 

“Rebimbus Creations” located opposite St Joseph’s Poor Homes, St Joseph Nagar, Jeppu, just a stone’s throw away from Wilfy’s home.  The venture has nothing to do with the printing business, as people have come to believe.  It will display and sell  all the works of Wilfy -  all his CD’s, including the golden series – the pouch containing 40 volumes of CD’s of his songs, books of Konkani lyrics, plays and short stories and future release of CDs.   Apart from it Rebimbus Creations will have specially designed cards for all occasions like weddings, Christening, first communion, anniversaries, jubilees and other social functions and celebrations.  They will also have designer take-aways, given for guests attending important functions, a trend which is prevalent in bigger cities like Mumbai but is slowly finding acceptance in Mangalore.

One may wonder what is so unique about cards and take-aways, which are available in plenty in Mangalore.  The uniqueness of these products lay in the fact that these cards  or takeaways contain the lyrics of Wilfy’s songs and people have the option of choosing the lyrics in any of the three languages  they prefer like Konkani, Romi or the English translation (without rhyme). These cards or take-aways will be designed creatively to suit the occasion and also blend perfectly with Wilfy’s lyrics chosen by the buyers.  Products only with Wilfy’s lyrics will be made available  to the people.

Rebimbus family is aware of their responsibility in preserving the legacy left behind by late Wilfy.  Therefore, a portion of the shop will house only Wilfy’s CD’s, his books and his literary works so that those who come to the shop are able to get a glimpse of his monumental work.  

The family feels that his contribution to Konkani language should be preserved for posterity. Though common people savor Wilfy’s songs many are oblivious of the special talent the man possessed in creating those songs, the perfect rhyming which has been a quintessential part of his songs and also the situational songs he penned down from time to time keeping his ears and eyes attuned to the developments around.  Some of his songs like “Dukan Bhorthanth Dolyanth” (on Bhopal tragedy) Lotto song (playwin lotto lottery), Hawala song, song on “Lungi”, song on changes in our weddings, on motherhood, on the goodness of breast feeding, increasing divorce, on mobile and its nuisance etc., gives us an insight  into the social responsibility he carried out through his songs. 

Vishwas says “dad has contributed in a gigantic way to the promotion of Konkani.  We want this to be known to more and more people, to a larger section of the society and also to people outside Mangalore, so that we can do justice to his talent.  We are guided by this motive of spreading the fragrance   of his talent to a larger audience cutting across language and religion”.   The family also plans to continue the legacy of Wilfy in the form of shows and musical programmes.    

Rebimbus Creations is the brainchild of Vishwas and his wife Charleen and it is their creative inputs that will make all the difference for the new venture in carving out a niche in the market.  However, Charleen is quick to add that they are not in the business to offer any threat or competition to others.  “We are in this business to create a space for ourselves and not to offer competition to others.  We are confident that people would like to see what type of cards we offer and in what way they are ‘different’ from others.  There may be similar type of cards in the market but still we say we are unique because it is the element of our creativity which is going to make them distinctive” asserts Charleen.  

It is not that Rebimbus Creations was born all of a sudden. It was there inside brimming within for quite some time waiting for a proper outlet.  The idea began to take shape a few years back and even Wilfy was supportive of it as he was conscious of the creativity crammed within Vishwas.  His talent got a boost once he realized that his wife Charleen shared a similar passion for creativity.  The families of both were in for a shock when the couple who got married in December 2006 came out with a distinctive wedding invite designed by them.  “We came out with some conjectures imagining how we would look on our wedding.  So the card depicted Vishwas in his suit, me in my gown, our families on our respective sides, and the bridal car with the background of St Joseph’s church where we were to get married. Though nobody was happy initially we had our way and that was the first product we had designed together”, gushes Charleen.  Though the couple terms the wedding invite affair as a bagatelle, they agree that the wedding card gave a big boost for their own creativity.  

The second time their creativity put in use was while preparing the invites for the release of “Kogul Gaitha” and “Kogule Patlyan” books, which was also different in its own way.  Vishwas recalls “we told dad that we will experiment with ourselves with the invites for the function. So we had taken great pains to personally do about 250 invitations working entire night and finally when we were through and showed it to dad he must have felt ok.   He did not show any expressions of disapproval but his reactions conveyed he was confident of our work.  He only wanted us to be better which was evident from his reactions and the feedback he gave. 

If he was not happy he would have told us to stop at that then and there.  His stamp of approval gave us the confidence to move ahead with courage”.     

The couple had also created the invitation cards of the Christening ceremony of one of their friend’s child.  Wilfy’s fans who bought the collect of golden edition of his 40 volumes of CD’s must be surprised to know that the pouch that contained the CDs  was designed by this creative duo of Charleen and Vishwas.  The mortuary card printed using hub lamination technology given to all those had come for the first death anniversary of Wilfy, was also designed by them.  They also put their creativity in use in designing Wilfy’s monument – the angel playing the harp which is tuned musically, a testimony to their creative desires taking shapes in a number of ways.

Though the logo of the new venture will be released on Easter Sunday, the shop will become operational only from May 29, 2011.  “Our common interest other than music is designing for which we both have a passion.  We are only channelizing it in a way so that we carry forward dad’s legacy and quench our creative thirst”, Vishwas declares. The couple is confident of involving Meena Rebimbus in the new venture slowly so that she also plays a role in carrying forward the legacy of her husband.  Till now Meena’s work revolved around Wilfy and she is yet to come out of that mode.   But the couple is confident that she would be active in the venture.  

Charleen adds “earlier whenever we wanted to do something we had that fright that we cannot.  Now we are guided by a positive feeling of ‘we can do it’.   So somewhere we feel dad’s presence and his blessing everywhere and in everything we do.  That has given us the confidence to move ahead fearlessly”, says Charleen.

One can only says the Rebimbus family will have the support and good wishes of all friends and fans of Wilfy in their new venture and also to the tribute show of April 24, 2011.     

For more information contact : rebimbuscreations@gmail.com