Menino De Bandar

Menino Fernandes (born 17 February 1957), known professionally as Menino De Bandar, is an Indian playwright, theatre director, singer, composer, and actor known for his work in tiatr and khell tiatr (street play) productions. Referred to as the "King of Triple Centuries", he is best known for his play Soccorina, having amassed more than 500 shows and having been restaged two times. Fernandes served as the president of the Tiatr Academy of Goa from October 2020 to 2023.

Early life Menino Fernandes was born on 17 February 1957 in Benaulim, Goa, which was part of Portuguese India, during the Portuguese Empire, to José Antonio Fernandes, a tailor, and Ana Severina Fernandes, a homemaker. Fernandes's family background included involvement in contradance, a regional song and dance tradition featuring ankle bracelets. Contradans bears similarities to the folk dance known as zagor, though the latter is sometimes associated with more risqué or vulgar lyrical content. by using white quicklime or brick dust to paint his and his fellow performers' faces. The production was presented in a cowshed located within a household that housed cattle. After this debut, Fernandes crafted theatrical works comprising three acts specifically for street shows held during carnival celebrations. He organized a troupe of performers to enact these productions, referred to as khell. While he wrote and directed his own original works, he did not appear as an actor in plays created by others, preferring to focus on his skills as a playwright. His street plays gained popularity, and he began entering them in competitions. In these contests, Fernandes earned multiple awards in recognition of his writing and production abilities within the zomnivhele khell tradition.

Fernandes is known for his distinctive approach to theatrical production. In the early stages of his career, he eschewed the use of written scripts, instead opting to verbally explain the plot of each play to his actors. The performers would then interpret and enact to his oral instructions, with the plays becoming "refined and polished" through repeated performances. Fernandes also incorporated original musical compositions into his theatrical works, with the songs reflecting the themes of the plays. His songs often conclude with an opari, (sayings or proverbs). This innovative approach proved popular with audiences, who responded positively to the minimal use of written material, as only the basic cants (songs) and plot summaries were formally documented.

In his early career, Fernandes found that his contributions to writing and acting in khell tiatrs did not fully meet his expectations for personal satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. Despite being familiar with tiatrs from his early years, this exposure sparked his ambition to pursue a career as a tiatrist, with a particular interest in vocal performance, he encountered obstacles. However, his foray into writing khell tiatrs proved successful, attracting significant audiences to his productions. However, he eventually transitioned to writing full-length tiatr productions, drawing on his background as a singer and composer.

Fernandes is known for creating musical pieces called cants which are included in the tiatr shows he produces. The inclusion of his compositions is a significant draw for audiences attending his tiatrs. In addition to his work as a songwriter, he has also released an audio cassette containing his songs, which achieved commercial success. During the early 1990s, Fernandes temporarily ceased his stage performances as he pursued employment opportunities in Muscat, Oman, leading to a hiatus in his theatrical engagements. However, he took part in performances of his own tiatr shows and productions directed by others. Additionally, he supported other tiatr directors in coordinating their shows in Muscat.

Personal life Fernandes is married to Salvação Silva, together they have three daughters Jayanti, Ramira, and Soccorina. Jayanti, the youngest daughter, is a lawyer by profession and is also active on the Konkani tiatr stage as an actress and singer. During the early 1990s, Fernandes temporarily moved to Muscat, Oman, for work and took a break from Konkani theatre. During his periodic trips to Goa while on leave, he would arrange for the staging of his tiatrs.

1984 defamation case The 1984 Konkani theatrical production Soccorina, by Fernandes, became the subject of a defamation case and controversy. During the original staging of the play, certain attendees alleged that the performance was influenced by a genuine occurrence related to the demise of a girl named Soccorina from Colva. This assertion was supported by references in Wilson Mazarello's 2000 book 100 Years of Konkani Tiatro, As a result of these claims, Fernandes faced a defamation lawsuit in 1984. He received legal representation from various lawyers, with additional tiatrists, including John Claro, serving as witnesses during the proceedings. After nearly two years of legal proceedings, Fernandes ultimately prevailed in the case in 1986.