Osvi Viegas

Osvi Sebastião Cruz Lourdes Viegas (11 February 1949) is an Indian singer, composer, theatre actor, playwright, and theatre director who works on the Konkani stage.

Early life Osvi Sebastião Cruz Lourdes Viegas was born on 11 February 1949 in Margão, Goa, which was part of Portuguese India during the Portuguese Empire. He was born to Antonio Francisco Xavier Viegas, a police corporal of Polícia de Segurança Pública during the Portuguese regime, who hailed from Cuncolim, Goa, and Luzia Raimunda Figueiredo, a homemaker who hailed from Carmonã, Goa, into a Goan Catholic family. Both of his parents were based in Margão. Viegas had a younger brother, Olavo (born 1952). His paternal grandparents had Goan Hindu ancestry from the Naique and Dessai clans. Viegas completed his Segundo Grau in Portuguese and later his Secondary School Certificate after the liberation of Goa.

The tiatr production Goemkar te Goemkar was a significant milestone in the career of Viegas. This tiatr garnered attention and featured three separate performances over the course of three consecutive days. Throughout the shows, Viegas exhibited his musical range by presenting three unique songs. One of Viegas's musical offerings, a piece rooted in the regional Kunbi style, was particularly well received by the audience. The response from the crowd led Viegas to encore the song, performing it a second time in response to the audience's demands. The positive reception of Viegas's performance did not go unnoticed. The popular vocalist Luciano Dias expressed admiration for Viegas's abilities and authored commendatory critiques of the tiatr in the Konkani language periodicals Cine Times and Goa Times, both then-leading publications in circulation within Goa. This coverage ultimately reached Viegas's mother, who resided in the region. Concerned about her son's involvement in the Bombay (now Mumbai) theater scene, Viegas's mother took action, requiring him to retum to Goa. In order to cultivate discipline, she decided to enroll him in a boarding school located in Pilar, Goa. However, Viegas's passion for the performing arts could not be extinguished, and he continued his involvement in school-based singing and drama activities with the guidance of school authorities, including the principal, Fr. P. Nazareth, Bro. Peter Cardozo, and Alex D'Souza, who later pursued careers in priesthood and music, respectively. Throughout his career, Viegas also toured extensively, performing Konkani tiatrs in various Gulf countries and European nations.

Personal life As of 2012, Viegas resides in Igrejaward, Carmona, Goa, came up to Viegas and challenged him regarding a song he had sung that portrayed her in a negative light. Viegas made accusations of being subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault, including a slap from Fernandes and singer Francis de Tuem. Viegas also alleged that threats were made against him and that his gold chain went missing during the incident. In response, the Margao police registered a non-cognizable case against Fernandes and de Tuem under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 427 (mischief causing damage), and 506 (criminal intimidation). Francis was specifically charged for the alleged slapping incident.

The same day on 27 April, in an interview with The Times of India, Viegas insisted that the pair should face consequences for their behavior. Accompanied by a significant group of supporters showing solidarity, he was taken to the police station. As per Viegas' account to the authorities, the altercation started with Anita slapping him, alleging that he had composed a song about her, accusations which Viegas refuted. He affirmed his adherence to non-violence by opting to refrain from physical retaliation, citing his principles as the basis for his choice to avoid resorting to physical aggression, despite having the capacity to do so. Viegas then made an accusation that Francis, upon his arrival, proceeded to forcefully push him to the ground, resulting in a physical altercation. He stated that he suffered physical harm to his body and presented a medical report to law enforcement documenting his injuries. Viegas' colleagues at the police station commended his role as a mentor within the younger generation and his prominence in the Konkani tiatr industry, while also expressing disapproval of the alleged assault.