Carmo Piedade Rodrigues (16 July 1939 – 13 August 1975), known professionally as Carmo Rod, was an Indian singer, playwright, and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

known for his work in Konkani films and ''

tiatr ''Tiatr'' (; ) is a type of musical theatre that is popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India, as well as in Mumbai and among the Goan expatriate communities in the Middle East, United Kingdom, and other cities with a significant pr ...

'' productions.

Early life

Carmo Piedade Rodrigues was born on 16 July 1939 in

Assolna Assolna (''Osollnnem'') is a village in the Salcete Tehsils of India, ''taluka'' of South Goa district, in the state of Goa, India. It is known for restaurants, the small traditional market, and local institutions. The Sal (Goa), Sal river flow ...

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, which was part of

Portuguese India The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...

during the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

. He was born to Caetano Jose Rodrigues and the

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

Maria Avelina Cardoso, who hailed from

Cuncolim Cuncolim is a town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. Geography Cuncolim is located at . It has an average elevation of . History It is a former village, now with a municipal council of its own, in the south Goa sub-district ...

into a

Goan Catholic Goan Catholics () are an ethno-religious community adhering to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani l ...

family.

Career

Rodrigues achieved fame for his composition "Nach Atanche" in the Konkani film '' Nirmon'', where it was picturised on the

Konkani __NOTOC__ Konkani may refer to: Language * Konkani language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Konkan region of India. * Konkani alphabets, different scripts used to write the language **Konkani in the Roman script, one of the scripts used to ...

actor A. R. Souza Ferrao. The song encountered challenges regarding suitable performers, but Rodrigues showcased his talent, earning him the opportunity to deliver a standout performance in the film.

Wilson Mazarello Wilson Vincent Mazarello (born Wilson Constantino Vicente Mazarelo; 19 July 1946), also known as Wilmix, is an Indian singer, writer, playwright, and politician known for his work in Konkani films, and ''tiatr'' productions. Early life Mazare ...

, in his observations, characterizes Rodrigues as a singer with a distinctive style, known for his involvement as a

crooner A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...

in the band AVC Pops alongside fellow band member Johnny Boy in 1970. Singing came naturally to Rodrigues, and his contributions to '' tiatrs'', the

Goan Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

tradition, garnered significant applause. He lent his voice to productions by ''

tiatrist ''Tiatr'' (; ) is a type of musical theatre that is popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India, as well as in Mumbai and among the Goan expatriate communities in the Middle East, United Kingdom, and other cities with a significant pre ...

s'' such as C. Alvares, M. Boyer, Jacint Vaz, Alfred Rose, and Robin Vaz, among others. Rodrigues is particularly known for his popular solo track "Don Panam," which resonated with the sentiments of preserving Goan identity during the 1967 Opinion Poll. This song captured the outcome of the poll and evoked a sense of pride and preservation among Goans. His last documented appearance was in Jephsis Hitler's ''tiatr Bhau ani Zhau'' before his departure for

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

. According to ''

The Navhind Times ''The Navhind Times'' is an English language newspaper in Goa. Founded in 1963 and based in Panaji, the capital of Goa, it is the largest selling newspaper, amongst the three locally published English newspapers in the state. The other two be ...

'', Rodrigues possessed a captivating voice and exhibited the ability to sing in both Konkani and English. His vocals led to numerous requests for him to perform the number "Nach Atanche." Alongside fellow ''tiatrists'' M. Boyer,

Kid Boxer Caetano Manuel Pereira (17 February 1917 – 3 March 1991), known professionally as Kid Boxer, was an Indian singer, writer, director, comedian, and lyricist who worked on the Konkani stage. He is best known for being the member of the popular ...

, M. Dod de Verna, and the Trio Kings Conception-Nelson-Anthony, Rodrigues actively contributed to strengthening the effort to oppose mergers during the 1967 Opinion Poll. Furthermore, he upheld a strong connection with

John Claro John Claro Fernandes (born Joao Claro Fernandes; 5 December 1930 – 18 August 2024) was an Indian writer, theatre director, playwright, and actor known for his work in ''tiatr'' productions. Throughout his extensive career, he has made crucial c ...

, participating in his ''tiatrs'' alongside A.M.B. Rose and Domnick Vaz. In addition to his singing prowess, Rodrigues ventured into writing and directing, creating a ''tiatr'' titled ''Girestkayek Lobdon''. He also lent his vocal talents to the Konkani film ''Yam-Bam-Boh''. Throughout his career, Rodrigues composed approximately five ''tiatrs''.

Death

A few years after moving to

, Rodrigues died on 13 August 1975 at a hospital in

Bombay, Maharashtra Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. In line with his final request, he was laid to rest in

Goa, India Goa (; ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan Plateau, Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian sta ...

Filmography

Selected stage works

Select discography

*''Nach Atanche'' (1966) *''Don Panam'' (1967)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rod, Carmo 1939 births 1975 deaths Goan people Tiatrists People from South Goa district Indian male singers