Passing by Rua De Ourem Creek, it is hard to miss the house of Chico Fonseca with its
outstretching glass verandah. The Fontainhas heritage walk conducted by Make it
Happen, includes different stops culminating at Chico Fonseca’s house. One of
Goa’s musical icons, the 75 year old still sings with his heart and soul and is
one of the oldest living male Fado singers in Goa. Son of Adv Philip Jose De
Fonseca and Berta Rosario Elisanea De Fonseca and the only brother to Antonio,
Chico is the husband of Ines Neva and the father to Anneli and Marjlisa.
Getting nostalgic about the home in which
he has been living since the age of 5, Chico recreates an image of Goa in the
1940s. “A single car used to pass on this road, this was more of a football
ground. This is an estuary of the River Mandovi and we used to have bath in
this clear waters. There is a saying in Portuguese, ‘one who saw Goa in those
days was excused to see Lisbon’, Goa was so glorious. We lived on the front
side of Casa de Moeda as their family migrated to Toronto. As a gratitude to
what my father had done, they gave us this beautiful hand carved 200 years old
sofa set made by the artisans from Ribandar. Even this mirror was purchased by
my father nearly 150 years back for Rs 14. We purchased this house and
renovated it extending the verandah. Four generations from Portugal lived in
this house before us,” says Chico.
However, his story of history extends from his home to his
passion for Fado. He studied at the Lyceum and was educated in Portuguese which
gave him a strong foundation to sing Fado. “I can read different languages
because of my Portuguese studies. I can read and write French and I sing in
English, Konkani, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. I was 14 years old when a
priest asked me to sing, at least in the chapel. He was the president of
Caritas India and a teacher at the lyceum. I later came across Fado and I
learnt on my own how to sing Fado. I knew my voice was suited for Fado,” he
adds.
Giving a brief about Fado, he explains, “Fado was originated in
the halls of the nobility and was taken from Portugal by the sailors to the
Portuguese colonies. The cream of Fado singers was Amalia Rodrigues. I had the
opportunity to sing her song to her when she visited Goa in 1990. She was very
impressed. Fado in Goa was well known but among the nobility”.
His first band was with members, Dr Eloy Gomes was the Maestro
or conductor of the band, Dr Cezar Braganza and Dr Raul Parish played the
Spanish guitar, Dr Pedrito Bravo Da Costa played the mandolin and Dr Flourish
played the violin and mandolin. “The high point of my career was singing at the
last recital of Escola Medico Cirurgica da Goa were I sang to the tunes of 12
Spanish guitars and six violins. We used to also serenade the young girls at
Instituto De Nossa Senhora De Piedade, Panjim.”
“My first recital was in Clube Vasco De Gama along with another
great Goan Fado singer Maria Lourdes De Vega Coutinho from Margao. I performed
for Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi at the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) one Konkani ‘Adeus Korcho Vellu’ and one Portuguese Fado,
‘India’, a Cancao Fado. I translated both the songs for them,” he says.
His only advice to youngsters taking up Fado is, “Before they start singing or even murmur, they should have deep pronunciation of Portuguese which is very essential. They have a great singing talent but sentimentalism is missing and even a simple facial expression can make a difference,” concludes Chico.