Beloved Rosary Ferns: Death of a Konkan Star

Gasper Crasto

Thursday, January 13, 2011

January 12, 2011 brought in shocking news to Kuwait. One of the most beloved artistes based in Kuwait, and on holidays in Goa, died suddenly.

“It is hard to believe,” sadness waved across the Gulf and the Goan world.

Rosay died early morning of 12th January. The funeral cortege will leave his residence Ferrao Estate, Grande-Vanelim, Colva, to Our Lady of Merces Church, Colva on 13th January 2011 at 4 pm for a eucharistic celebration and burial.

Rosary leaves behind his beloved wife Cassilda and children Cynan and Cullen.

A well-known Konkani star, Rosary Ferns hailing from Colva, Salcette, Goa, a long timer in Kuwait, wrote and directed 21 full-fledged Konkani Tiatros, 12 of which were staged in Kuwait itself. Besides tiatrs, he wrote a number of One Act Plays, Operettas, Mandos & Dulpods and countless songs. Allegedly, Rosary was the first person in the history of Goan-Konkani-world to produce the first Konkani CD which was done in Kuwait.
In all, Rosary has produced 13 Konkani Albums in the form of Audio Cassettes & CDs. His last Album ‘Dinaracho Valor’ was his last Audio CD. Additionally, he has produced 2 VCDs ‘Kanvllo Roddlo Lozen’ and ‘Mogan Tujea Lasota’.

Rosary Ferns receiving an award at the hands of Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Mr. Ajai Malhotra

Rosary Ferns created history when his Konkani Drama "Kuwait Soddun Vetana" was staged in Kuwait by the Mangalorean Konkani community in a Mangalorean dialect in the year 2009. The original drama was in Goan Roman Konkani which was well received by the Goan audience as one of the best masterpieces of Rosary Ferns.


In August 2005, for his enormous contribution in the promotion of Konkani Songit Kala, Rosary Ferns was honored by the Mangalorean Association Konkani Kulvar, Kuwait.

A very humble and soft spoken person, Rosary Ferns strived through Konkani stage and cultural programs to bring about fusion of all the Konkani speaking people in Kuwait, Mangalorean and Goans in particular. In the past, he wrote and directed Songit Sanz under Kuwait Konknni Kendr.

Rosary Ferns is on record to have staged more Tiatros in Kuwait than any other artiste and all of his tiatros have been well attended and well liked by the audience. In fact in Kuwait, he created a special and very precious niche for him among the audience. For this reason his tiatros were handsomely attended not just by Goans but also Mangaloreans and other Konkani speaking people.

Rosary was gifted in writing tragic stories and his forte lied in composing tragic ‘cantos’. As a matter of interest the readers should know that among the expatriate tiatrists Rosary Ferns is the only person who is known to be a great composer of traditional ‘Mandos’. Some of his golden, original Mandos feature in some of his Audio Cassettes.

Rosary has immensely contributed to Konkani language with his rich tiatr scripts and songs. He has been, in his own way, instrumental in improving the overall standard of tiatr and taken the Konkani art to new heights. His death is a big loss to Goans and will leave a vaccum in the field of tiatr which will be hard to fill for a long, long time to come.

“His songs and compositions will remain with us always...” stated Francis de Verna, President of Kuwait Goa Tiatristanchi Sonvstha [KGTS] while a number of Goans and organizations in Kuwait have expressed deep sorrow at the untimely death of the star.

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