Sammy Tavares ....a born fighter...from stage to police

The tiatr 'machie' has not always been a happy hunting ground for Sammy Tavares.

His father, Theodorio Tavares, a freedom fighter, took to the stage even before Goa could be liberated and criticized the Portuguese regime with a song that reverberated all through the rebellious Cuncolim village. It did spark life into the freedom struggle but Theodorio had to pay with an eight-month stay in Portuguese jails.

Sammy wasn't born at that time and heard about the incident from his mother only when he was wise enough to understand what it really meant.

By that time, Sammy had also followed in his father's footsteps, and although he, like his father, did not go hammer and tongs against the Portuguese -- who had packed their bags by then -- he had the same uncanny ability to make the audience sit up and take notice.

The first thing that comes to mind about my proper debut (on stage) was the way I trembled in fear," recalled Tavares, now a successful police officer, serving as the deputy superintendent of police (DySP) at the crime branch in Dona Paula.

It was in the late seventies that Sammy finally gathered courage to make a full appearance on stage with 'Vingas, a tiatr written by his brother Max. Until then, he had to restrict himself to what he calls "guest appearances" in his father's and brother's tiatrs during the annual village feast. And what an appearance it was.

"It was a trio and we chose a comedy song that was widely appreciated. We got called back to the stage more than three times," said Tavares, who had Astromir and Milton as his co-singers.

That day Tavares realized that he had it in him to face the audience; look them into the eye and win their hearts, but his professional journey did not kick-start until many years later when stars of the tiatr stage like comedian Agostinho and singer Xavier Gomes heard him at the Summer Tiatr Festival, organized by his own Rising Club of Sanvorcotto in Cuncolim.

Hearing praise from those who had been-there-and-done-that warmed Tavares' heart. To be fair, his song, 'Porot Ghara Vor' (Take me back home), highlighting the plight of the aged languishing in care homes, had indeed struck a chord. And for the likes of Agostinho and Xavier, it didn't take a minute to tell the police officer that he should look beyond guest appearances on stage.

Writing songs and producing a CD is one thing, putting a tiatr together quite another. His maiden tiatr, 'Aplea Bhurgeam Sangatak' in 2012 created waves, sent out a touching message and had a cast and setting that was the envy of established directors.

'Aplea Bhurgeam Sangatak' staged 52 shows, including packed houses in Wembley, Swindon, Paris, Muscat, Kuwait and Dubai.

"The plot was simple but the message at the end left a lasting impression on many minds. The main character of the father, played by Justin Fernandes, was strong and he did justice to his role. The manner in which he delivered his dialogue and then faded out was outstanding," said Tavares, greatly influenced in his younger days by the work of his uncles, Theotoliano and Michael.

Tavares has a point. Long after Tavares himself took to the stage in the tiatr

"It was necessary. Happy endings are there everywhere, but the tragedy made everyone open their eyes. The message was delivered instantly," he explained.

The heavy cast and setting meant Tavares could not take 'Aplea Bhurgeam Sangatak' to every nook and corner of the state. He now plans to overcome that handicap with the release of a film based on the same tiatr. The outdoor shoots have been completed, new songs added and it is only a matter of time before 'Aplea Bhurgeam Sangatak' is up on the big screen.

For someone as immersed in tiatr right from a young age, Tavares's two audio CDs and one tiatr, just doesn't add up. He has three other tiatrs to his credit during his amateur tiatr days -- 'Ugdass', 'Kodu Somdir' and 'Deslina', but it was his entry into the police force in 1987 as a sub-inspector that forced him to hide his tiatr trait.

"Once I joined the police, I had little time to think. For me, policing is my profession and tiatr my passion. My police duties will always come first and I am indebted to all the police) higherups who have co-operated with me all along the way," said Tavares, who has served in heavy-duty police stations like PANAJI, Ribandar, Vasco, Agasaim and Mapusa.

It was only when Tavares was promoted to the rank of a DySP and his policing role was "supervisory" that he got to pamper his passion a bit. So during the long drive from Mapusa, where he was posted, to his home in Cuncolim, there was time to think, ponder and pen a few lines along the way.

Even now, on his rare off days from work, you could catch Tavares enjoying a tiatr at a nearby friendly hall. If not, he is lost deeply in thought, thinking about the next song, next plot, next comedy, and, for all you know, the next masterpiece.