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Wilfred Rebimbus | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wilfred Gerald Rebimbus |
| Also known as | Wilfy |
| Born | (1942-04-02)2 April 1942 Mangalore,Madras Presidency,British Raj |
| Died | 9 March 2010(2010-03-09) (aged 67) |
| Genres |
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| Occupations |
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| Website | wilfyrebimbus |
Wilfred Gerald "Wilfy"Rebimbus (2 April 1942 – 9 March 2010) was an Indiansinger-songwriter, lyricist and playwright famed for hisKonkani andTulu language compositions. He is popularly nicknamed as theKonkan Kogul meaningcuckoo (songbird) of theKonkan.[1]
Hailing from aMangalorean Catholic family, Wilfy was born on 2 April 1942 to Landeline Rebimbus and Magdeline Mendonca inMangalore. His father was fromKanhangad, Kerala and mother was fromGoa.
Wilfy had his primary and high school education at Milagres High School in Mangalore, currentlyMangaluru. Later, he did a mechanical course before joining St Joseph's Workshop as an apprentice.[2]
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He was a talented singer right since his student days, as was evident from the numerous prizes he had won in various singing events.
He had started composingKonkani songs at the age of 14 and authored his first dramaPoixeancho Sonvsar (The World of Money) when he was 15 and staged it through the St. Joseph's Natak Sangh.
He founded the musical group called United Youngsters Music Party in 1959 when he was just 17. It is now known as United Youngsters Cultural Association.
Apart from singing, Wilfy was also a good athlete and also aKabaddi player during his school days.[3]
He was credited for taking modern Konkani music to new heights with his unique compositions and singing style. He wrote songs for numerous occasions and situations. In a career spanning about four decades, Wilfy wrote thousands of songs and staged a total of 248Wilfy Nites.
He released some forty albums, six devotional albums and at least one instrumental album.
His poetry works compriseVinchnar Podam (nine volumes),Kogull Gaita (two volumes), and audio cassettes and albums (47 in all).[4]
On his 60th birthday in 2002, a third edition of a collection of songs written by Wilfy Rebimbus, calledKogul Gautha (The Koel Sings) was scheduled for release, together with a special edition ofPoinnari, a weekly that dedicated an issue to Rebimbus.[5] The singer composed his first song in 1952, wrote a stage play in 1958, and performed his first music show in 1971.[5] His 100th show came about in 1989 and his 200th in 199.[5] He was credited with having written 2500 songs, produced 33 audio cassettes, and six volumes of devotional songs, besides composing music and songs for Konkani movies, as of 2002.[5] He wrote nine plays, some of which were broadcast overAll India Radio'sMangalore station.[5]
He was given the titleKonkan Kogul by the Bishop of Mangalore at that time, the Late Basil Salvadore D'Souza on 26 September 1971.[6]
Mandd Sobhann, a Mangalore-based Konkani cultural organisation, announced in 2009, that it would confer the Konkani music lifetime achievement award to Rebimbus "for his unparalleled contribution to Konkani music."[7]
FormerKarnataka chief minister and ex-union minister Veerappa Moily has described Rebimbus thus: "His talent is uncomparable; his legacy is unparallel[ed]. Rebimbus is undoubtedly an epochmaker."[8]
A singing contest has been held in his name, including in the year 2013.[9]
Antony Mavrel Lobo ofChrist University, Bangalore, has done a thesis in July 2019 onRepresentation of Konkani music and culture through the works of Wilfy Rebimbus.[10] In it, he argues that "according to the research conducted by Konkani Sahithya Academy, in Mangalore there are 42 dialects of Konkani, where people speak the same language using a few different words in the state of Karnataka."[10]
He married Meena Gracia Rebimbus, who is also a popular singer, on 25 January 1970. She was given the title ofKonkan Myna, named after another popular singing bird, by Benar Productions on 12 August 1984 for her melodious voice.
Meena has also composed few songs in Wilfy's albums namely,Nach to ka Vetha,Asha andKuhu Kuhu which was a tribute to Wilfy after his death.
Wilfy and Meena together have two children, the elder being Veena Rebimbus Pais and the younger Vishwas Rebimbus. They also sing and compose music, and have continued their father's legacy by releasing an album in 2011Tum Maka Hav Tuka.
On 13 June 2010, Bishop Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza conferred the titlePro Ecclesia Et Pontifice awarded by Pope Benedict XVI onKonkan Kogul Wilfy Rebimbus posthumously during the Mass held at the prominentMilagres Church of Mangalore. The special honour has been given to Wilfy for his love towards Church and his extraordinary musical contributions to the Konkani community worldwide. The bishop handed over the title to Meena Rebimbus.
Wilfy was diagnosed to be suffering fromlung cancer and underwent a surgery in September 2009.[11] He died of complications from lung cancer on 9 March 2010.[12]
After his death at the age of 67, his mortal remains were kept for public viewing at theSt. Joseph's Seminary Church atJeppu inMangaluru on March 11, 2010.[13] He was buried at theJeppu Cemetery.[13] He was survived by his wife Meena, daughter Veena, son-in-law Arthur, son, Vishwas, daughter-in-law Charlene, and grandchildren Arvin and Anna.[13]
