More than three decades after he met Mother Teresa and was instantly inspired to write songs on her life, Goan musician Remo Fernandes released a musical, ‘Teresa & the Slum Bum’, the proceeds of which was donated to the poorest of the poor.
The two-hour musical on the life and work of St Teresa had 26 songs and two instrumentals written, composed and performed by Remo, along with a troupe of singers spread across the world, the album was a homage to the life and work of Mother Teresa.
Recalls the singer during his visit to the Starmark South City bookshop to sign copies of his autobiography “Suddenly this 72-year-old lady came running down rickety steps and clasped my hand. I was fascinated by her work.”
From a small-time musician in the coastal confines of Goa, Remo Fernandes has emerged as the country’s undisputed number one pop rock star. He is also the first major artiste to write and compose music with social commitment that relates directly to the Indian reality.
With Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Remo considers this one of his most memorable meetings.
When asked how the vibrant pop scene of the 80s and 90s in India suddenly crashed, Remo said it happened when Bollywood decided to borrow talent from pop culture. “Bollywood is like a huge monster capturing art forms and letting them out as films,” says the musician.After crooning the hit title track of Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Remo Fernandes all but vanished from the Bollywood music scene to settle down in his ancestral home in Siolim, Goa.
Remo comes across as a man who is deeply proud of his Goan roots. He did not like Mumbai. He writesin his autobiography, “I wouldn’t exchange the joys and pleasures of growing up in a quiet, blissful paradise like the Goa of those days for all the success, fame, and money in the world.”
“Your roots are a part of you because your childhood was either so beautiful that you loved it or terrible. My roots are of just plain happiness in the Goa I grew up in.” signs of Remo.
Harper Collins has published the autobiography of the musical legend which is the story of a rich and full life – filled with professional highs and lows as well as personal triumphs and tragedies. Remo takes the reader along on a rollercoaster ride through his growing-up years, his travels, his musical journey, and his many adventures…
