The daughter of late tiatists Ophelia and Bab Peter, Tatum D’Souza or Babli as she is known as in the tiatr circuit, has acted in over 30 tiatrs till date and has also created waves with her singing talent
JP Pereira
Tatum D’Souza popularly known as Babli in the tiatr fraternity is the daughter of the late Ophelia and late Peter D’Souza (Bab Peter), both stars on the Konkani stage. Ophelia was especially loved for her tragic as well as negative roles and Peter was an actor with class and one of those rare stylish singers.
Not surprisingly, Tatum made her debut on the Konkani stage pretty early when at the age of two, she was part of ‘Konn Nhoi Konancho’ by Bab Peter. “My dad held the mike while I sang the solo. I also played a minor role in this drama which was staged in Mumbai, Goa, and Africa,” she recalls.
She then went on to act in all the shows that were subsequently staged by her parents including ‘Aiz Na Faleam’ and ‘Maink Zai Punn Paik Naka’ where she acted and sang. Till date, she has performed for more than 30 tiatrs and these include shows by the late C Alvares and Prem Kumar.
Apart from acting she also tried her hand at directing. “In 2017, I directed my first tiatr, an old classic written, directed and staged by my parents in 1983, titled ‘Mijeas’. This was a resounding success in Mumbai. The revival was a tribute to my late parents,” she says.
Tatum has also lent her voice to more than 45 Konkani albums like ‘Konknni Motiam’, ‘Myrose’ and ‘GOAN’ by the parents, ‘Ageema’ by Roseferns as well as those released by Fausto V Da Costa and C Alvares. Few years back she also released ‘Omor Mogachi Kanni’, a fine collection of songs previously recorded by her parents and some unreleased tracks, backed by the quality music of Ronnie Monsorate. She composed and sang the title track and this album made great waves in the Konkani music segment. “This was my way of celebrating the beautiful love story of my parents and the music video on the social media has had more than nine lakh views,” she says.
Besides this, Tatum, who is also a media professional, is a soprano with the Victory Chorus Line, a choir based in Mumbai and recently performed in the Rockin Marmalade ‘Goan Global’ concert.
“My husband, Sameer Ganapathy, has always encouraged and supported me through my endeavours,” she says. Their 11-year-old daughter Nia also enjoys playing the piano and guitar and loves singing both in English and Konkani. In fact, Tatum managed to get her husband and daughter to sing the beautiful trio ‘Dolleanchi Vatt’ on her new album. The same song, a classic, was previously sung by her, along with her parents.
“I am very grateful to God for all the gifts and talents He has blessed me with and I’ve always tried in my little way, to use my talents to glorify and praise Him. My parents have also inculcated a very strong love for tiatr and music in me and I hope to continue doing whatever I can, to keep their memory alive through my work,” she says, while advising all artistes, especially new ones, who wish to make a mark in the field of Konkani entertainment to find ways to use the God-given talent to praise and thank Him, and to carry forward the great legacy of tiatr and Goan music.