Vishnu Surya Naik Wagh will be remembered as a multi-faceted person in Goa’s history. A former St Andre constituency legislator, Wagh has left his mark as an ardent poet, writer, cartoonist, painter, orator, dramatist, journalist, besides studying Vedic and Sant literature, heritage, and anthropology. Wagh has written over 20 plays in Marathi, 18 Konkani plays and 16 one-act plays. He has directed over 50 plays in Konkani and Marathi.
A fiercely out-spoken person that he was, Wagh has been a firm critic of right-wing politics and oppressive caste hierarchies. His anthology of poems titled Sudirsukt which was selected for the Goa Konkani Academy (GKA) Award stirred the highly-volatile caste divide between the state’s dominant Gaud Saraswat Brahmins and the Bahujan Goans. The book undoubtedly stoked controversy over the deep-rooted caste and language rivalries. But it also underlined the brazen courage and passion of Wagh with which he put across a rebellion and simmering revolts that lay covered across ages. The irony was that the book was released at the hands of Manohar Parrikar himself, a moment that prompted the chief minister to sack Wagh as the chairman of the Kala Academy in 2014, only to reappoint him again nearly a year later.
Wagh was never bound by political ideologies and it reflected in the diverse parties he represented throughout his political career. From his humble beginnings with the Shiv Sena in the 90s, to joining the UGDP and serving as a staunch Congress loyalist for 14 years holding posts of general secretary and party spokesperson, he jumped on the BJP bandwagon in 2011 and went on to win the St Andre Constituency seat in 2012 signalling yet another twist in his political career.
But Wagh will be remembered for his roars and the uproar that he brought about.Even a tall figure such as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar could not silence Wagh when it came to issues affecting Goa. He spoke from the heart and raked up issues that concerned the state and its people, irrespective of regions and religions. The St Andre MLA showed guts of steel to slam his own government over what he called “lopsided thinking” on many issues including casinos. He hit hard when it came to issues that threatened Goa’s identity and fought vehemently against prostitution and gambling. And to top it all, he was the biggest proponent of the medium of instruction, an issue which Goa and its political class remained vertically split.
Wagh was a man for all seasons and diverse religions. The St Andre MLA was never tied by religious boundaries and moved along with all communities, including Catholics and Muslims. His family flying down to South Africa to take part in a healing service by famed pastor and healer Alph Lakau is a sheer reflection of his faith without religious borders.
The roar of Wagh is silenced forever, but his legacy will live on. Goa has lost one of its most accomplished and versatile sons of the soil.
