His birth name is Marcelino Noronha and his native villageis Vaidongor in Pernem taluka in North Goa. If one were to call him by his birth name fewwould recognise him. But call him Marcelino de Betim and the entire tiatrist fraternity willsing his praises so also thousands of his diehard fans too. He is Marcelino Noronha to hisfamily back home, but to the tiatr goers and his entire fraternity, he is simply Marcelino deBetim.
How did he get his stage name? There’s a little story behindit. Well, many moons ago, as an amateur tiatrist he would sing solos in small time tiatrsstaged in villages in Bardez taluka. At that time he was residing at a rented place in BetimBardez, across the Mandovi river while he worked nearby for Dempo and Co., River Navigation fleet.He was quite popular with the local tiatr groups before he could actually take a bow on theprofessional Konkani tiatr stage much later. Among the many tiatr directors who would engage himregularly were the Briton brothers from neighbouring Britona near Betim. He was a regular attheir tiatrs staged during the chapel feasts etc in the village. It was one of the Britonbrothers, namely Cruz Briton who christened him with the stage name of ‘Marcelino deBetim’ after the place where he then resided, although he was just a temporary residence of thatplace.
From then on he came to be known as ‘Marcelino de Betim’ onthe tiatr circuit. Even though he has now settled with his family in his own house at AltoChicalim near Vasco, for the last couple of decades the name has come to stay. He is simplyMarcelino de Betim for one and all.
