Remo Fernandes
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2015: Verbal abuse case
The Times of India Dec 23 2015
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Goa's iconic pop star and Padma Shri awardee Remo Fernandes is a Portuguese citizen, the Goa police have discovered in the course of investigations into allegations that he verbally abused a minor girl who suffered injuries in a car accident caused by his son.
The Goa police on Tuesday said Remo had obtained a mo had obtained a Portuguese passport, but did not mention when the singer became a foreign national.
The Agasaim police has sent the second summons is sued to him to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Panaji, with a request that it be forwarded to the Indian embassy in Lisbon to be served on Remo in Portugal. The Agasaimpo lice is probing the alleged verbal abuse of a minor girl at the Goa medical college (GMC) and hospital, where she was admitted after being knocked down by a vehicle driven by Ren mo's son Jonah DelalayeFernandes on December 1.
Remo, who is currently in Europe, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.
TOI had first written about Goans rushing in to obtain Portuguese nationality by surrendering their Indian passports in order to find jobs in Europe, especially in the UK. This year itself, up to August, an average of nine Goans a day surrendered their Indian passports. A Portuguese passport entails visa-free entry to 172 countries, and easier access to high-paying employment. Many Goans, who now hold a Portuguese passport, get better paid than other Indian nationals abroad. A Portuguese passport consultant estimates there are over two lakh Goans living in Goa, who have got their births transcribed in the Conservatoria dos RegistosCentrais (Central Registry of Births) in Lisbon
2026: ends 6-decade concert career
Lisa.Monteiro, August 5, 2026: The Times of India
Panaji: A guitar. A high chair. A final bow. Remo Fernandes fuelled his career with restless energy, cross-language hits and a stage presence that couldn’t sit still. His closing act came sitting down.
Indian pop-rock’s road warrior called time on his concert career at 73 and ended a 6-decade run with a live performance in London, saying he could no longer give audiences “100%” of himself.
Known for prowling every inch of a stage, Remo sang Sunday night’s show at a UK-Goan festival seated on a high chair, delivering favourites in English, Konkani, Portuguese, Hindi and French. The audience responded with thunderous applause, singing along to “Humma Humma”, “O Meri Munni”, “Maria Pitache” and even requesting “Pyaar To Hona Hi Thaa”.
“I’m used to moving around the stage. It was extremely constricting and limiting doing a show sitting on a high chair. Besides, in that crouching position, my lungs felt restricted for singing,” he told TOI over the phone from UK.
The Padma Shri recipient said he would not continue with seated performances. “I feel I’ll be cheating on my audience and myself if I’m not able to give 100% of myself.”
Remo said a mild stroke after his third Covid vaccination affected movement of his fingers. Persistent vertigo, worsened by a fall that required surgery, has left doctors advising him against performing standing up because of the risk of another fall.
Calling time on live concerts leaves him with mixed emotions. “On the one hand, I’m happy as I’m tired of performing... on the other hand, I guess I’ll miss it sometimes.”
His journey began at age 5 in then Portuguese-governed Goa, singing a Portuguese waltz with a banjo in Panaji. By 14, he was writing love songs. Architecture studies in Mumbai led to Indo-Western experimentation before hitchhiking across Europe and North Africa, busking, writing songs and poems, and eventually returning to Goa.
Remo went on to become one of India’s biggest-selling rock musicians before crossing into Hindi pop and film music, earning gold, platinum and double-platinum records, winning international honours and sharing stages with Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu and Eurythmics.
Now dividing his time between Portugal and Goa, he says there is no new project on the horizon after completing his autobiography and an opera on Mother Teresa. Instead, he hopes to spend his days reading, travelling and watching films. “Goa is home, however spoiled it is... my home in Siolim keeps bringing me back.”
No farewell tour. No curtain call stretched out over months. Just one final concert in London. Remo played his last live set. His music still soared. His feet stayed still.
