Querobina Costa Carvalho Passes Away –The Comedy Queen of Konkani Stage Bids Her Final Farewell
Querobina Costa Carvalho, one of the most loved and multi-talented tiatr artistes, popularly known as the Comedy Queen of the Konkani stage, passed away on Thursday morning. She was 65. Her remarkable journey through the world of tiatr left an indelible mark on Goan and Konkani theatre.

Born on 24th October 1959 in Majorda, Goa, to Andrew Carvalho and Arcanjela Fernandes, Querobina came from humble beginnings. Her artistic journey began at the age of eight, when she sang a solo at a school event—a performance that earned her accolades and set the stage for her future. Encouraged by her uncle Agnelo Carvalho, she began singing duets in local tiatrs across villages like Majorda, Madel, Ambaji, and Betalbatim.

Her first major break came when Jose Mario Pereira offered her a role in a folk play aired on All India Radio, alongside renowned artists A.M. Pacheco and Peter D’Costa. Impressed by her performance, Pacheco cast her in two of his non-stop plays, Mr. Romeo and Odruxtt.

Querobina made her professional stage debut in Nelson Afonso’s Asro, performed on a revolving stage with a new cast. Her career soared with a 12-year collaboration with Patrick Dourado, where she starred in shows like Patok, Soth, Dev Borem Korum, and Ostori. It was
in Ostori that she played a comedic role for the first time, earning her the title Comedy Queen from stage contractors Seby and Albert.

She performed with legends such as C. Alvares, M. Boyer, Bab Peter, Jose Rod, and Prince Jacob, including a tour in London. Later, she moved to Kuwait in search of better opportunities but continued performing, contributing to tiatr even while abroad. She also acted in Bahrain and was felicitated in both countries for her performances.

Querobina produced two audio CDs (Dhinvas, Tragedy Queen) and two VCDs (Dukham, Tin Rukh). Her last known performance was in Zonvar by Jose-Evon.

Anthony Barbosa, President of the Tiatr Academy of Goa, expressed his deep condolences, stating:“Tiatr has lost one of its legends. She was a multi-talented artist who won the hearts of tiatr lovers with her exceptional talent. She was rightly called the Comedy Queen of the
Konkani stage.”

Marcos Gonsalves, Vice-President, TAG and Arnaldo Costa, President of Non-Stop Tiatrist and Tiatristanchi Sonvstha, also extended his condolences on behalf of the entire tiatr fraternity.

-Carlos Fernandes
Member Secretary, TAG