Vishnu Surya Wagh

Vishnu Surya Wagh’s full name is Vishnu Surya Naik Wagh. He was an Indian writer, dramatist, poet, politician, management consultant, journalist, and trainer. He was born on July 24, 1964. His birthplace is Dongri village in Tiswadi, Goa. His mother is Indu Wagh, while his father is Surya Wagh. He had three siblings, namely Smita, Ramrao, and Jyotsna. He married Sharmila Rao in 1989, with whom he had two children. After their divorce in 2006, Vishnu Surya Wagh married Aruna Chodankar, with whom he had two sons, Gangasurya and Priyadarshan.

Vishnu Surya Wagh won a rank in his tenth board examination and then went to study Science at MES’s Vasant Joshi College of Arts and Commerce. He also signed up at the Municipal Library. He began writing & directing one-act plays. During these days, he ventured into journalism, dramas, poetry, drawing caricatures, and elocution. He completed a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Chemistry & Zoology at the Dhempe College of Arts and Science. Then, he took a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Biochemistry from Goa University. He took responsibility & shifted to journalism in his second year after his father died in 1987.

Vishnu Surya Wagh used to read all the books that his father had in the house. He was significantly influenced by writers such as Kanetkar, Khadilkar, and Gadkari. He regularly visited the local library. The librarian advised him on the choice of books to read and borrow. He got access to Shringarik literature and mystery novels. He used to read those books sitting in the attic (malo) of his home. Later, Vishnu Surya Wagh became a Panch at their Village Panchayat. He reopened the library that was closed before he became a Panch. In Ponda, he spent a lot of time with his friends and relatives.

As a child artist, Vishnu Surya Wagh acted in several dramas under the guidance of his father, Surya Wagh. His father also acted in his Marathi theatre group, Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal. He used to perform famous mythological characters like Rama and Krishna in Dhalo performances. He learned Ramdas’ ovya (verses) and could recite it perfectly. He also learned the whole art of Kirtan from Valimbe Kirtankar.

He had been involved in the socio-cultural field for several years. He started his career by joining an English publication, “Newslink,” of the Tarun Bharat group and then joined the Tarun Bharat team in Belgaum. He wrote twenty plays in Marathi, three sangeet nataks, eighteen Konkani plays, and sixteen one-act plays. He directed over fifty plays in Marathi and Konkani. Also, he has written six volumes of poetry. His poem “Shahar Ani Ganv” was featured in the class eleventh Marathi textbook of the Maharastra Board of Education. He also received several awards, including the Bakibar Borkar Award in Mumbai (2003), the Yashwantrao Chavan Award in Pune, the Kala Academy Award, the Gomantak Marathi Academy Award, the Goa Ratna Award, etc.

Vishnu Surya Wagh’s political career started in the 1990s with the MGP and Shiv Sena. After fourteen years as a former general secretary & spokesperson of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, he joined the Bhartiya Janata Party on October 30, 2011. He won the Goa Legislative Assembly election in 2012. He died on February 8, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa.