The Veiga Coutinho family

The Veiga Coutinho are a well known Catholic family from Margao. The relation of the family to music was known, but it was the marriage of Manuel da Veiga Coutinho with his cousin Maria Luisa Alvares, which resulted in significant musical activity, especially in the domestic context , and gave them a very important place in the Catholic musical tradition of Goa. Their prestige and legacy, especiallly as a mando singer, is very well known in Goa and some of the youngest family members were crucial in the formation of Gavana, a group of music and dance which was created in Goa in 1988 and existed up to 2001, playing an important role in Goa, India and abroad.