Mans Ryback is a musician, teacher and football trainer left for Sweden from an orphanage in Mumbai when he was 7 months old. According to his adoption papers, the record show that he was taken from Goa to the orphanage in Mumbai. He lived in Stockholm with his father, Rolf, who was a teacher and his mother Gerd, who worked in the post office. Mans reminisces a very good childhood, “I was certainly different from everybody else around me but it was not a problem. I had a lot of friends and it was great. Yes, there were a few comments but I was busy growing up and having a great time.”
He admitted that unlike other adopted kids who were interested in meeting their biological parents, Mans loved his parents too much to care. His father used to also work at an adoption centre and would visit India at least once a year in the 70s. That's how Mans interest in India grew. He had no connection to India in Sweden except for some documents. He visited India on five occasions with his father. He travelled across the length and breadth of the country from Delhi to Kerala. It was an experience that opened his eyes to the beauty of the country. Now, he is here on his seventh visit to the country with his wife. He has also visited it once with his children.
The last time he came to India, he spent time in Mumbai and met with the children in Govandi. He raised money for them and more recently, he took them in a bus to see the sights in Mumbai like the Museum, Gateway of India etc. His skill sets helped him achieve his goals.
When he came to Candolim this time, he met with Colin D’Cruz and became part of the music scene in the State. His entry into the world of music is quite interesting. He went to a music academy in Sweden where he tried various instruments. He took to the trombone to the surprise of his mother who thought the trumpet, a smaller instrument, would be ideal. He took to the trombone and became quite good at it. He thanks his parents who did not play any instrument but listened to a lot of music at home and in the car. His life as a musician was a side gig as he remained a teacher. Mans said, “My students would feel very bad for me because according to them, I did not know who my biological parents were but I had my parents with me which they did not understand.”
He wants to do something in Candolim similar to what he did in Mumbai offering his skills as a teacher, football trainer or a musician. That is the way he says he will be giving back something to India. He is contemplating staying for longer periods of time in Goa the next time he comes over. He said, “Sweden is very cold which is so different from India but that’s home for now. The last time I went home I was struck with a cold and fever. Let's see what happens this time”. The Sweden of today is very different from the Sweden of his childhood. With a right wing party in power, Mans is not perturbed. He says, “Sweden today has people from different cultures unlike in the past and it will be difficult for anything really untoward to happen.”
This time was also spent performing in gigs and earning a name for himself; perhaps, he will come the next time and continue searching for his roots in the state.