The Goa Government has rightly decided to reduce funding for the carnival.

Goa is the It is wrongly presumed to be a Christian festival before the period of lent and penance. It is the state that has exploited

This tradition continues by excessively allocating state resources to attract

The tourists give it an economic angle too. Therefore, it has succeeded.

fun in creating an image of fun

and street revelry. The festivities are promoted further by sponsoring

It is in major towns and

Goa's cities Along with the carnival, the otherwise quiet shigmo

The celebration received a shot in the arm. The Shigmo parade

It revives history by an artistic, elaborate display of mythical characters thus

conveying a pure message of culture, religion, and the tradition of

This has significant This custom and festival of sorts of merry-making has

albeit benefited the hotel industry, transport business, alcohol and

beverage manufacturers, traders, etc. It is perfectly justified.

Now is the time for the state to withdraw itself, limiting public funding and

Let the beneficiary foot the bill. Of course, care must be taken.

It is not completely commercialized and there is an element of

culture and entertainment in the right proportion. The prices of all

Daily commodities escalate to astronomical levels, affecting the

locals at the time. For some time, the Catholic church asked the

The faithful are to disassociate themselves with it as totally unchristian.

because of the vulgarity displayed, attracting and corrupting young people.

With the vices of drugs and alcohol. It was a damper for a while.



The original carnival was confined to villages only and mostly in

Goa. It was time for country plays to be staged in different villages.

Sometimes centralized through local contributions, the plays were staged.

For free at the residence of Regidor for censorship by the Portuguese government. The use of

Cocotes

The powder missiles (and a sprinkling of quality powder) were an annoyance to the people who used to dress up colorfully and go

On serenading, wearing masks, distributing sweets, collecting money by

sales. There was a festive atmosphere in the houses. To unmask the wearer,

The identity of individuals was a challenge enjoyed as fun. People flocked to this.

Country entertainment plays for 3 days and spreads into late

nights to control outside crowds. There were two famous dances in

In the south, Orlim and Navelim were huge draws and very popular.

attractions. The government capitalized it as "street tamasha" along the lines of

Carnival in Brazil is to exploit its potential for tourism purposes.

It thus corrupted the original tradition by drawing the villagers onto the

creating unprecedented traffic and crowding problems.

management. The reign of King Momo and his decree of 3 days of unrestricted

The merriment of food and drink was a small affair and limited to the city.

of Panjim. The state by highjacking people's simple, pure joy and

Merriment has injected the communal divide and portrayed it as the state.

festival and as having loose morals and dubious standards of living, where wine, women, and

And lasciviousness is the order of that season. The Streets

Junctions are colorfully decorated. A variety of masks and headgear are

on sale and are not of local origin or design. Carnaval is an exclusive western.

tradition magnified to give a Goan flavor to commercialize. Fancy dress

Competitions and khell are sponsored events at public cost. Khell is

performed on stages with sound systems, seating arrangements, and nothing more.

on the ground with crowds surrounding it in a circle. The artists

The band, including the band leader, traveled on foot and even cooked food in the city.


I hope it will revert to what it was as a people.

It is a festival without interference and exploitation, as it was before.

Carnaval, now with floats on the streets, is aping Brazil, having uprooted

It from village origins to main towns and cities

and commercialized it by drawing hordes of spectators on the streets, creating

Traffic chaos, accidents, etc.


Article by Nelson Lopes Chinchinim

 

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