ROCK ON By Patricia Ann Alvares Immersed in a myriad cultures and traditions, India is a land that reverberates to the sound of its festivals. Every month and particularly every season the vibrant tapestry of the Indian landscape plays host to a variety of fairs, fetes and feasts. In Goa it's no different. If anything it beats with more panache to a western rhythm.
Understandably, ever celebration is accompanied by its fair share of revelry and merry making. However, there are rumblings of discontent being expressed at the turn this merry making is taking. If in the past festivities were pursued with sanctimonious fervor - sacred, joyous and somber in content, today it is lamented that an elaborate commercialization is overriding the essence of these festivities. Fireworks spewing in acrimonious fumes, ear-splitting decibel levels and money splurged like confetti, rather than sanctity, has come to define them. They are big, they are loud and they are brash! "Money was always a defining factor", recalls Vrida Afonso, Margao. "In the days gone past, the rich could afford to lay it out more lavishly for any of their celebration, but it was classy and sophisticated. Today the very occasion is distastefully drowned out in a hail of rupees", she says with a tinge of disappointment. "Beset by a wanton pursuit of opulence, people want their celebrations to be larger than life, each trying to outdo the other", says another old timer Anthony Fernandes, Siolim. "Look at weddings itself today", he says, "the list of invitees stretches beyond 500, there's a lavish hall, mind-boggling décor, bands, give aways, table pieces, ultra lavish buffets, fanciful invites – the works. It's unfortunate that half of this is not even appreciated or remembered after a year and is a sheer waste of lakhs of rupees. Today no wedding goes without a wedding planner", he observes "In comparison our weddings in the past, were simple home grown affairs, conducted at the house with a pandal or matov constructed for the occasion with palm and banana leaves and fruits, the bridal couple very demure and lunch a simple affair of snacks and pulao and soft drinks and perhaps wine and feni. The general purpose of a reception was to felicitate the bride and groom. An average wedding cost us Rs. 3000 to Rs. 6000/-. Today, it's like a circus. A show put on to dazzle with nothing less than a lakh or two being spent.", he rues. "Blame it on the nouveau riche", explains Maria de Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodrigues, Librarian at the Central Library, Panjim, who has been documenting the changing trends in her various books. "Today its money power, change in lifestyles, time constraints, a growing awareness and easy availability unlike in the past", she says pointing to the changing face of Goa on all fronts. "In the absence of transport, people hardly commuted beyond their villages and eagerly awaited the village feast which was a big affair for them. Only the very rich could afford to socialize more often" she adds. "Today, even these feasts and fairs have assumed very fanciful proportions." In answer to the query whether traditions have taken a backseat to these elaborate and lavish celebrations Mrs. Rodrigues points out, "In my experience I have noticed that it is largely the Catholics who have diluted their customs, perhaps due to the cosmopolitan and western influences surrounding them. But the Hindus and other communities by and large still toe the traditional line." Denouncing this extravagant and frivolous expenditure another old timer speaks of change in the humble Ladainha, "The prayers and celebrations were simple and sincere followed by fellowship where we were served the traditional boiled gram and a sweet drink or feni. Not many women attended Ladainha back then. Today whilst the traditional prayers still continue, each house tries to outdo the other- the owners and houses equally decked up. Boiled gram is rarely served – rather it's a grand menu –cakes sweets savouries accompanied by an assortment of drinks" . Recalling Diwali celebrations during his youth S Dali says, "I remember my mother and aunts spending hours preparing all the sweets and other delicacies for the festival. We children were relegated to the happy task of making the Akashdeep. My father brought a hundred earthern divlis which we delighted in lighting in the open courtyard and around the house. Today in some homes only a symbolic divli is lit, the rest of the place is adorned with rice lights. Akashdeeps and sweetmeats are aplenty in the market place. Even the traditional Narkasur today wears the face of some popular movie star or the other, their make up elaborate and they all sway to a techno beat instead of the traditional drums. A few thousand rupees, which could have been used to help the poor, are instead burnt up in a single night. Unfortunately, now it's all about money and the bigger the banner the better." "Christmas faces a similar fate", laments Vrida Afonso. "We enjoyed making all the traditional sweets, lanterns, cribs and star at home. Sending and exchanging of consuada was important part of Xmas, which is hardly practiced now. Today all this can be purchased for a song. In fact the traditional sweets have taken a back seat to the new gourmet delights. Everything is so glitzy and hyped. Is there even joy in the dances we attend?" she asks. "For crying out loud, they'll have some belly dancer performing to entertain the tourists.", she says sickened by the cheap commercial gimmicks that have taken over. "Look at what a big commercial fiasco Carnival has become today. It's all about luring the tourists. Traditional festivities are overstepped, khell tiatrs have almost disappeared, the camaraderie and spontaneous fun of Carnival lost in the sponsored hype.". accuses teacher, Michelle Velho, Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, engagements are not spared this lavish opulence either. Theme parties with a whole crop of entertainers around the place – the dancers, the performers, the clowns, the acrobat, the balloon specialists, tattoo artist, mehendi artists, belly dancers – you name them, are in attendance. Exotic menus spelling Thai, Egyptian, Chinese, Italian and so on have nudged the Goan cuisine to the end of the tote card. Décor to match the cuisine – Egyptian or Arabian nights to name a few, cakes tower like that of Pisa. Music screams out in frenzied decibels from the latest techno sound boxes. The hosts and the guests are bedecked in the latest designer wear – nothing less will do. Spending so lavishly is hardly considered indecent. Children are demanding no less of their birthday parties either. "What happened to the simple parties of yore, where people chatted, joked, strummed a guitar and sang till morn, tucking into delicious home cooked food" wonder a few old timers. "In the elaborate set up now, one tends to get lost and feel lost in such parties" they all concur. In a far cry from the past, today apparently elaborate events are organized at the drop of a hat. An event planner will have the Wedding, Christmas, Diwali or Id festivals or any other event for that matter, planned and executed to the last detail. All it needs is to be weighted down by a hefty bag of moolah. To the younger folk however, though there is a shift in conventional celebrations, the traditional intent is loud and present. 'It's just that the means of celebrating have changed with changing lifestyles.' They claim. Rising incomes and greater awareness fostered by travelling, the TV, Internet, media, magazines and so forth have greatly influenced this change and made them more demanding and discerning. Its combined influence is felt in every arena of their lives – be it partying, staging events, a marriage, engagement, births, celebrating feasts and annual festivals. The small, simple and classy is overshadowed by a growing taste for the bold but not necessarily beautiful. "The changing trends have been largely influenced by a greater awareness of prevailing trends, more financial freedom and the accessibility of a wider variety in Goa itself. The demand is more stylish and lavish affairs" elaborates Martin Noronha, an event manager from Salcete. Concurring this, fashion designer Veena says "These youngsters know what they want and how they want it and money is not a criteria for them. Class consciousness is another important aspect that comes to bear in these decisions" she adds. In a society riddled by class consciousness, the manner of celebration is largely influenced by it. Even if it overruns a budget, just to 'fit in'. "What will people think if we don't" ask these big spenders, who will beg, borrow and steal if they have to. "We need to change with the changing times" clarify a few understanding elders. "We improved upon what our parents had in their days and in the same way our children are improvising and adding on. What cost a hundred rupees in our days, now costs a thousand. We can't expect things to remain status quo". Of course, we do step in if we think the traditional and religious fervor of the entire celebration will be lost in this elaborate get up" they hasten to add. Event managers are in agreement "Independent and contemporary as they may like to get, there is no fear that the young Goan folk will stray too far from the traditional. It is more the visiting tourists who demand the exotic and expensive", they say. On the popularity of hiring out venues for even a birthday party they explain "Earlier we held such parties in our big bungalows. Now most of the youngsters, particularly those in the urban areas, reside in cramped apartments. Secondly, with both spouses working time constraints are another downside. There are multiple benefits in holding them at a lawn or a club." Money does not necessarily spell class. The nouveau riche particularly will dole out wads of money for things and arrangements they know nothing about, leave along appreciating them. Rather, the deciding denominator is 'Keeping up with, or outdoing the Joneses.' Rich kids, Roanna and Pravin have decided to take a walk down the traditional path as they exchange their vows shortly. "It's not about the money" they aver "We want to keep it simple, quiet and beautiful. We want that memory as we turn back the pages of our wedding album twenty five years later" they clarify. Our festivals must be and so must the accompanying celebrations. It is the essence of us Indians and Goans. But as we do, we need to step back and question ourselves honestly about the veracity of such loud spending and merry making. Could it be done with a few rupees less or perhaps less elaborately and enjoyed with the same fervor? ------------ The article above appeared in GT Weekender on September 14, 2008 and is circulated with the writer's permission Patricia Alvares can be contacted at <patgeomar at yahoo dot co dot uk> ======