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KITE CARNIVAL IN
GOA
A two-day Kite carnival got
underway at the scenic Vagator beach, just below the historic fort.The site has
been a favourite of bollywood and glimpses can even be seen in the blockbuster
film JOSH. Organized by the Nomad Heritage Travel in collaboration with the Goa
Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (GTDC) the festival has 18
international kite fliers and a good number of Indian enthusiasts.The kites are
not a square piece of coloured paper held stretched on bamboo
slivers.These kites feature a chinese dragon,a Teddy bear with a pot of
honey,birds and even a dog.What grabs your eye is a multicoloured
parachute-like kite that swirls around like a Mujra dancer's skirt.It looks
similiar to it ,too.The parachute is open at the center.
The theme of the Goa Kite
Carnival 2003 is "One sky,one world" and emphasizes the fact that kite flying
unites people. A little known fact outside Gujrat and Rajasthan is that
the vast majority of professional kite makers in India are muslims while kites
are flown mostly by hindus around Makara Sankranti ( the Indian Winter
Solstice ) when the sun exits the sign of Capricon (Makara).
Mikio Toki from Japan and Babu
Khan from Rajasthan(India) conducted aworkshop on kite making at 4P.M. in the
tastefully erected pendal.Hundred of kite enthusiasts in Goa will benefit from
the new ideas,designs and technology. Young artists from all art colleges
could be seen sketching the designs of the kites fluttering in the strong breeze
from the Arabian Sea in the early afternoon. There was foot-tapping music mixed
by leading DJs from India and abroad.Some tourists could be seen dancing on the
white sands,occassionally interupted by a wave that came up to meet
them.Tomorrow (19 January),Shivamani will be performing live from 7 P.M. at the
10 A.M.to 10P.m carnival.A good time to see the kites is around 3P.M. in the
afternoon.
This is the first time that the
kite festival has come to Goa by extending the Jodhpur-Jaipur-Agra circuit that
has been in existence for the last few years.Credit for this goes to Shailendra
Mehta ( Shailu to those of us who know him as activist of the Progressive
Student Union during the days of fee hikes) who has been a researcher and
tranlator for the Konkani Encyclopaedia at the Goa University, has done a stint
with Latin American Studies,taught Political Science at Fr.Agnelo College(at
Pilar,Goa),and now is promoting tourism through an agency appropriately named
Nomad Heritage Trust. This year the environmental focus is the Olive
Riddley turtles nesting site at Morjim beach,just across the Chapora river from
Vagator beach. Next year ( Yes,there is going to be a next year !) we hope to
get the coastal sand dunes and their vegetation in focus.They too are under
threat as a study conducted by the Botanical Society of Goa and funded by Goa's
Department of Science,Technology & Environment has revealed.Illegal sand
extraction by the builders and illegal razing of dunes by the beach resort
lobby will naturally receive attention of the people,if not the immediate
attention of the authorities.Even that will come. This year GTDC did not provide
waste bins but provided moblie urinals.Shopkeepers provided cardboard boxes to
serve as waste baskets.Next year the waste bins will be in place.Authorities may
be slow,in Goa they are not shameless. Vagator beach has broad roads that it did
not have two years back. The road signages in this village area are what Panaji
Municipal Council is yet to have for our capital city.They are coming soon.
Mapusa and Margao will then follow suitas they did with traffic
islands.
Miguel Braganza
Uncopyrighted .Feel free to use
in any publication.No byline needed.
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