[Goanet]VIVA CARNIVAL.

[karla]

Carnival was celebrated with great pomp and revelry this evening in Panjim 
along the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg on the Mandovi River front. The Real 
Enterprises float designed by Francisco "Funkito" Martins, the Maggi cubes 
float and the Hero Eterno floats were good examples of commerce mixed with 
pleasure. The ING Vysya Life Insurance[ not Bank , as I had erroneously 
written yesterday] , Kingfisher and RIM floats by the event sponsors were 
great. There was even a power para-glider for RIM.

The atmosphere was very informal and the cops were restrained rather than 
swaggering as was they would  normally be. Children and adults came onto the 
street from the wide promedade to interact with the revellers, click 
photographs and enjoy themselves. That is the carnival spirit.

Matanhy Saldanha, the former Tourism Minister, Elvis Gomes, the recently 
appointed Director of Tourism and the Carnival Committee led by Mr.Tellis 
need to be given credit for choreographing a wonderful event[ Even though 
Matanhy is no longer a Minister, the floats had his silent foot-fall frozen 
as in wet concrete, now dried up and solid] The fusion of the romta-mell, 
tonya-mell and ghodde- modni gave the carnival a local flavour[ though Rui 
Ferreira will vehemently disagree with me on this count.]

Those of you who do not live in Goa, and will not see the floats at 
Margao[6/2],Vasco[7/2] or Mapusa[8/2], can go to www.vivacarnival.com and 
see the pictures. If you live in other parts of India, watch NDTV news. 
Frankey Fernandes was there to freeze the frames for you and the OB van was 
stationed near the jetty.

Viva Carnival
Miguel