-- Samir Umarye BICHOLIM MARCH 24: Shigmo<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Shigmo>is the most colourful festival that is celebrated by the Hindus irrespective of caste and tribe. However, in Bicholim<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Bicholim>and Ponda <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Ponda> talukas, there are some villages where Muslims too take part in the festival since the pre-Portuguese era.
Surla village today has witnessed the tradition expressing the communal harmony wherein the Muslims took part in the festival along with the Hindus. The five-day long festival of Shigmo in Surla of Bicholim every year as per tradition does not conclude unless the villagers offer their gratitude to the Pir-Saheb (the pious saint) and the mosque built by the Adilshah of Bijapur. The folk artists who are busy involved in performing various folk dances and reciting folksongs for five days assemble at Tarir in Surla and perform the folkdance called Bhovartalo. This year 24 pairs of folk artists gather and perform the folk dance on the beat of Kansale (two big gongs made of bronze) on the tune of song - Chal zau chal zau Pirache bhetik/Pir bhetla Ardhe vatek/Pir devachi thor thor namana (Let us go to meet Pir/The Pir met on the half way/God Pir has the big name). The Pirs are the pious Muslim saints who were responsible for bridging the gap between the Hindus and Muslims. In Ponda and Bicholim talukas Hindu villagers give the formal invitation to the Pir in a procession accompanied by the musical instruments like ghumat, shamel and kansale. In Surla, the members of Muzawar family make it a point to attend the last day of Shigmo and take part in the ritual performed at the mosque and the shrine dedicated to the Pir Saheb. Hasan Shaikh Muzawar<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Hasan%20Shaikh%20Muzawar>, 65 years of age from Tarir-Surla says, "We along with the Hindu brethren of Surla have maintained this age old tradition inherited from our ancestors. When I break up coconut and distribute pieces of copra to the Hindu folk artists after Bhovartalo is over we felt happy." Pradeep Amonkar, 40 years of age, local folklorist from Surla says, "Pir is the affiliated deity of Sidhdeshwar, the presiding deity of our village. After celebrating Shigmo for five days it concludes at the shrine of Pir Saheb only after performing Bhovartalo. (ToI)
