Hi,
Greetings from Goa Chitra. Kindly publish the attached press note in your esteemed News paper with regard to the “Annual harvest celebration” at Goa Chitra held to commemorate World Food Day. Thank you for your continuous support. With best regards, Victor Hugo Gomes www.goachitra.com Press Note HARVEST CELEBRATIONS at GOA CHITRA On World Food Day World Food Day celebrated globally on 16th of Oct brings to fore issues related to our own xetcamoti and the state of agriculture in Goa today. The Food & Agriculture Organization [FAO of UN] theme for World Food Day 2012 is “Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” . It has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger. Interest in cooperatives and rural organizations is also reflected in the decision of the UN General Assembly to designate 2012 “International Year of Cooperatives.” With a dual purpose of reviving traditions and educating while having fun; Goa Chitra celebrated World Food Day with their harvest. Harvest is a time of celebration, for mother earth is fertile with bounty, for humans remember that it is the red soil that gives them food and we need to give thanks. Thus as an annual feature; this day marks the hard work of the farmers who toils our land to produce the grains on our table. Members and friends of Goa Chitra, of all ages and from all walks of life were invited to work side by side with the xetcamoti. The idea prompted by the curator of the museum Mr. Victor Hugo Gomes is to create an appreciation of traditions in a set up that is holistic. “We never realize how much efforts go before the rice grain reaches the shelves of supermarkets and finally on our dining table” explains Mr. Victor Hugo Gomes with a sickle in hand while beating the harsh sun rays. It is difficult work but very satisfying he continues, “Threshing alongside the xetcamoti helps not only our children but also their parents to value farming and somewhere it also gives an opportunity to our young children to appreciate their agrarian roots”. The day began early as enthusiastic parents and their children alongside the xetcamoti bent over with their sickles to cut the ripe stalk of grain for harvest and mark the significance of solidarity of struggle against hunger. Mothers were seen helping their children while Jude’s five piece brass band churned tunes of encouragement to motivate the enthusiastic young and novice farmers to dare the hot sun. For academician Mrs. Theresa Almeida spending time in such an environment is rewarding. “Such an enriching experience this is for the kids” she opined with Dr. Belinda Veigas Muller nodding in agreement. With traditional snacks and traditional juices being served, the harvesting continued with a short break for traditional pez (kanji) served in a podggo with crunchy pickled mangoes and dry fish (karem). The freshly harvested rice corn was brought to the threshing yard where it was threshed using a manual threshing machine and by the traditional threshing method. Activist Jayesh Raut could not help himself, and took the modkul (threshing stick) from the farmers to thresh and commented “I kept myself free this afternoon so I could be part of this experience”. Architect Parvesh Sardesai and Dr Neha A. Khadpe were seen guiding their children thresh the paddy on a manual threshing machine. For Parvesh such an experience brought back memories of the past, which she considers it of great importance to pass it on to her children. She adds “In a time when the world is combating the conflicts of contemporary living, such an experience is morally educative and enriching.” For Dr Neha A. Khadpe “this efforts to keep alive traditions is commendable” Following the process of threshing was winnowing, and then followed by traditional parboiling of previously harvested paddy. The afternoon kept getting interesting for the guests, who was were made to gather around a huge Tawa for the traditional smoking of mackerels on harvested hay, with binda solam and green chilies. Mr. Sanjit Rodriques could not help relive his childhood memories as he was seen explaining to his daughter the delights of such cuisine. The hard day labour was well rewarded with the guest being served authentic goan culinary treats. A community effort orchestrated by Aldina Gomes, Director of Goa Chitra, the buffet consisted of ukde tandol( boiled rice), samarachi kodi with dry prawns , chicken xacuti, shark amotik, roasted meats, pumkin baji and attol. For all the guests, the efforts of toiling and threshing were worth the food! The celebration ended with guests singing folk songs with Robert Vaz and architect Carlos Gracias on Guitars. END