Team Herald
CALANGUTE: Chaotic scenes and a massive traffic jam marked the Calangute ‘Shigmotsav’ held on Thursday evening. With some of the float groups yet to begin their act even at 10pm, the parade was expected to stretch late into the night.
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The Shigmo parade, held in Calangute after a gap of eight years, saw tableau and floats on mythological figures, Maratha King Shivaji, folk dances and children in fancy dresses, besides music groups.
The parade, slated to start near the Shri Murlidhar Mandap, Naikawaddo, at 4 pm, got off around 6pm, with participating artistes moving to the beats of the tash-dhol and other traditional instruments to the Baga circle and Calangute Association ground via the market junction, completely disrupting traffic on the busy beach road.
Residents going to the market and tourists going to the beach were stuck in traffic for more than an hour, holding back the participating groups. Organisers said with many of the groups yet to even start at 10 pm, the parade which was to culminate with a music entertainment show at the old football ground featuring 35 artistes, was expected to wind up only in the early morning hours.
Competition prizes were to be given for chitrarath, romtamel, folk dance, fancy dress and a rangoli contest which was held earlier in the day at the Shree Shantadurga Devasthan. The parade was organised by the Calangute Shigmotsav Committee in association with the Tourism Department.
