The people of the
village of Carmona in South Goa celebrated all things Goan is a festive way on
August 15, 2014. It is perhaps a coincidence that churches in both villages
have been named after ‘Our Lady of Socorro’, but what started as a novel
concept in Socorro was carried over to Carmona by the then Socorro Parish
Priest , Fr Agnelo Rodrigues, now posted at Carmona.
“‘Ekvottacho Dis’
conceived two years ago is in keeping with the purpose of bringing Goan people
of all faiths together as a community to develop our talents and promote our
heritage,” affirmed Romeo Telles, Secretary, Church Parish Council. “There are
no competitions, no sponsorships and no chief guests. The only aim is to get
together and have fun. All the services are voluntary and everything is on the
house,” he reiterated.
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The event focused on
traditional celebrations in an eco-friendly way. “There were no plastics, only
eco and traditional materials like ‘patrawadi’ (leaf plates) and ‘kottio’
(coconut shells) and small leaf-sewn bowls. The idea was not only to maintain a
garbage free environment, but also teach the new generation the traditions and
skills of the past,” explained Telles.
For ease of
administration, the entire village was divided into seven groups. Each group
cooked its portion of Goan ‘xit codi’, ‘bhendiachem codi’, prawns, masala fried
mackerels and a slew of other traditionally Goan dishes. Housed in small
‘homtis’ (huts) again devised by each vaddo, the décor lent itself to the
eco-theme. Popular old Konkani and Hindi songs, as well as the Dekhni and
Mando/dulpods, staged by each vaddo added to the festive celebrations, as
groups kept up the colour code, dressing in similar tones; some wore the
flower-bedecked ‘kopel’ and others the hand bands. There were no mere
spectators. Everyone joined in with a pair of ‘kottios’ to keep pace with the
musicians.
Taking the concept a
step further, ‘Ekvottacho Dis’ focused on traditional games. “This year we
organised the ‘mittianim’, ‘longdi’, ‘lopeannim’ (7 tiles), tug of war, ‘moll’
making (mats made from coconut leaf weaving), among others. There were separate
games for men, women and children and a mix as well. The idea behind this is to
revive and showcase the old games to the younger generation,” elucidated
Telles.
