Goans have innate talent to create beautiful things which requires time and patience and of course a way to get it out in a market to reach a wider audience. While some Goans find it easy to get over their stage fright and talk to their customers and clients, others need the much required push to showcase their skills.
Villages in Goa are now encouraging their
residents to be proud of their creativity and bring it out on display and sale
at weekly markets organised in the village itself. Saligao has been first to
bring out this unique market which was a product of ‘Vangodd de Saligao,’
festival that celebrated the life of Saligao through music, dance, culture and
tradition. Since 2019, they kept the market running through irregular breaks
due to the Covid pandemic. Their last market was in March this year and now they
are back to opening the first market of the season, ‘Made in Saligao’ Market
today, November 8 at Saligao Institute, behind Cantare Restaurant from 4.30 pm
to 8 pm.
A member of the core committee, Emera Remedios explains the
concept, “The market is for local vendors from Saligao who have handmade and
made at home products for sale. We wanted to promote their works. The stalls
will include Goan dishes, sweets, terracotta arts, and various items. Three
years after opening our first market, this season we will open with almost 20
stalls and some new vendors too. The market has the participation of villagers
right from college students to retired professionals and homemakers,” says
Emera.
Goans can enjoy sorpotel with sanna while browsing through
stalls selling unique handicrafts items like crochet accessories, macrame,
soaps, candles, decoupage, woodcraft items, baby clothes, home accessories,
plants and fresh local seasonal produce. The evening will include music by
Agnelo Fernandes.
“The market has grown over the years. Initially, it was
difficult to convince the villagers to display their products. But now, they
are confident to engage with their clients and talk to customers and they are
also promoting their products online. Whoever is not very tech savvy, we help
them for online promotions,” adds Emera.
With the recently held Matiechem Fest, the villagers of Pilerne
are brimming with new energy. They will be starting their weekly market on
Thursday but the launch of the market will be held on Sunday, November 13 on
the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Piety at St. John the Baptist Church,
Pilerne from 10 am onwards. The launch will include workshops, live demos, live
food stations, creche for children, live music and jam up, art, theatre
performances etc.
The list of refreshing drinks include tender coconut water,
fresh kokum juices, tea and coffee and Goan bites like bangdo fish cutlets,
beef potato chops, beef patties. “This is an outcome of the Matiechem Fest as
the villagers were happy with the response at the Fest. We hope to continue
with the weekly market every Thursday,” says Fr Derrick Fernandes, parish
priest of St John the Baptist Church, Pilerne.
Festakar Marius Fernandes who organised the fest with the
villagers of Pilerne feels that there has to be a positive approach after the
success of a fest. “We have to empower them for more in the village. Now, 15
families have come forward for the Pilerne Heritage Market organised by Pilerne
Arts Socio Cultural Association which is a zero waste market. Shoppers will
have to visit with their own cutlery to cut down on litter,” says Marius.
From cloth bags, heritage Goan sweets, eco friendly home decor
and Christmas decor, artistic creations from Vaibhav Salgaonkar, ornamental
plants, home made chemical free soaps from beewax and candles, there is so much
more from the hands of Pilernkars.
In October this year, the villagers of Nuvem participated in
Nuvemkaranchim Girestkai, a pop-up bazaar organised by the Apostolic group of
the Jesus Mary and Jose Church, Nuvem in the school compound of Mae Dos Pobres
High School, Nuvem. The idea of the Pop-Up bazaar was to provide a platform to
the villagers of Nuvem to display and market their skills and passion through
their handmade and locally produced items. Around 70 villagers displayed their
items in 40 stalls at the venue. It had a variety of display like locally
produced and grown items like vegetables, fruits, vinegar, coconuts and coconut
oil, juices, homemade sweets and savories, handmade artworks and flowers,
plants and saplings, hand stitched clothes, bags, etc.
Fr
Myron Barreto, Animator of the Apostolic Group was overwhelmed with the
response that the market received. “The response was very good. We had a
meeting at the Apostolic group of the Jesus Mary and Jose Church, Nuvem to
organise the market and the programme was announced on three Sundays for the
villagers to book their stalls. There were 40 stalls at the venue and the
people were so happy to be a part of the market. We are hoping to organise another
market but it is still in its initial planning stage,” says Fr Myron.