Karsten Miranda
Goa Yuva Mahotsav aims at preserving the
identity of Goa and promoting the Konkani language. The event is a two-day
annual youth festival that is being organised by Konkani Bhasha Mandal since
1994. The organisers feel that their efforts have gone in the right direction.
Participation has increased from 300 in 1994 to 10,000. The mahotsav has
produced activists, who are part of important social movements in Goa such as the
Goa Bachao Abhiyan, Movement on Medium of Instruction and Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan.
The organisers are now reaching out to more youngsters and connecting them
through social media.
This year, the stage is set for the 23rd
edition of the festival, to be held at Nirakar Grounds, Dapot, Mashem, Canacona
on January 20 and 21, 2018. A total of 32 groups, including colleges and clubs,
are participating in the two-day event, wherein the participating teams will
take part in 14 different competitions. “The total number of participants for
the mahotsav is over 2,500, with a viewership of over 10,000 people,”
says Chetan Acharya, President, Konkani Basha Mandal.
The festival was first hosted in 1994 in
Margao; after being held there for five editions, the organisers took it to
other parts of the state to widen its reach. "We observed that there was
no common platform for the youth to showcase their talent and creativity, so
this festival was started in 1994. Since then, we have taken the festival to
all the talukas of the state. The reach is getting wider and wider," adds
Acharya.
This edition is being organised in
collaboration with Shri Nirakar Education Society, Mashem. Aakar, Poiguinim,
Omkar Khel and Sanskrutik Mandal and Aavishkar, Canacona are also assisting in
the organisation. The mahotsav is being organised in the silver jubilee
year of Shri Nirakar Education Society’s S S Angle Higher secondary School.
Prashant Naik is the Chairman of the
reception committee. Naik had played an important role in founding the concept
of Goa Yuva Mahotsav 23 years ago and continues to be its backbone till date.
He is the Chairman of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao as well as the Chairman of Shri
Nirakar Education Society. He was the former president of Konkani Bhasha
Mandal.
"The festival is being held in the
silver jubilee year of the Shri Nirakar Education Society's S S Angle Higher
Secondary School. I ensure wholehearted support for the festival and will
strive to make it successful this year," he vows.
Samresh Vaigankar is the working
president of the mahotsav while Shailendra Vernekar is the chief
coordinator and Rajesh Pagi the Secretary.
"Through this festival, we try to
give a different perspective to the issues pertaining to Goa by allowing youth
participation through events such as skits, paintings, street plays, etc. We
have created the activists who have, time and again, fought for the genuine
causes of Goa," says Acharya.
Adding about how the festival has grown, the organiders point out that
the intention was to not limit it to Konkani; hence they also use Marathi and
English while hosting.
The entire venue of the mahotsav is
named after social activist Amrut Kansar. The main stage of the mahotsav has
been named after Konkani activist Babay Verenkar whereas the entrance is named
after local artist Datta Pagi. The second stage is named after young local
artist Milind Mhalshi. The street play square has been named after Konkani
activist Sanjeev Prabhudesai and Faski competition gallery has been named after
social activist Satish Sonak.
The mahotsav will be inaugurated
at 10 am on January 20 at the hands of Amitav Bhattacharya, Founder of Banglanatak
dot com. The concluding ceremony will be held on January 21 at 5:30 pm.
Ajay Lolayenkar, Sarpanch of Lolaye Pole Panchayat will be the Chief Guest.
The second day of the festival will see
an interview of lyricist and writer Saiesh Panandikar and art director Abhijit
Gaonkar. Dilip Prabhudesai and Barkha Naik will interview them.
The topper will get a cash prize of Rs 25,000 whereas the runner up will take away Rs 20,000 as prize money. Besides this, the winners in the 13 different individual competitions will get Rs 2,000, Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000 as prizes for first, second and third prize.