In a gesture that showed the true spirit
of sportsmanship, the runners up team of the 20th Goa Yuva Mahotsav, Antruj
Ghudyo walked on the stage cheering for the winning team, Government College,
Quepem (GCQ), as the pleasantly surprised team of GCQ acknowledged this
spontaneous gesture. What won at the 20th Goa Yuva Mahotsav was this very
spirit which was evident throughout the two-day festival that saw 46 teams
battling out for the top spot. The festival is the annual event of Konkani
Bhasha Mandal, Goa, being organised for the last 20 years. This year, it was
organised at Peddem Grounds, Mapusa in collaboration with Rotaract Club of
Mapusa.
The two days of festivities saw
altogether 13 competitions covering a wide spectrum of activities including
folk dance, street play, painting, solo singing, trio, shooting, quiz, Kavan
kaljatle (interpreting poetry), Mustayaki (Mr and Miss Yuva Mahotsav), debate,
drama, etc.
While the judges had a tough time
deciding the winners, participants had a gala time to the beats of traditional
Dhol and Tashe. The festival saw direct participation of more than 2,000
youngsters while more than 5,000 people witnessed the festival and its
grandeur.
“The festival has grown over the last
several years and those who once were participants are now organisers. This
itself is the biggest success of Yuva Mahotsav,” says Ulhas Gaonkar, working
President of the festival. For Gaonkar, the title of working president is a
reward for his constant silent support. In fact, the festival has always
honoured its silent workers and this is proven from the list of working
presidents, some of whom have never been on stage but have been the biggest
backbones of the event.
“This festival is a platform for making
new friends. It may be in a competitive form but its intention was never
winning. We want to inculcate the Goan identity amongst our youth and we have
been doing so for the last 20 years. Any art form is always a better medium to
pass on the message to the youth than direct preaching,” says Chetan Acharya,
President of Konkani Bhasha Mandal.
Considering the increasing number of
participants, the discipline part of any festival is an obvious worry. However,
from last year, organisers have devised a code for the participants and the
participating teams have wholeheartedly accepted the same. The vow they take at
the beginning of the festival hand in hand is an ideal example of unity shown
at the festival.
The festival also felicitates a team
that has shown the best discipline and has helped the organisers to conduct the
festival smoothly. This year, CES College, Cuncolim were adjudged the best
discipline group. What won this year at the festival was the festival itself.
20 years have seen a lot of changes and additions. The Mahotsav has grown from
10 teams to 50. What is unchanged is the belongingness of the youth towards
this festival – the reason why it is growing every year in leaps and bounds.
