There are so many different facets of Goa that one can learn
about by attending a fest
that is organised by the people. However, while many are part of the organising
committee, there is still a need for a strong leader; with his expertise and
experience, Marius Fernandes is the man for the job. Originally from Divar, the
‘festakar’ of Goa has singlehandedly brought about a change in the way
festivals are organised here. After a short visit to the United Kingdom, Marius
is back where his heart belongs. “We have a very strong culture; give us music,
food and tiatr and we will go for it. We started crowdfunding events 17 years
ago, before even the word was around, with people giving different goods to
make a festival a success,” says Marius.
The first fest that was organised on
returning to Goa was the ‘Mudansachem Fest’, which means celebrating vacations.
The fest was held on May 1, 2019 at NV Eco Farms, run by Smita and Mahesh
Patil. “The response was great as there were around 200 people who travelled to
Dharbandora, especially as the event was only announced on Facebook. This
couple has created a beautiful space with a butterfly park and astral garden.
The guests were even treated with ‘nero’ (cashew juice) and learnt about the
distilling of ‘urrack’ and ‘feni’. These festivals are more about networking
and learning about Goa and Goan ways,” he explains.
He further adds, “Mudansachem Fest was the
start of a change of series of festivals for the whole year, which have already
been planned. May 5 will be the ‘Bailanchem Fest’ in Mardol followed by the
‘Burgeanchem Fest’ in Divar on May 7, 8 and 9, ‘Divadechim Pasoi’ on May 17 in
Divar and the ‘Ambeachem Fest’ in Valpoi on May 14, 2019. I want to take the
festivals to the villages. The farm in Valpoi has 43 different types of mango
trees from Brazil, Guatemala, Israel, Indonesia and Thailand. We plan to show
the process of grafting mango trees besides various other demonstrations based
on mangoes.”
When questioned about the lull of fests in his absence and what
is lacking in the organising of such people’s events, Marius replies, “There
were nearly 50 festivals that were planned before I left Goa. But I feel that
the trust deficient is one of the main reasons. You have to be genuine and work
without the support of money. You have to be good at networking, volunteering
and constantly travelling to different places in Goa. There should be a connect
with people in the spheres of music, tiatr and football and various other
aspects of Goan life to bring an event together.”
To
conclude, he says, “People are very happy and confident that I am back home and
they want to do festivals in their villages. This will be a new experience.”
