This weekend Panjim will witness the Shobha yatra as part of the Shigmo celebrations which will make a welcome return after two years. This is after two years when the Covid virus spread and caused a great deal of pain and sorrow.
Sunil Naik the man who helped restart Shigmo in 1989 said the decision to not hold the program over the past two years was taken out of concern for the wellbeing of the general population. This year he said he did not know what to expect fifteen to twenty floats along with six to seven mels meaning authentic traditional dances which were popular in the traditional areas. He said it was important to promote the folk traditional dances which were practiced in the village. He said this year folk arts like Fugdi, Gholf Modni and Jagor to name a few would be showcased. Sunil said “We want the people of the city to know how Goans in the villages live. I am proud to say we are the only Samiti, i.e. the Panaji Shigmotsav Samiti which conducts it every year without any problems. One has to only look at Samitis set up in Mapusa, Vasco which have been set up with the government’s help to realize the kind of problems they have.”
Entertainment will commence on March 23 and will continue through 24, 25, 26 and 27. When asked if there would be anything special this year he said the format of celebration would be the same. He said on March 26 at 4 p.m., the Shobha Yatra (parade) would start from Caculo Island to Azad Maidan via 18th June Road. The main part of the Shigmo festival i.e. the procession would begin at 4.30 p.m. and conclude by approximately 10 p.m.
He said the backdrop at Azad maidan where the celebrations would be held would be spectacular and no other samiti in the state would be able to manage anything similar. In addition he said the lighting from the Caculo island to Azad maidan would be spectacular.
One can only hope it all goes ahead smoothly and everyone enjoys themselves
