No reason is required to celebrate the pulpy yellow
mango but when the season is right and the produce is in abundance, it surely
makes for a Mango Festival. The Zero Waste and Inclusive Mango Festival will be
held at Caculo Mall in Panjim on April 29 and 30 from 11 am onwards. The
festival will feature a range of activities and events that cater to people of
all ages. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a mango
grafting workshop and learn about the art of growing mango trees. There will
also be a sale of mango samplings, which will offer visitors the chance to
taste and buy a variety of different mangoes.
Curator of the Mango Festival, Festakar Marius
Fernandes says that this is a wake-up call to save the different varieties of
mangoes available only in Goa. “Beside the three main varieties of Mancurad,
Fernando and Mussarat mangoes, the other varieties are on a decline. Nearly 75
percent of these mangoes are disappearing due to development leading to the
cutting of century old trees and shortage of space to grow the mango trees whose
branches spread outwards. There are so many wonderful varieties that were named
after the surnames of the original owners like Bishop, Culas, Fernandin,
Furtad, Nicolau Afonso, Carreira and some even named after saints like Xavier
and Sant Anton. There will be nearly 15 vendors who will display their
different varieties,” says Marius.
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The festival will also provide a platform for local
vendors to showcase their products. Visitors will be able to buy various types
of mangoes from street vendors who will set up their stalls. This will not only
support local businesses but also allow people to try different types of
mangoes that they may not have had before.
In addition to this, the festival will also feature
talks on mangoes, including the benefits of eating mangoes and how to grow them
in a sustainable way. These talks will be conducted by experts in the field,
and attendees will be able to learn more about this delicious fruit.
On April 29, the market will open with the sale of
mangoes at 11 am followed by a mango grafting workshop by Department of
Agriculture at 12pm. A basic candle making workshop with mango fragrance will
be conducted by Emera Remedios from Saligao followed by a workshop on cooking
tasty Ambyachi Uddamethi by Rashmi Madkaikar from Madkai. Fr Derick Fernandes
will be in conversation with Prakash Kamat at 6 pm followed by a cultural
programme by Fr Derick and group at 7 pm.
On April 30, the market will open at 11 am followed
by a mollan making workshop at 12 pm and a workshop on mango Mangaad by Clavia
Fernandes at 1 pm. Taha Haaziq, Secretary of Goa State Disability Commission
will make a presentation on wheelchair accessible E Rickshaw at 3 pm. At 4 pm,
Neville Alphonso, director of Agriculture will be talking with Gwendolyn De
Ornelas about ‘Mangoes –Past, Present, Future and production techniques. A
workshop on mango pickle will be conducted by Chef Marie from Pilerne at 5 pm.
The Mango festival will conclude with a cultural programme at 6 pm featuring a
performance by Agnelo Fernandes, Konkani Global Icon award winner.
To add to the festive atmosphere, Fr Derrick
Fernandes, parish priest of St John de Baptist Church, Pilerne will talk about
the flourishing heritage market and the birth of Matiechem Fest in Pilerne.
The Zero Waste and Inclusive Mango Festival will be
a zero waste event, with bins placed around the venue for proper disposal of
waste. This will be a great example of how events can be organized in an
environmentally friendly manner.
“There are many varieties
of mango which the younger generations of Goans have forgotten and through
these festival, one can learn about how a mango can be used. There are certain
mangoes that can be used for jams and some for curries and chewing mangoes too.
There are different mangoes for squashes, pickles and chutneys.
Gradually, more mangoes from other states are coming into the Goan market. This
is a huge trouble for the Goan mango as well as the survival of the mango
trees,” concludes Marius
