Anthophiles or plants persons are always curious to learn more
about plants. In Goa, the trend of maintaining a good garden goes back
centuries and plants are considered prized possessions. So thrity years ago,
when Alexyz and late Joel D’Souza, drove up to homes in Siolim in a rickshaw
requesting them to give their plants for an exhibition, Siolkars had to think
twice and yet the village gave birth to a unique plant festival that has been
consistent throughout these years. Today, it is considered as a great learning
experience for not only the students of St Francis Xavier’s School in Siolim,
but over 30 schools from all over Goa participates in the festival.
The Green Heritage Eco-Club of St Francis Xavier’s School Siolim
will be organising the ‘30th Annual Festival of Plants and Flowers’ on August
20, 21 and 22. The theme of the festival is ‘Biodiversity of vegetables and
fruits in the wild’ and the sub theme is ‘Save our Soil’. Dr Parveen Kumar.
Director of ICAR will be the chief guest for the festival.
There will be an exhibition of plants put up by the students of
the school in the school campus. Students from pre-primary till higher
secondary will present different varieties of plants which include flowering,
ornamental, cactus, medicinal, vegetable, fruit plants, herbs and exotic
plants.
Around 30 schools will participate in interschool and project
competitions on the theme. Reputed plant nurseries will be putting up stalls
and selling plants, garden implement and organic manure. The students will also
put up displays in pottery, artifacts and wealth from waste articles. The
festival will be open for the public on all three days from 9 am to 6.30 pm.
Diogo Pinto, the chief co-ordinator of the festival and a
science teacher at the school has been with the festival since the school took
over the festival. “It was way back in 1992, that a green revolution took place
at SFX School, Siolim. Siolim sowed the seeds of green culture and started the
first ‘Festival of Plants and Flowers’ and from then there was no looking back.
After a period of five years, the founders, Alexyz Fenandes, late Joel D’souza,
Dr Miguel Braganza, Lawry Fernandes, Francis Borges, Lumina and ex-teacher
Robert D’Mello handed over the festival to our school and this gave birth to
our ‘Green Heritage Eco- club’ which is now a house hold name in Goa. The aims
of our Eco- Club is to promote awareness about conservation of our environment,
make Goa greener, learn the art of growing plants organically, use organic
manure and bio pesticides, learn to derive health benefit from plants, to be
self-sufficient by growing vegetables/food crops in our back yard/fields and
most importantly to be vigilant towards harmful activities work carried by
individuals or groups that could destroy our land. As the years passed by, our
Eco-Club started working around a theme year after year so that more attention
could be laid on various aspects of agriculture.
Alexyz Fernandes, a noted cartoonist, has played an important
role in bringing this festival to Siolim. “30 years ago, my dear friend Late
Joel D’Souza, a photojournalist and writer from Assagao and I went for the
Botanical Society’s plant festival at Kala Academy. We were amazed with the
festival and thought of organising the same in our village. We went around the
village in a tempo collecting plants from villagers who would like to exhibit
at the exhibition. The venue has always been the SFX school and they showed
their support. Miguel Braganza and I are still consultants for the festival but
much of the success has to be attributed to Fr Santow John, Principal and Fr
Dilip Tete, Headmaster of the school. The festival has grown by leaps and
bounds and schools from all over Goa participate in it,” says Alexyz proudly.
Former Chairman of the GCCI Agriculture Committee and Secretary
of the Botanical Society of Goa, Miguel Braganza, has been guiding the students
minutely. “Since the students took over the festival, it is entirely run by the
students. One month before the festival, the theme is introduced to different
schools in Goa. Each participating school sends one or two students with a
teacher for the workshops who in turn educate their schools about the love for
plants. This year, we organised two workshops, a grafting workshop by Priyanka
Parab Naik and ‘Walk the Talk’ by Dr Maryanne Lobo. We also judged a poster
competition. The students gain some information on the theme and the research
they continue to do for the festival is a learning experience even for us. For
this theme itself, I didn’t know that Bharangi is an edible vegetable from the
wild that is consumed in parts of Sattari and Sanguem talukas,” says Braganza.
Pinto
adds, “Our festival is patronised by thousands of people every year and it is
nice to see people buying a lot of plants at the festival or growing plants in
their backyard and homes. Our thirst to promote the green culture will continue
with even greater momentum and enthusiasm with the support of our students,
Principal Fr Santow John, Headmaster Fr Dilip Tete, Fr Jacob, all the teaching
and non-teaching staff from pre-primary to the higher secondary section and the
PTA of our school.”
