Sometimes, as Goans, we wonder why the city of Panjim captivates us. When one says ‘Let’s go to
Panjim’- it evokes a sense of excitement, to experience those crisscrossing
lanes and passages, the pockets of greenery and towering trees, those great
activity centres, the much known Latin quarters Fontainhas, the lip smacking
eateries, the in-out walks around 18 June Road, the busy roads, the glittering
lights of casinos hitting the streets after dark, a reflection of the moon
sparkling on Mandovi River, and the magnificent Atal Setu… So definitely,
Panjimites as well as the other city visitors are mesmerised by that beauty.
But there is more to it than just that. And there is more of it
that can happen. Apart from the usual festivals like Oktoberfest, Grape
Escapade, Serendipity Arts Festival and of course, the International Film Festival
of India, what if the celebrations still went on every other day? What if there
was that sweet music in the air every day?
A Typical Rom-com, isn’t it?
Slightly amusing, we forget that our city actually has these
small celebrations at some places. “During winter, Gracia de Orta church square
is lit up with dim lights and a soft volume of rock and country mix played by
different bands every Sunday, maybe it doesn’t happen during the rains, but I
have usually been to this mini get together. There are stalls for food and
drinks. One can even take a book and sit on the cushion grass and relax. We
meet new people and interact,” describes Dorris Janarthanan, from Taleigao.
Likewise Nilima
Menezes, administrator/project manager, Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts, Althinho-Panjim, agrees
that there are already a lot of things happening around the city, take for
instance Geetanjali gallery, or Sunaparanta itself. “There are frequent
workshops, concert, classes, film festivals and entertainment, which people
hardly notice. Even Audiophile is doing a great job,” she says.
Audiophile has been around for quite some time now and it
entertains people with the analogue sound of music through those vinyl records
with friends and food, listening to old numbers. Similarly, Kadence Xperience
in Fontainhas has people enjoying their instruments and karaoke on certain days
of the week.
Highlighting an important point, Nilima says, “Our Goan crowd
prefers a safe party.”
In Panjim nothing is safe; it is difficult to have celebrations
on every other day because of fights happening, drunkards roaming and creating
a scene, parents afraid for their young children, etc. “Goans are afraid and
hence skip the happy part, which also leads to no celebrations,” she says.
Nilima also mentions that even for festivals like Serendipity, 80% of the crowd
is from other states and only 20% Goans join in.
“I like the idea of having all these light parties. That live
music, guitars, karaoke, people with food stalls, face painting, storytelling
nights, barbecue parties, etc. And Fontainhas is one of the best places to have
these; I don’t even mind if it is a religious music event,” shares Allan Godinho, a youngster enthusiastic in bringing
Panjim alive. He also says that the celebrations don’t need to be during the
night always. If it’s during the day, some working groups can come at breaks.
“The idea of this is not only for fun and entertainment, but sometimes people
have hobbies like cooking, baking, reading tales; some are artistic, and people
can actually make good business with these little entertaining things,” he
adds.
According to Managing Director and CEO at Imagine Panaji Smart
City Development Swayan Chaudari, Panjim is walkable, and hence to have that
kind of good atmosphere around the city, managing the amount of space also
matters; now it is congested than how it earlier was in Panjim. The more space
the better chance for conducting festivities and programs.
“A smart city doesn’t only mean broad roads; a smart city is
making people come to places, an advantage for everyone to see something
beautiful in their own city,” says Swayan. He adds that as part of the project,
they are working on something that will soon be called ‘Welcome Panjim’.
“Welcome Panjim will be a heritage café for people to come sit, relax and have
a cup of tea, coffee. It will have a small library, bandstand, games, people
interacting with new faces and so on. The Central Library in Patto takes you
straight across a long walkable bridge to the spot,” says Swayan. Though the
project might take a while, the work has already begun. Similar delightful
spots that have become the new activity corners are Altinho Garden (which was
earlier a garbage dumping space) and the new Mangrove Boardwalk.
It
has just begun and we are on the verge to witness a renewed, rejuvenated Panjim
with fun and adventure for all age groups. Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Festival, shares, “With Goa slowing
becoming an important cultural centre for the region and with undying passion
for all things art, we will see a gradual but strong effect that would bring
art initiatives to Panjim all year round, through diverse cultural avenues.”
