It’s
Carnival week and as the colours and different elements of the grand festival
start lighting up the streets, King Momo too is getting set to don his robes
and prepare for the festivities. While festive elements may vary from year to
year, one constant of the Goan Carnival is King Momo, the leader who reads the
coveted decree and ushers in the celebrations. While many Goans apply for this
prestigious role, only one gets selected after much scrutiny. This year, Shalom
Sardinha from Curtorim is the man to look out for.
An
engineer with an MBA in Finance, Shalom is the son of former Chief Minister of
Goa, Francisco Sardinha. As a student of Don Bosco High School, Panjim, Shalom
used to participated in competitions like debates and elocution. He was a
sports enthusiast and was a champion in basketball for his college and a
University Champion in lawn tennis for two consecutive years. Currently working
as a project engineer at Fomento Greens, Shalom is based in Curtorim.
Interestingly,
Shalom isn’t the first member of his family to be crowned King Momo. In 1974, his
father, Francisco Sardinha, was selected as KIng Momo. Francisco is glad that
his son has also got the opportunity to be king for this Carnival. “I am happy
that Shalom is selected as this year’s King Momo. I feel we go through phases
and experience different stages in life. Now, it is Shalom’s turn to be King. I
was King Momo so long ago that I had actually forgotten about it,” laughs
Francisco, who was a senior division football player in his younger days.
“Being
King Momo, I was treated as royalty and was given VIP treatment. I first felt
like a VIP when I went for a dance in Margao that was attended by Rajesh Khanna
and Dimple Kapadia and I was asked to be the chief guest. Carnival is very
close to my heart and I used to take part in different cultural programmes
including participating in the Mando competition, where I won the first prize,”
he adds.
For
Shalom, he is soaking in the experience of being King Momo. “It is an honour
and pride for me to be King Momo as you’re playing a role that only one person
in Goa can play and I hope to be a good King. When I got the confirmation that
i was KIng Momo, I called my father and gave him the new. He was very happy.
There isn’t much advise that has to be passed down as I have also been King
Momo for various floats and dances in Goa. His only advise was to read the
decree well,” says Shalom.
The
organisers of Carnival parades are busy with the details of the event and Shalom
is waiting to see the final look of his costume as the King. Shalom explains, “The
costumes are being designed by consultants who are managing the event and they
have done a lovely job which can be seen with the masks and decorations across
Panjim. The float is not finalised yet but it will have celebrities and young
women dressed as queens.”
Shalom,
who had contested for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate
from South Goa, has been a part of the Carnival celebrations since 1997. “It
has been almost twenty years now and Carnival is a very vibrant event in Goa. I
will read the decree to eat, drink and be merry but I would also advise everyone
to enjoy responsibly. I am against the enforcement of any dress code for the
parades and I am also against vulgarity as it doesn’t present Goa in a good
light. The Carnival is a big event that will be televised on local, national
and even international channels and should not spoil the image of the state, or
India,” concludes this year’s King Momo.
