PONDA: Power Minister Sudin Dhavilakar’s recent statement that the tradition of creating and burning Narkasur effigies for Diwali should be stopped, has not gone down well with the people of Ponda, who say they cannot imagine Diwali revelry without the ‘slaying of the mythical demon’. Even as the State’s Tourism Department is conducting its first Narkasur competition on October 23 this year.
“We cannot imagine celebrating Diwali without burning the Narkasur, be it a big or small effigy, in the traditional manner,” said Vishnu Naik, a resident of Marcaim.
“Early in the morning on the day of Diwali, the Narkasur is burnt, and the earthen lamps are lit to symbolise the victory of good over evil. We then take a bath and eat a traditional breakfast of beaten rice (poha). However, without burning the Narkasur, we would not feel like eating poha or celebrating the festival,” said Naresh Naik, a Ponda local.
Earlier this week, Dhavlikar had also said that practice of giving donations to youth to build Narkasuras and have competitions should be stopped, and he even hailed Revenue Minister Babush Monserrate for not giving out donations to create the effigies in his constituency. However, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte had countered that Narkasur effigies are crafted and burnt in every Goan village, and that this practice was not started by him.
Chandrakant Naik, a resident of Curti, Ponda, pointed out that youths spend months building floats for events like Carnival and Shigmo, and they also put in a lot of hard work to create the Narkasur effigies for Diwali. “If the youth creating disturbances and indulging in bad practices is the problem, the elders should keep watch on them and discipline them, rather than doing away with the tradition,” said Naik.
Social worker Vishal Fadte echoed his thoughts, adding that he has witnessed the burning of the Narkasur for fifty years, and it should not be stopped. Meanwhile, the youth of Kavlem in Marcaim constituency have decided to organise a Narkasur competition after a gap of ten years on October 23.
