TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Colourful floats depicting various aspects of mythology, tinged with religious themes, accompanied by the booming thunder of huge drums, whirling romtamell and ghoddemodnni dancers wound their way through the city Saturday in a celebration of the joie de vivre that symbolizes Shigmo. (Photos on Pg 9)
The kaleidoscope of colour was flagged off by the Governor B V Wanchoo in the presence of Marathi actor Vikram Gokhale and Panaji Shigmotsav Samiti chief Shrinivas Dempo.
The parade ended at Azad Maidan after it wound its way through 18th June road.
Shigmo is a festival of the masses, meant to say good-bye to the winter, intrinsic to Goa, vis a vis the Holi in the rest of the country.
Today’s parade will be followed by parades at Mapusa (March 31), Vasco (April 1), Bicholim (April 2), Sankhali (April 3), Valpoi (April 4), Curchorem (April 5), Sanguem (April 6), Margao (April 7), Quepem (April 8), Cuncolim (April 9), Canacona (April 10).
The week-long programme of festivities and Shigmo-related competitions at Azad Maidan began on March 25. This year the Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar had promised that Shigmo would be celebrated in a bigger way with the capital city to get a special grant of 20 lakh.
