Five-day Shigmo kicks off in Margao

TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

MARGAO: The government-appointed committee headed by Damu Naik under the banner of Margao Shigmotsav kicked off its five-day Shigmo festivities at the Ana Fonte garden, here, on Wednesday, with North Goa MP Shripad Naik making an impassioned plea to Madgavkars to leave aside their differences and join hands to unitedly celebrate the festival.

The rival Vasant Shirodkar-led Margao Shigmotsav Samiti will inaugurate its three-day Shigmo at the Lohia Maidan on Thursday.

After inaugurating the festivities at the Ana Fonte Garden this evening, the North Goa MP reminded that festivals like Shigmo unite the community as a whole. Referring to the controversies that marked the celebrations in Margao and Ponda, Sripad said all differences should be left behind and people should join the celebrations.

In his address, Damu Naik said that the samiti headed by him had never made any attempts to create hurdles for the rival panel for celebration of Shigmo. “This year, these people even went to the court to stop our celebrations,” he lamented. Sharmad Raiturkar and others also spoke on the occasion.

The Margao float parade organized by the government-appointed committee will be held on April 7.