Saptah – The festival of Pomp and Gaiety

Saptah – The festival of Pomp and Gaiety
Krishna Salkar (Daji)
(Vasco City Councilor)
”Shree Damodar Bhajani Saptah, Vasco,” the most loved festival in the port town of Vasco is celebrated in the month of Shravan with large participation of people with pomp and gaiety for over a century.
This year too the enthusiasm is as high as the sky among devotes and residents of the port town who eagerly wait for the 112th annual celebration of Shree Damodar Bhajani Saptah, Vasco.
The Joshi family has its own importance for festival, when in year 1899 the Joshi family along with other prominent people of town had been to the Damodar temple in Zambaulim to bring shreefal (a coconut) as the “Prasad” of Lord Damodar, to get rid off a dreaded plague that gripped the town.
When the Prasad was brought to town, Joshi family volunteered to install it at their ancestral residence, where it is celebrated till date.
Besides, the Joshi family, Sarmalkar and Salkar families too have their participation as they offer prasad to the devotees after the emersion of Shreefal on their way back and spray water on revellers to refresh them as they continuously sing and dance to the Lord.
The festivities commence when head of Joshi family Vasantrao Joshi places a coconut at the feet of Lord Damodar and the priest performs a Sangnnem, for the well being of the people and the Saptah starts with bhajans and Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari echoing in the precincts of the temple. The bhajans continue non stop for 24 hours till next day.
A glittering ceremony takes place at night with specially decorated tableaux coming from various wards of the port town. People come here from all over the state to watch the parade.
The ceremony usually has six groups participating in floats depicting scenes from the Hindu mythology which are known as paars- Failwale, Nabhik Samaj, Daivaidhnya Bhrahmn Samaj, Bhajarkar Samiti, Vishwakrma Samaj and Gadekar Samaj.
The Saptah ends with Gopalkala in which young and old people alike participate with enthusiasm. They form a procession and make their way to the Khariwada beach dancing and singing to the tune of Gyanba Tukaram etc to immerse the coconut of the previous year.
Once they immerse the coconut in the sea water is splashed upon all the devotees and the group returns back dancing and singing “gopalkaala god jhala, gopalane god kela” with more enthusiasm as revellers attain final pooja and aartis. Once that is completed the priest concludes with a garhane for the well being of all for the coming year.
However, the Lord Damodar festival has its own history of more than a century and has gradual changed over the period in terms of commercial stalls and amusement activities that does business over a crore in the opening days itself as it goes on for continues ten days.