Team Herald
PONDA: On Friday, the fifth-day of Ganesh Chaturthi, over thousand people took part in the traditional Ganesh idol immersion (Visarjan) ceremony at Adpoi.
And this year, the stand-out theme was the message to protect nature and this was significant against the backdrop of the recent floods in Goa.
According to locals, this has always been a part of the age-old traditional Visarjan procession, with creative tableaus to match, which depict current issues troubling Goans.
“This year, Goa faced nature’s fury by way of the heavy rains and subsequent flooding which left so much devastation in its wake. Crops were destroyed, houses were damaged and so many people suffered losses,” said a local while talking about why they had chosen this year’s theme.
“The Adpoi traditional five-day Ganesh immersion procession not only entertains Goans but it also raises the attention of the government on problems, which are troubling them the most,” added another local.
While last year’s theme was about pothole-ridden roads, formalin-laced fish, this year, they shifted the focus to flood-affected scenarios with Ganesha giving various messages on how to protect the environment.
Incidentally, one tableau depicted the abrogation of Article 370 along with the poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The tableaus based on mythical concepts, had messages such as ‘preventing concrete jungles, ‘ anti-pollution’ and others similar messages urging locals to grow more trees and avoiding blocking the flow of water, dumping waste in the river and to own up responsibility for the man-made ecological destruction.
The tradition is also a matter of great pride to the 14 families having different surnames, which unite once a year to celebrate the Ganesh festival under one roof. Together, they conduct the Visarjan procession on the fifth day that leads to the immersion of idols in the Zuari River as the chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya fill the air.
Union Minister of State, Shirpad Naik, who is also a local of Adpoi and among the 14 families, celebrated the festival at his ancestral house. In what was music to the ears of the locals, Naik, who is also the North Goa MP, stated that he is looking at making the unique Ganesh Visarjan ceremony at Adpoi as a tourist attraction from next year. He added that this proposal had been sent to the State government in this regard.
