Not many families have stayed intact for festival celebrations in Goa and one amongst those is the Pai Fondekar family in Comba, Margao. This family has a whopping 135 year old legacy of Chovoth at their 105 year old house in Margao. The Pai Fondekars are a mind boggling 150 in number and are spread all over the world now. However, it is amazing to see that they all come together for the 1 and a half day Chovoth celebration with the highest amount of enthusiasm and interest. The huge celebration culminated on Friday night as they bid farewell to the God who unites them.
The widow of the Pai Fondekars originally from Shiroda, Annapurna had, in 1816 prayed to their family deity and the goddess of Love, Devi Kamakshi for a son. Legend has it that the Goddess came into the dreams of a woman of the ‘Sambari’ family from Dongarim, Pillar and asked her to give her son to Annapurna. The son who was named Vishnu was then adopted by the Pai Fondekar family and later had three sons. “This was back in the days when Goans faced the constant threat of forcible conversions and inquisition that the ancestor came to Comba and kept his head high and protected the house from any problems,” said Shashikant Pai Fondekar who is the 5th generation of the family. The Pai Fondekars are in their 7th generation.
Though the Chovoth is only one and a half day, the Pai Fondekars make the best of the little time and enjoy to the fullest. First of all, the Chovoth begins with Pooja in the afternoon on the first day with a hefty menu of Panchapakwann ‘Nevedya’ or the offerings to lord Ganesh on a banana leaf. More than 150 people in the family then feast on the wholesome food with vegetables and fruits which they don’t otherwise eat routinely. 60 people are served at a time in the afternoon and then the 60 serve food to the others. The serving affair is so huge that they have to have 3 rounds of serving by the family members which is a rare sight. The family sings Artis in the afternoon and in the night together.
The same is repeated on the second day and then comes the immersion. All the men, women and children of the house dance, sing and light crackers all around the lord of success and the idol of Ganesh is immersed in the well nearby. However, the Pai Fondekars have a different ritual where they have two Ganesh idols – one of the previous year. The older Ganesh Idol is immersed and the new continues to stay amongst the gods in the house. The Pai Fondekar family has now reached all over the world but all the sons and nephews of the huge family are pulled towards Margao, come Chovoth. Shailesh is in Dubai, Rajesh in Oman and Paresh is in America. The family has Doctors, Engineers, Advocates, Caterers, Teachers, Politicians, Former first citizens of Margao and members from diverse spheres of professions.
However, the family is sometimes together at other occasions like Guru Dwadashi and annual celebrations of Jatra and Dasshera. But Chavath is that one festival when the Pai Fondekars are at their full strength. They and the Sambaris of Margao also share a family relation with each other making the celebrations more pompous than ever. They are by far, one of the largest family trees in Margao coming together and celebrating Chavath. In a world where large families come together in courts to fight property litigations, the Pai Fondekars have set a bench mark and an example of unity.
