Beyond the sea, sand and sun : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Beyond the sea, sand and sun

One day in Panjim, Goa.

Beyond the sea, sand and sun

A woman with flowers in her hair and brass lamp on her head



Preeti Verma Lal

One day in Panjim, Goa. A child wearing a fake moustache and a dhoti tied clumsily. A woman with flowers in her hair and brass lamp on her head. A hulk in purple brandishing an aluminium foil sword. A dancer doddering with the burden of a pumpkin. Two goats munching fresh leaves. A drum so big one could play hide and seek within it. Men raising war cries out of wooden horses. Youngsters pirouetting and little girls matching the dance steps of their mothers. The beat of drums. The ding of the dance bells. Organisers in orange turbans sweating around. Thirtyfive elaborate floats. One lakh participants. Thousands of curious onlookers leaning precariously on cane barricades, the swish sitting on chairs in the VIP enclosure.

At the annual Shigmo Festival parade, the streets of Panjim were cluttered with street performers and tableaux. The bustling city had turned the clock back and metamorphosed into a folklore pageant. As if an old sepia-toned book on Goan Hindu folklore and traditions was fluttering on the pedestrian-only streets of Goa. A book that tells a different story of a land that is hemmed with the blue of the sea where, for centuries, old-world traditions and culture have existed on the silken sand and in the verdant green of the cashew farms and paddy fields.

Borrowing from the Prakrit word Suggimaho and Sanskrit Sugrishmaka, and also known as Shishirotsava, Shigmo is a Konkani Hindu festival that celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Held in the month of phalgun, Shigmo is a fortnight-long festival that includes Holi and parades showcasing traditional music and dance as well as elaborately built tableaux that depict scenes from Hindu mythology and legends. There are two different ways of celebrating Shigmo: Dhakto Shigmo (small Shigmo) and Vhadio Shigmo (big Shigmo). Dhakto begins five days before the phalgun full-moon day and ends on the full-moon day in the Old Conquests area of Goa. Interestingly, Vhadio Shigmo, a five-day celebration begins on the full-moon day in the New Conquests areas of Goa.

As the evening grew darker and the beats of the dhol and taso hit a crescendo, one could not distinguish between a naman and a jot (two different kinds of songs), nor the steps of various dances like talgadi, hanpet, ghopa and lamp dance. Instead, one was mulling on the old belief that on the last day of the festival a spirit called the Gade Padap takes over the dancers. Amid a festive Shigmo crowd, one could see no smoky apparition of the Gade Padap. All one could see around was the joyous spirit of spring, the coming alive of old traditions and the inescapable truth that there’s more to Goa than the sea and sand. Here, one can soak in the traditions and get culture-tanned.

Top News

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi, backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine public trust in judiciary

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi

Backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine publi...

Explainer: Why BJP is flying solo in Punjab and Odisha

Explainer: Why BJP is flying solo in Punjab and Odisha

A multi-cornered contest is always advantageous for BJP; it ...


Cities

View All