MARGAO
As thousands of people from all walks of life poured into Maina in Curtorim village to participate in the celebration of the feast of Handi Khuris, local farmers made a fervent plea to the people of Goa not to tamper with the mountains and hills to avoid the Wayanad disaster in the state.
The feast of Handi Khuris marks the building of the bundh (Handi) to store water to irrigate the fields in the coming paddy season.
Thousands of people from Salcete and outside thronged the Handi Khuris since afternoon to seek blessings of the Almighty.
As is the tradition, people were seen serving food as part of thanksgiving for the Lord for the favours granted.
Maina-based farmer and member of the Handi Khuris committee Lawrence Barretto explained the feast is being celebrated every year on August 20 to mark the building of the bundh (Handi) to store water for irrigation.
“This is the tradition carried out by our ancestors and the same is being followed by the present generation’, he said.
Barretto underscored the need to protect the water bodies across the state for posterity, saying that bundhs not only help to irrigate the fields, but to charge the underground water table.
He made a fervent plea to the people of Goa not to tamper with the fragile mountains and hills to avoid a repetition of the Kerala type disaster in the state.
“The mountains and hills are very fragile. If we tamper or destroy them, nature will come to destroy human beings”, he warned, while emphasizing on the need to save the nature, including mountains and hills for posterity.
