the goan I network
PANAJI
The four-day reign of King Momo began on Saturday as Goa ushered in the Carnival with the traditional float parade in the capital which although high on the colour and music quotient, was a shade lacking in the spirit and spontaneity of participation from the local populace.
Thousands did participate in the dozens of floats dressed in colourful costumes and donned masks and decorative headgear but themes of most of the floats were subdued and moralistic, lacking the signature fun and frolic of the Carnival which has its origins in Goa’s Lusofonic colonial past.
The float parade, none-the-less was a big success in terms of the several thousands of spectators it drew mostly tourists, who lined up along the route the floats took from the Patto bridge right up to the Kala Academy along the river-hugging promenade on DB Marg.
Dozens of floats with different cultural themes showcasing Goan culture and mostly designed around the moralistic theme of environment protection made up the parade which was flagged off by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Sawant said, Carnival is celebrated as a State festival and he is happy he got the opportunity to inaugurate it.
Deputy Chief Minister Manaohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar, South Goa MP Fransisco Sardinha, whose son Shalom is
