PANAJI
In a first, Carnival in Goa had a 'curtain-raiser' at Porvorim on Friday even as the four-day festival is set to formally kick off with the King Momo-led float parade in the capital on Saturday afternoon.
For the first time, a novelty in the form of helicopter and floats in the River Mandovi will be part of the Carnival parade.
Tourism officials said several groups have registered for the float parade in Panaji on Saturday which traditionally kicks off the 4-day event with the King Momo reading out his decree.
On Sunday, the float parade will be held at Margao while it will move to the port town of Vasco.
On the last day (Tuesday), the event will be staged simultaneously in Mapusa and also at Morjim, where the tourism department is also hosting its flagship annual event -- Food and Cultural Festival.
Additional to the official events in the cities held under the aegis of Goa Tourism, several other villages will also organise Carnival related traditional cultural festivities in their own localities.
In the capital city, the Panaji Carnival Committee, controlled by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) will also be holding entertainment gigs along the road adjacent to the Garcia de Orta garden styled the 'Samba Square'.
Meanwhile, politics has permeated almost every sphere of activity and even Carnival is not immune to the sting of the tentacles of politicos evident from statutory permissions being denied to events proposed by 'non-official' entities and citizens dampening the mood a tad.
A case in point is the 'Carnival de Povo' (People's Carnival) event proposed by a group of residents from the capital city's twin Latin-quarters of Fontainhas and Sao Tome which authorities have nipped in the bud denying them permission, ostensibly citing a police report which claims the event will disrupt traffic.
The group of citizens who were behind the 'Carnival de Povo' meanwhile is crestfallen as they had put in efforts to plan and organise the four-day festivities only to be denied permissions at the eleventh hour.
Many of them are convinced that the authorities have been pressured by Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate who is Panaji MLA and his Mayor-son Rohit to deny the permissions as it would adversely impact the success of the official "Samba Square" event which is organised by the CCP-controlled Panaji Carnival Committee.
Down south in Margao too the civic body is said to have put the spoke in the wheels of the 'Fat Carnaval' event mentored by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai.
