VASCO
For nearly three decades, the giant wheel was more than just an amusement ride at Vasco’s Saptah Fair. It was almost a synonym for the festival fair itself. For generations of Vascokars, a visit to the Shri Damodar Temple followed by the Fair was incomplete without a ride on the giant wheel, a whirl on the boat ride or an evening spent at the bustling amusement park.
But this Saptah, the wheel will not turn.
After around 26 to 27 years, Vasco will witness a Saptah Fair without its traditional giant wheel and the larger amusement rides — leaving behind a rather unusual silence in a festival where the whirring of machinery, screams of excitement and colourful lights were once part of the soundtrack.
The man behind the wheel
For years, one name was almost inseparable from the Saptah amusement park — Kadar Shaikh.
MMC chairpersons and councillors changed, officials came and went, but Kadar remained a familiar face at the municipal office every Saptah season, seeking permissions and making arrangements. Municipal staff knew him, and so did generations of Vascokars.
Sources said Kadar had been installing the giant wheel and other amusement equipment for over 26 years. What began at the Vasco Municipal Garden eventually had to move after traffic congestion became a major concern.
The amusement park was subsequently shifted to the larger open ground near Tanya Hotel, giving Kadar more room to expand the attractions.
And expand they did. From children’s rides to young romances.
The larger venue allowed more rides and attractions for children, youngsters, adults and even students. The crowds grew bigger, with roads leading towards the amusement park site often getting clogged and parking becoming a perennial headache.
For many children, the giant wheel became a childhood memory. For youngsters, the amusement park was a meeting point — and, who knows, perhaps even the starting point of a few romances. For others, it was simply the place to end the Saptah evening after seeking blessings at the temple.
Such was its popularity that sources said people would often request Kadar to continue the rides beyond the traditional seven days.
A new Saptah, but nowhere to park the wheel
This year, however, Kadar did not turn up, as the open ground near Tanya Hotel had been taken up for the mega sports city project proposed by Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar. Work had already commenced at the site.
Yet, the demand for a giant wheel remained.
Two amusement operators — Simba Amusement and Taj Amusement — reportedly approached the authorities with proposals to bring back the attraction. Their first option was the open space near HPCL, and several truckloads of amusement equipment reportedly arrived in Vasco.
But the location raised serious safety concerns because of its proximity to oil storage facilities and port operations. The Fire Department is also understood to have declined the Fire NOC.
The operators then searched for another location and reportedly turned towards the open space near the Salgaocar office, where the fish market once stood. The land falls under the Revenue Department, and attempts were made to explore the necessary permissions.
But the final hurdle came from South Goa Collector Egna Cleetus, who made it clear that an amusement park would not be permitted on government land.
And with that, the giant wheel journeyed back — before it could even begin.
The Saptah without its skyline
This year, Vascokars may have to make do with smaller, non-geared and hand-operated rides at selected corners of the fair.
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Saptah skyline will not have its familiar giant wheel towering over Vasco.
The temple bells will still ring, the fair will still bustle and devotees will still arrive.
But for one generation of Vascokars, something will unmistakably be missing — the giant wheel that once made Saptah feel like Saptah.
