PANAJI
With the intentions of Goa government to open up the State for cultural events and the announcement regarding the same by the Art and Culture minister Govind Gaude, there are ripples in the entertainment and tourism industry which was dormant since the beginning of the year 2020. ]
While the decision seems to be too early for some of the event organisers, few others have expressed joy Dr Varun Carvalho, a doctor-turned-singer and musician from Margao has welcomed the decision saying, “Opening up cultural events will bring back the cultural vibrancy of the State which keeps the people alive.”
Heritage promoter Sanjeev Sardesai, on the other hand does not support the decision of opening up the cultural events. “It is not a wise decision. It’s utter stupidity and playing with the lives of the people. Such a statement, even if it comes from the authorities, is not at all a welcome. It will be traumatic and dangerous,” he claims.
Cultural activist Marius Fernandes who has organized 49 people’s festivals across Goa for the past two decades and had planned his 50th festival to be an Earth festival at Divar has paused due to the pandemic. “My last festival was NRI festival on December 28, 2019 at Sa Mathias Divar island,” recalls Marius, who used to organise around 28 events and workshops in a year.
Marius' mother had witnessed the 1918 pandemic and says pandemics do not vanish soon. His son Ashley and daughter Gemma are stuck in England, where the situation is currently very grave and in a single day today they witnessed 12,000 cases.
