Carnival celebrations in the capital city of Panaji are slowly losing their charm, thrill and enthusiasm of yesteryears. This year's Carnival in Panaji for instance was a lacklustre affair with several complaints of poor planning and delays in the arrival of floats. Even the dance performance of the Portuguese dance troupe was far below expectations. The much-hyped Samba square was also a disappointment as it failed to enthuse people due to the jam packed crowds which left no place to shake a leg and enjoy the music played by the band. Finding a parking place for one's vehicle on that day further added to the confusion. I think it is time to set our house in order before sending out delegations from the Tourism department to foreign lands to promote Goan culture at these Carnivals by staging road shows that are both unproductive and involve huge expenditure to the Goa government.
