#TGLife
It’s a time when Goa is standing at the juncture of changing seasons, and is getting ready to welcome one of its most popular festivals. With the seasonal heat as well as the heat in political environment taking a toll, everyone is looking forward to the fun-filled reign of King Momo. It is not just the celebrations that are the exciting part of Carnival, but also, the rich and long history behind the festival.
Carnival in Goa has been celebrated since the 18th century, but it kind of got a break after liberation. However, it was reignited by one person, determined to restore the fun part of Goan heritage. Timoteo Fernandes not only rejuvenated the old tradition, but also served as the first King Momo of Goa.
“The idea came to me when I was visiting a friend named Vasco Alvares. He had a magazine which carried a detailed report on the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. I liked what I saw there, and thought it would be great if we had such a parade in Goa too,” explains Timoteo. “We had the first carnival parade with myself as King Momo sitting on a bullock-cart, but later it became a popular affair and the government took it up on a larger scale,” says Fernandes, who has been a member of government’s Carnival organising committee for the last 52 years.
Goa carnival has changed a lot over the years, says Fernandes. “Earlier, it used to be a spontaneous celebration. People came from across different villages around Goa dressed in impressive costumes. Now, the parade has become more polished, but costs have increased, and an ordinary person cannot put up an impressive float unless they have good sponsors.”
The former King Momo also had a lot of people approach him to seek advice on design, music, and dance to be featured on their floats. “I was a musician, and had a small band. Thus, I was in a good position to offer ideas on the best music and also did some choreography for floats in the past,” he says. “Now, with increasing influence of technology, design is becoming more sophisticated, but I still love talking about what kind of music to put on for a float, and what kind of dance moves the troupe could perform.”
Even though it seems to have lost its spontaneity, Carnival has evolved for good, and will certainly become even bigger in the future, believes Fernandes, who was earlier facilitated by then chief secretary Dharmendra Sharma for the latter’s contribution to keeping alive a unique Goan tradition.
