Carnival may still be officially a couple of days away but the graphic designers employed at the Goa Tourism Department are already in the carnival mood and in high 'spirits' it seems. No wonder, geography and terminology has gone for a toss in the poster put out in the media and on social media platforms to announce the route details of the float parade for the four (err 5) days of fun and frolic.
With Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte adding Friday to King Momo's itinerary to accommodate his home constituency, the curtains will officially be raised not with the parade in Panaji but a "Curtain Raiser" at Porvorim starting from the Institute of Hotel Management and culminating at the Acdil School.The route in Panaji is fine as it sticks to the traditional New Patto Bridge to Campal grounds path along the DB Marg. But for Sunday, the poster has rechristed Margao's parish church as 'Holi Sprit Church' to describe the route the parade will take in the commercial town from the iconic Holy Spirit Church to the Margao Municipal Council square.
For Monday, the graphic designers have given the "High Court" a new address -- Mapusa. In Mapusa, says the Tourism Department poster, the parade will take a route from "High Court to Mapusa Bus Stand". Can't blame the graphic designers for getting into the mood and high spirits in advance as the entire department seems to be bending over to bring in King Momo's reign a day earlier and shift the throne from Panaji to Porvorim.
Times are a fast changing and even tradition, whether Carnival or any other, has to give way...as Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate put it in a rare tongue-in-cheek comment: "Things are a fast changing. Carnival could soon be held after Lent!"
Deafening silence on dance bars!!
After raising a hue and cry against illegal dance bars and touts in Calangute the guns or rather the voices against the menace have fallen silent along the once popular but now notorious coastal belt. No one is speaking a word. In fact, the silence is deafening.The burning issue brought once upon a time rivals, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira together who vowed to shut down the business of illegal dance bars.
Both even met CM Pramod Sawant to voice their concern against the menace.
Some local youth also got into the act and organised a protest march against the ills plaguing the coastal village. All this drama took place just in the beginning of the peak tourist season December-January when desi tourists make a beeline to their favourite gateway.
We know not know whether any dance bars have been shut down or will ever be. What we do know, however, and it is obvious, that the peak season bringing hordes of tourists to Goa is over.
Let’s wait for the next season for the drama to erupt again. Until then we can raise the toast in any of the local bars that we find plenty in the State. Cheers!!
Hafta or no hafta, Phadke climbs up
Finally, the former market committee chairman and councilor Viraj Phadke pocketed the coveted post of the Mapusa Municipal Council vice chairperson.
A first time councilor who won the civic elections defeating a BJP-backed candidate in his Khorlim ward, Phadke has so far had a fairy-tale run in the council politics. He was promptly been rewarded by awarding the plump market committee chairman after he switched sides to back the BJP panel during the formation of the council.
However, his stint as a councilor and market committee chairman so far has been marred with some unsavoury incidents. There were allegations that he was one of the three councillors who demanded 'hafta' from the sopo collector in the municipal market.
We don’t know what happened to the inquiry or the attempt to make an inquiry in the hafta allegation. But the scar remains and will continue to haunt him. We wish him luck in his new posting.
Compiled by Ashley do Rosario.
