Well, well, well. This time we got it right!! The Shigmo float parade turned out to be a flop, nah a big disaster in Mapusa. Most of the floats and other traditional dance groups made their way to Porvorim leaving the enthusiastic crowd in Mapusa high and dry last Sunday.
In this very column, last Friday, we had suspected that most floats would prefer Porvorim and that is exactly what happened. Till 9 pm Sunday night there were only two Romtamell groups and two floats in Mapusa. Even Mapusa-based Romtamell groups chose to move to Porvorim ditching their own Mapshekars prompting an organising member to say, ‘paisa feko tamasha dekho’.
Apparently, the prize money in the Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte’s constituency was way higher than other centres. Not fair, some will say. But then who cares.
Those citizens of Mapusa who sweated it out to ensure the Mapusa gets its parade on Sunday continued to flatter themselves though. “We at least kept the prestige of the city which had been holding the parade on a Sunday for over 40 years,” one of the citizens said. But at what cost?
