At times, the place does not matter, it is the spirit that does. This was the underlying vibe at the end of the two-day Festa do Povo – the people’s festival – held on the other side of the Ourem Creek aligning Sao Tome, a ward of Panjim where the spirit of Goa still lingers.
And here, this spirit flowed from the veins of Alu Gomes Pereira who has successfully sold brand Goa to the rest of the world in his tryst with tourism. Today, if Festa do Povo was a celebration of life as lived in the past, it is because Alu is one of those few who knows to live life with a smile – he made it happen.
The number of attendees surpassed all expectations at the festival where there was vibrancy in dance, food, drinks, art, music and, most importantly, joyful interaction between those who gathered.
The old, the young and the middle aged were offered a platform to express and ingress the culture of Sao Tome, and despite the intolerance that cropped up before the event, it probably ended with them feeling, they could have done even better.
The performances at the festival were the finest, the food awoke the taste buds of the past, the drinks were inspiring, but, most of all, the spirit of being together sent memories on a roller coaster ride.
Sao Tome is in the news because it is turning, or already has turned, into Goa’s Instagram location, something that is not going down well with the locals. It should now be in the news for its residents who can see beyond the blind spots of life.
The performances at the festival were the finest, the food awoke the taste buds of the past, the drinks were inspiring, but, most of all, the spirit of being together sent memories on a roller coaster ride.
Good things come to an end, they say, but this festival proved that good things can be kept on a roll if people with good spirit decide to meet and have good times. And, if there are not many, one man can do it for all, and Gomes Pereira is the man who did.
During the two-day festival, it has been alleged, that robbers broke into some houses of the ward and decamped with some fortune. But, what was lost was gained by the spirit of all those residents who came together to sign success.
The festival was not just an opportunity for the locals of Sao Tome to meet, but the new settlers in Goa to get a whiff of the lifestyle, the mindset, the attitude for art and the Goan zest for living.
The festival was not just an opportunity for the locals of Sao Tome to meet, but the new settlers in Goa to get a whiff of the lifestyle, the mindset, the attitude for art and the Goan zest for living.
For tourists in Goa, the Festa do Povo was an occasion to see, hear, taste and feel the cultural vibe of a small ward that is now creating waves all over the world and drawing more and more business.
If anything, the festival showed that intolerance can be made insignificant with the tolerance of a handful and that the smile is the winning trophy everyone covets.
“It does not matter if I had to dig into my pockets. What’s important is that you enjoyed,” 69-year-old Gomes Pereira said at the end, and there couldn’t be a better ending.
Viva Alu! You showed that with goodness anything is possible.