In a candid chat with Gomantak Times, vice-chairperson of the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), Heta Pandit, speaks about the much anticipated Goa Heritage Festival which will be held from November 15, 2022 to November 19, 2022 (from 10.30 am to 9.30 pm at the Campal Heritage Precinct on the Mandovi riverfront. The festival will host walks, talks, music, dance, literature and poetry, food, beverages and entertainment.
She further elaborates that such festivals are indeed a stepping stone in making the masses aware about our heritage (both built and natural), and why we need to conserve and celebrate it. Excerpts from the interview...
Is the Goa Heritage Festival (which will be held from November 15 to November 19 at the Campal Heritage Precinct, in Campal) an extension of the Fontainhas Arts Festival, which was held more than a decade ago?
We, at the GHAG (Goa Heritage Action Group), have taken into account the experience at the Fontainhas Arts Festival and also other festivals which we hosted earlier. Carlos de Sousa, whose father Ralph de Sousa was chairperson of GHAG earlier, approached the group with the idea of bringing back the heritage festival.
It is a combination of various festivals that have to do everything with Goa’s heritage through art, music, books, talks, heritage walks, dance and more. We are even hosting a khell tiatr at the FL Gomes Garden, at Campal. The name of the titar is Besaum na Pesaum by Menino de Bandar.
The other highlight would be the kunbi cat walk event, where models will showcase not only kunbi sarees but also shawls, stoles, etc. There will be craft bazaar, pop-up bazaar, where people can buy these products.
Speaking of kunbi fabric, we are also planning to honour five heritage veterans during this event and they will be felicitated with a kunbi scarf and a shriphal (coconut).
This festival is all about the heritage of Goa. But, when we look around, we realise that our built and natural heritage is under tremendous threat. So, how you think such festivals help to fight for the cause of our heritage?
I believe that to conserve any form of heritage, you need to be aware and only when you are aware, will you love it and will be bothered to protect it. Like, how many of us know that we have a 7 km long promenade; Panjim has Asia’s oldest medical college; or for that matter the oldest and largest convent in all of Asia was the Convent of Santa Monica at Old Goa.
To know all this, awareness is important and that’s what we are trying to do with this festival.
Also, our festival is not restricted to Campal as we have walks to Reis Magos, Old Goa, Fontainhas, Raj Bhavan, etc. It is a Goa Heritage Festival held at Campal.
This is an open to all festival, as we have free registration. However, some of our events, like our walks, are paid — it is ₹ 500 per person. We will be sharing this money with our resource person and the rest will go to the GHAG.
What was the response of the residents of Campal to this festival?
Many residents and people have come forward and opened their doors to take part in this festival. We are even having art exhibition in some of these homes and we will be paying them fees, irrespective of whether there is any sale of artworks or not.
We are grateful to residents like Armando Gonsalves/Shaeen; Joe and Julian Mathias, Derek Ribeiro, owners of Surya Kiran Hotel, Pritam Bijlani as we are planning to have our events at Heritage Café, Campal hotel.
Veterinarian Dr Charmaine Pinto has a clinic at Campal, and there will be pet adoption drive in association with PAWS (Panjim Animal Welfare Society).
What else can we expect at this festival?
There is something for everyone! The five-day event will witness 40 Goan artists, 43 Goan crafts persons, 20 heritage walks and tours which explain facets of Goa’s heritage, and over 20 local culinary and beverage experiences during the festival.
We will have walks everyday, curated by me and Jack Sukhija, and which speak about heritage monuments, statues and personalities, springs, St Inez creek, birds, trees, medicinal plants, and some interesting walks such as studying signage and sketching walks.
Vivek Menezes is curating an interesting and insightful segment on literature, which includes talks and book launches. I am releasing my book, Stories from Goan Houses on November 15, 2022 at 5 pm at Heritage Café, Campal.
There will be folk performances, curated by Pandurang Phaldesai along with Pritha Sardesai; craft bazaar, curated by Darpana Athale, etc.
A unique pop-up bazaar will feature at the festival where there will be select local, home-grown brands and other traditional produce as well as organic food and fabric stalls, curated by Natasha and Bhakti; Cezar Pinto will curate the art section.
Also, this year, we are trying to go zero waste in terms of packaging, food, fabric, etc.
Do you plan to make this festival an annual event?
We are definitely aiming for it. Since its inception in the year 2000, the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG) has brought to the fore Goa’s heritage and culture through a series of events, festivals, talks, seminars, research projects and white papers.
Our members are also working individually in their own personal capacity, for example, Miriam Koshy is working on the conservation of mangroves, Nirmal Kulkarni speaks about the conservation of forests and wildlife, etc.
GHAG has made consistent efforts to highlight the status of Goan heritage to, both, the general public and to the state authorities and bureaucracy.
For more details about this event check www.goaheritagefestival.in
