Nestled amidst the Western Ghats and the West coast for ages, rivers have been enriching the cultural and religious lives of Goans, said the folklorist Pournima Kerkar.
While speaking as the resource person at the two-day national-level seminar held at the Jahaj Mahal in Mandu, she further highlighted in a slide show presentation how rivers have been instrumental in shaping life from prehistoric to present times.
She described how festivals like Dhalo, Dhillo, Sao Joao and other rituals performed in Goa are connected to water resources. The tribals and agro-horticultural communities in Goa displayed excellent engineering skills while creating temple lakes and sacred wells for conserving water, she added.
She said protecting forests as well as tigers will help in maintaining water security for the present and posterity and emphasised on the need for curtailing the use of plastic and non-degradable materials for the natural flow of water.
The seminar was organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Culture and Government of Madhya Pradesh, Deendayal Research Institute of Delhi.
Various researchers, scholars and water activists presented their views on the water culture of India.
The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, inaugurated the seminar in the presence of the minister and BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh, Rajvardhan Singh and Jitendra Jamdar.
Atul Jain of Deendayal Research Institute coordinated the programme. Dr Suchitra Harmalkar presented dance-drama showcasing the varied facets of the Narmada river with the help of artists.
