Lessons from Goa

Representation pic

The dreaded afternoon slot. Susegaad time. Gulp. Will they show up at all? And even if the serious few heritage nuts decided to attend, will a conversation about an unreleased book by a non-Goenkar resonate? The butterflies were fluttering in all directions in the tummy. I left the fate of my session at the Goa Heritage Festival to the mercy of the sleeping gods in the sunshine state.

But they showed up in decent numbers, across age groups, and listened attentively. And when questions were thrown open to the audience, they were both insightful and thought-provoking; in fact, the curiosity about how my book themed on heritage for young minds took shape [perhaps stemming from their familiarity with Bombay] organically seeped into the session. Soon enough, I was able to draw in examples and references from my home city without any hesitation. The affirmative nods and more observations from within the group meant things hadn't gone south. Also in the audience were stalwarts of the Goa Heritage Action Group [GHAG] - Heta Pandit and Vivek Menezes - who had steered this ambitious idea of organising a heritage festival along with fellow members of GHAG into a living, breathing reality. While the group has been organising festivals including the Fontainhas Arts Festival and others earlier, this edition was the blending of those collective experiences, a scaled-up, exhaustive avatar, infused with new energy after the dreary days of the pandemic. The issues faced by Panjim with its ‘Smart City' tag, its rampant urbanisation and other pressing civic concerns came up in the course of the many sessions, making it an eye-opener for this outsider. The community was there to support and speak up about their home city and state, and bring to the table issues that mattered.

The festival wasn't just about academic discourses, book releases and panel discussions about conservation projects at the charming Heritage Bistro that saw intelligent, interactive audiences. Local arts and crafts, indie publishing houses, guided walking tours, environment campaigns, organic food kiosks, even a pet adoption clinic were part of the plan at the FL Gomes Garden facing the Mandovi riverfront. The mood in the evenings was doubly electric, thanks to a host of cultural activities that celebrated Goa's popular and lesser known music and dance forms. The local food and beverage court, handpicked with largely homegrown fare, had filled the air with aromas from diverse Goan kitchens. From jhola-sporting tattooed collegians to aunties in magyar-sleeved dresses, they all came by to support the festival. During a chat with Pandit, she mentioned that local residents had opened their doors to participate in the festival; some of these stunning homes were even venues for art shows. A healthy lineup of sponsors meant the organisers had the backing to get the show on the road.

Looking around, from a visitor's perspective, all the boxes seemed to have been ticked. Surely, the message of the festival had touched a cross section of people. It got us thinking about how in a city like ours, such a focused festival on all things heritage is entirely possible. Bombay has a playing field that is large enough to host one, for sure. While the popular Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has become the big daddy here having set the tone that such ideas work well with Bombay's eclectic, hurried junta, a heritage-themed festival would make for a tempting proposition. In the past, we've witnessed such ideas emerge from well-meaning quarters; the Horniman Circle Garden festival immediately comes to mind. However, it met with a quiet end, as with so many important arts-driven festivals in the city [remember the Banganga festival?]

Being home to the bulwark of voices when it comes to not just Bombay's, but also India's heritage movement, it would be the ideal platform to set the pace of things. With a massive community keyed into the heritage and history of their city, the scale might require an expansive template, but having said that, there is no harm in starting small to get a sense of the response and then build on it. When I dropped the idea with Tasneem Mehta, director of Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum who was at the festival for a session on her new title, Mumbai: A City Through Objects, she was optimistic, and felt that venues like the BDL museum lawns would be ideal, should this idea come to the city. It was a start. As a voice that is invested in the health and heritage of this city, it's an idea that I will continue to share with key stakeholders, because what I experienced in Panjim for barely 48 hours was magical, inspiring and certainly worthy of being replicated in Bombay. We were the first Indian city to introduce heritage regulations to protect its living heritage since 1995, and this would be the best way to salute and also remind us of our responsibility to preserve its unique identity in order for it to be hailed as a true world heritage city.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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