As a part of the Semana da Cultura Indo Portuguesa (Goa) festival, there is a photography exhibition which is currently being displayed at Institute Menezes Braganza Hall. The photos are from Pantaleao Fernandes’ coffee table book ‘Goa: Rare Portraits’.  This book shows another side of Goa. The photos provide a glimpse into the lives of the people from rural areas.  It shows the stark contrast between the rural and urban areas of Goa. The simplicity of these people’s lives is highlighted in the photos.  These lifestyle portraits on canvases were elegantly displayed on easels. Visitors got to see different activities of these tribal people such as broom making, masala grinding, tree climbing, garland making, etc.  In the middle of the hall, there were objects put on display which were shown in some of the photos. These included a basket which a village man used for shelter and a cloth for their coverage on cold days. (The exhibition will be open for public viewing till 7th December 2018) Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

The second edition of Goa Affordable Art Fest was inaugurated on 8th December 2018 at the Museum of Goa. This festival was visualized by Siddharth Kerkar, The museum’s founder’s son. This year, artists from India got to show off their talent. Even 50 artworks made by children from Goa have been displayed.  The event was inaugurated by eminent poet and cultural critic Ashok- Vajpeyi. Those present enjoyed music by Alessandro Martin, an art performance by Damini Parashar, and more. Over 20 artworks worth a total of Rs. 5 lakhs were sold.

Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 will start from 15th December and will continue till 22nd December.  It is a multi-disciplinary arts festival which combines visual, performance, and culinary arts.  Ten venues in the capital city of Goa, Panaji, will turn into cultural spaces. Those at the festival will get to enjoy exhibitions and other artistic performances and experiences.  Smriti Rajgarhia, Director of the Serendipity Arts Festival says: “The festival truly celebrates our rich artistic heritage, and we hope that this will foster cultural growth and energize contemporary practice not just in Goa but across the country.” It is a great way for emerging artists to showcase their talent.  2018 will see 1500 artists lighting up the festival.  There will also be more international participants to further global dialogues with Indian culture. Special events will celebrate the 175th anniversary of Panaji by reexploring heritage sites and prominent architectural monuments through creative and community-focused projects.   Amenities available during the festival: Free shuttle services from all the venues Environmentally friendly e-bikes -25 covering the sum of venues Free ferry services from Captain of Ports Jetty to Ribandar Jetty 350+ Volunteers to guide and help visitors with queries regarding the festival and registration requirements […]

Kala Academy has come alive with ‘Goa Saras 2018’- presented by District Rural Development Agency, Government of Goa. It was inaugurated on 13th December 2018.  Goa Saras 2018 is an exhibition cum sale of rural arts, crafts, and various items produced by Self Help Groups.  This event definitely contributes to the Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission ‘Streeshakti’ (woman empowerment). One of the dignitaries at the inauguration commented: “Self-help groups will get the opportunity to promote their products.” Some of the SHG’s were the Mizoram State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Directorate Of Woman And Child Development, Purmar Kulmaya, Vignaharta SHG, Deep Jyoti SHG, Chana Laxmi, Shree Laxmi, etc.  They sold various products such as Hanging decorations, seashell craft, clothes, bedsheets, showpieces, baskets, Kerala traditional handicrafts, jewellery, pickles, chips, spices, shoes, cashew nuts, Kurtis, bags, crochet artificial flowers, children’s clothes,  and much more. SHERYL GONSALVES | NT GOGOANOW.COM Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM (The exhibition will continue till 23rd December 2018- 10 am to 9 pm)

Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference, minister for art and culture, Govind Gaude said that, the Kala academy will be undergoing an expansion process which will feature two auditoriums of 300 and 600 seating capacity in the premises of the Kala Academy. “The project of the 600 seating capacity auditorium will be done on priority basis and will be constructed in the parking lot of the academy. A tender will be floated for a consultant by the end of next week and the consultant will estimate the budget for the project within a time period of one month”, added Gaude.

Every year on 3rd December, people flock to Old Goa for the feast of St Francis Xavier- the patron saint of Goa.  He was a God-fearing man who spread the Gospel and served the sick and poor. He is dotingly hailed as ‘Goencho Saib’ as his life story inspires people even today. His relics are in the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This year, the theme of the feast is to live life according to the Beatitudes which Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. Living according to the beatitudes means always longing to know more about God, being merciful, bringing peace wherever you go, etc.  ‘Like St Francis Xavier, let us live the Beatitudes and be Holy’- those at the feast were taught that it’s not enough to just follow certain religious duties, but you have to have a loving relationship with God and obey His commandments.  There were masses in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, French, Italian, Portuguese, Marathi, Telugu, and Spanish. The feast fair was buzzing with activity and sold items like sweets, accessories, toys, etc. The St Francis Xavier 2018 feast also had a 3D stage which made the people feel like they were in an indoor cathedral […]