Great news today for those Mando aficionados! The Mando festival that has been in existence for approximately 50 years is on as scheduled.
Yesterday’s news brought that the festival might be postponed to the Christmas week (or possibly canceled entirely). The organizers of the Mando festival were given instructions that their slotted dates would be changed. This was done to allow the Serendipity Arts Festival organizers to hold their festival instead.
Pic credit – Goa Prism
The Mando festival will go on as scheduled
“I have issued directions to Kala Academy and the directorate of art and culture to send a letter to SAF to vacate the Dinanath Mangeshkar Kalamandir auditorium on those dates,” minister for art and culture Govind Gaude told TOI. “The Mando festival will be scheduled on December 13 and 14,” Gaude, who was appointed Kala Academy chairman last week, said.
The Serendipity Arts Festival will hold their events at other venues at the Kala Academy – the art gallery, open-air auditorium, and the Black Box. They will be allowed access to the indoor auditorium after the Mando festival is over.
The Goa Cultural and Social Centre (GCSC), organizers of the Mando festival, had booked the auditorium for December 13 and 14 in March this year. Confirmation was given to them in April. Later, in September, SAF approached KA for access to the auditorium on those same dates, following which KA asked the GCSC to forego the dates.
A word of praise
Tomazinho Cardozo, the founder of the legendary Mando troupe ‘Kandollechim Kirnam’, commended the KA chairman for his timely intervention. “Gaude comes from the cultural field and therefore, did not waste any time in taking the right decision,” he said. “He ensured that Mando, which is a prominent Goan art form, continues to flourish. We are grateful to him for taking prompt action.”
Source – TOI
ItsGoa/OCT/KDGP
