Athiti Devo Bhava is all great, but when the guest infringes on the host and abuses the hospitality, I concede some of them pay for it, it turn to a unpleasant experience.
Whew!! Could the government event planners please note…
- Film shoots are money earners, but please ensure that the residents of goa are not troubled.
- High publicity of carnival and new year gets remuneration, but traffic and safety of people need to be managed.
I thought New Year at Goa was bad for Goans, hooters and drunkards disturbing the place. A normal 2 minute drive taking 20mnts. The air-filled with loud foul-mouthed youngsters and the normal clean air of Goa reeking of tobacco. The scene sounds pessimistic doesn’t it, well believe me it is even more dismal.
Last weekend was the carnival until about 5yrs ago it was fun, with the waddo’s putting up their floats there was involvement of community, improvisation. Even the Sameera Reddy or a Prothima Bedi on the floats more for their kick of it than a publicity stunt.
This time round the arch’s were sponsored and designers from Bombay and Delhi came down. There were masks and hairdo being sold, not the usual cheap throw away stuff that the Lambani’s vended, but the more expensive men and we had to put with grotesque men of forty plus pretending to be at college juggling with their spouse and teenage kids. Of course the foul-mouthed Yuppie crowd were there too. The road blocks were so terrible that even normally uncharted patligali of Bhatlem had huge SUV’s on them. Strictly following the path of least resistance that is the drove on where place visible traffic rules be damned.
My husband and I gave up work at town excusing the tourist crowd that it was only for a day. But the next despite being Sunday was another road block. This time it was for a shoot, bang at the main traffic vein the shooting, the equipment again the Bombay film crew with their cigarettes. Surrounded by the spill of the carnival tourists who were busy clicking the stars with their mobiles.
Tourism is no doubt a big earner, so is letting out the streets for shooting. But is it too much to ask the planners coordinate with the traffic police and ensure traffic is not disturbed? Maybe we could ban SUV’s especially out stationed ones for two days before and after events.
Prior to a shoot, maybe the traffic police can re-route the traffic so that blocks are not created. Make a shoot a ticketed tourist attraction at least the state will earn some remuneration from it.
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