And for a Friday enjoying Diwali in Goa, some thoughts..… some musings…..
Unity in Diversity. In India every state and region has its own festivals and festivities. Diwali is however almost uniformly celebrated all over the country as Triumph of Good over Evil, the slaying of the tetra headed Ravana and return of Rama. However in Goa it is unique. It’s the blasting of the Demon Narakasura. Huge effigies portrayed with large Canine teeth and bloodied melon-sized eyes. The competition in the state of Goa is, how big and how ferocious Narakasura can be made to look. Legend in Goa says, this Demon had captured 15,000 women and made them slaves. Lord Krishna slayed him and freed his captives. Diwali is thus celebrated as “Narakasura Vadh”. Good over Evil.
The pandemic has impacted Goa’s economy particularly the Tourism industry. Domestic flights and connectivity has vastly improved. Most starred hotels have been booked out for Diwali holidays by domestic holiday seekers travelling with families. But these travelers are not the usual night party revelers. The Night clubs, exotic shopping and fun and the hookah parties are mostly missing. Ban on international flights has been extended by GOI till November end. More than 50% of charter flights landing in Goa were from Russia and other CIS countries. This year, all cancelled due recent COVID outbreak in Russia. That’s sad for business. Good news is, COVID cases are vastly reduced and only 13 cases reported in the state on Wednesday – lowest since June 2020. Not a single COVID death reported in last three days in a row.
As in rest of India, so in Goa. We are seeing sustained containment of the pandemic. Agriculture, mining, manufacturing and services industries have all, almost reached the pre covid levels. It’s now hospitality, travel and small businesses to catch up. Let’s pray they do, the efficient way, the sustainable way, the SEEGOS way.