The curse of dust for the revellers in the most polluted “Smart City’’. In Panaji this year, Holi was no less than a festival of dust with a familiar rust colour, blowing in all directions, not the multi colours of HOLI that we are used to. Will Shigmo be any different? And if it rains (as is being forecast), the city will end up hosting a Chikal Kalo, a monsoon mud festival celebrated at Marcel in the middle of the Monsoons.
Panjimites will get an early taste of this mud festival and could go one better with Mud wrestling too. Wrestling between the politicians responsible for this mess and their incompetent contractors that they are hand in glove with to wrestle away the maximum from the rapidly emptying coffers in the name of creating a ‘Smart City’. Wrestling for the suffering people of Panjim having to wrestle between their health and safety and illness and inconvenience.
Sadly, it is all too obvious to anyone that has the misfortune of having to negotiate our roads and pavements that we have anything but a Smart city. It is more like a dust bowl with craters and caving in road surfaces, and a myriad of diversions. No number of Festivals can make Panjimites feel like celebrating or want to revel in our sinking Panaji.
