Tag: Culture

Events in Goa

Contemporary Goan Writing Explores Identity, Land, and Inclusion at MOG Sundays

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Contemporary Goan writing and art are navigating pressing questions of belonging, land, language, and social inclusion amid a period of rapid change, according to writers and poets at a recent MOG Sunday discussion at the Museum of Goa (MOG). The session focused on The Brave New World of Goan Writing & Art 2025, an anthology that brings together fiction, essays, and art criticism spanning Konkani and Portuguese works in translation, queer narratives, and reflections by artists, curators, researchers, and heritage practitioners.

The discussion featured contributors Heta Pandit, Janeita Singh, Annie Sengupta, and Glenis Mendonca, in conversation with moderator Aaron Monteiro. Conversations explored the cultural significance of Goan homes, the role of informal community spaces, and notions of public responsibility, while also delving into the complex identities of contemporary Goan artists who navigate multiple cultural worlds. The anthology highlights the value of retaining untranslatable words, documenting environmental and social transformations, and bringing historically marginalised narratives around caste, gender, and queer communities into the spotlight.

Speakers emphasised that translation, documentation, and critical engagement are crucial for sustaining Goa’s rich and diverse cultural voices during a time of rapid transformation. The discussion reflected a vision of Goan identity that embraces complexity, hybridity, and inclusivity, positioning literature and art as vital tools for understanding and shaping the state’s evolving cultural landscape.

Events in Goa

Panjim Transforms into a Living Canvas for the 10th Serendipity Arts Festival

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The Serendipity Arts Festival, India’s premier multi-disciplinary arts festival, returns to Panjim, Goa for its landmark 10th edition from December 12-21, 2025. This year, the festival transforms the city into a living canvas with immersive exhibitions, dynamic performances, interactive workshops, and public art installations across multiple iconic venues.

At Miramar Beach, the festival unveiled Terra Grove, the latest installation by renowned architect Vinu Daniel. This architectural marvel reimagines public spaces, making them inviting, responsive, and sustainable within Goa’s tropical landscape. Crafted from terracotta Guna tiles, the pavilion provides cooling shade while blending seamlessly with the beachfront, creating a space for both humans and animals. Terra Grove, sometimes called the Kulhad Pavilion, repurposes discarded mud cups, turning waste into a thoughtful, functional work of art. The project builds on Thukral and Tagra’s 2024 initiative, Multiplay, and is supported by Milton and Panjim Smart Cities, emphasizing sustainability and innovative design.

Milton, as the Festival’s sustainability partner, highlighted how installations like Terra Grove align with their commitment to reducing single-use waste and encouraging reusable solutions. Meanwhile, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited emphasized the festival’s contribution to Panjim’s evolution as a citizen-friendly, culturally vibrant smart city. The festival’s presence over a decade has enriched the city’s social and cultural fabric, connecting contemporary art with Panjim’s historic identity.

Public art takes center stage this year, bringing creativity into everyday spaces and heritage venues across the city. Diptej Vernekar’s Beasts of Reincarnation: Mythical Beings in the City reinvents Goa’s living traditions of effigy-making, while venues such as Art Park, Azad Maidan, and the Old GMC Complex host workshops, performances, and interactive exhibitions. From Multiplay 02: Soft Systems by Thukral & Tagra to craft-focused showcases like Home is Where the Heart Is and Infinite Drape, the festival demonstrates how art in public spaces can spark dialogue, curiosity, and shared ownership.

The festival’s programming extends across multiple nodes of Panjim, including the Directorate of Accounts, PWD Complex, Captain of Ports Jetty (Old Goa), Santa Monica Jetty, and SAG Ground, forming a vibrant cultural circuit that blends installations, performances, culinary projects, and craft exhibitions with the city’s architecture and natural landscape. By integrating formal and everyday spaces, the festival creates an open gallery that welcomes residents, travelers, families, and students to experience art as part of daily life.

Celebrating its 10th edition, the Serendipity Arts Festival continues to champion the belief that art belongs to everyone. From architectural innovation and immersive performances to craft-led exhibitions and hands-on workshops, the festival encourages participation, sparks curiosity, and fosters a sense of community. Visitors can explore the transformative power of art across Panjim’s streets, heritage spaces, and waterfronts, making this edition a truly unforgettable celebration of creativity, culture, and sustainability.

Events in Goa

Art Beyond Barriers: Accessibility at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The Serendipity Arts Festival returns to Panaji this December for its tenth edition, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to making art accessible to all. As South Asia’s largest multi-disciplinary arts festival, SAF has grown into a dynamic platform where artistic practices, lived experiences, and community relationships converge.

This year, the festival once again transforms Goa’s riverfront and public spaces into vibrant zones of creativity, connection and inclusion from December 12 to 21. Throughout the year, the festival travelled through Birmingham, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Varanasi, Chennai, Gurugram, Dubai and Paris, offering previews of its tenth edition and engaging new audiences beyond Goa. Accessibility has been at the foundation of the festival since its inception, and in 2025 it continues to be central to the programming curated by poet and artist Salil Chaturvedi.

At the Access Village in the Old GMC Complex, sensorial, interactive and community-centred projects welcome visitors with diverse needs to experience art in ways that honour dignity and participation.

This vision is echoed by founder and patron Sunil Kant Munjal, who emphasises that culture must belong to everyone and that no visitor should ever feel excluded. The festival brings a range of unique experiences such as Scented Stories, a fragrance-based storytelling workshop; Hand/Eye, which explores touch as a mode of visual perception; and Breath + Sound Immersion, which blends meditative breathwork with sound healing.

Spaces like Studio Me and the Sensory Room provide open, calming environments for neurodiverse and neurotypical visitors to decompress and create. Curated by Tanul Vikamshi, the Paper to Sculpture workshop focuses on recycled materials and collaborative processes, while Nature’s Symphony offers blind audiences an auditory and tactile introduction to urban birdlife at Art Park and the Access Village.

The Gallery presents Therefore I Am, showcasing seven artists whose practices draw deeply from lived disability. Performances include Silent Rhythms, featuring India’s first group of deaf performers led by Dr. Alim Chandani, and Poems on the Move 2.0, curated by Thukral & Tagra with Chaturvedi, bringing live poetry readings into shuttle cabs across the city.

At The Lab, workshops by Siddhant Shah, Access for All, Rohan Marathe and Shivani Dhillon invite children, seniors and neurodiverse participants into sessions such as Dear Normal, Sound of Silence, Sensory Storytelling and Panchtantra Stories. Special projects further expand the accessibility commitment, including Cinema for Every Sense with audio-described Hindi films and a Pilates Flow Performance by Kaizen Wellness.

SAF Director Smriti Rajgarhia reflects on the decade-long journey, emphasising that accessibility has been a core priority long before it became a larger cultural conversation and remains central to the festival’s mission. Co-patron Shefali Munjal echoes this, noting that the festival has grown into a movement that fosters creative and social connection while supporting artists and cultural heritage.

As registrations for the 2025 edition go live, audiences are invited to secure their passes and explore a growing programme of exhibitions, performances, workshops and immersive encounters designed to make art a space for everyone.

Events in Goa

NFDC Tableau Shines at the 56th IFFI Opening Parade in Goa

allycaralgoa

The opening parade of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa delivered a stunning visual spectacle, featuring a vibrant mix of cultural troupes and creative entries from production houses across the country. Among these, the NFDC (National Film Development Corporation) tableau stood out as one of the most eye-catching and thoughtfully crafted highlights of the event.

This year’s NFDC tableau captured widespread admiration for its elegant design and engaging moving components. The centrepiece—a massive projector equipped with dynamic projection lights—brought an immersive visual energy to the parade. Through this striking installation, NFDC creatively portrayed the evolution and milestones of Indian cinema.

Widely regarded as an organisation that reshaped Indian filmmaking and pioneered the new wave cinema movement, NFDC used the tableau to beautifully narrate its cinematic journey. The display also integrated its aligned verticals—NMIC (National Museum of Indian Cinema) and NFAI (National Film Archive of India)—through seamless and artistic visual representation.

The content curation was led by Satyajit Mandle, DGM, NMIC, while the art direction and production design were executed by Mahendra Potadar, under the guidance of NFDC’s Managing Director Prakash Magdum.

Commanding attention for its creativity, sophistication, and storytelling depth, the NFDC tableau emerged as one of the most memorable and classy installations at the IFFI 56 parade, earning praise from visitors, filmmakers, and festival participants alike.

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Udant Honors Six Goan Icons on International Men’s Day, Celebrates the Spirit of Positive Masculinity

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Udant marked International Men’s Day with an inspiring celebration that brought together distinguished achievers, dignitaries, artists, and well-wishers in an evening dedicated to honoring the evolving narrative of masculinity. The event emphasized that true strength lies not in dominance but in empathy, kindness, and the courage to remain authentic. The program commenced with the traditional Lighting of the Lamp by Chief Guest Mrs. Smita Patil, Chairperson of CII IWN, the Guest of Honor Capt. Rajesh Yadav—recently crowned Mr. India 2025 in the Senior Category—alongside former awardees and the Udant organizing team. Their collective presence gave the evening a solemn yet uplifting beginning. Children from the Udant Centre set an emotional tone for the evening with a heartfelt welcome song, followed by a warm musical interlude by young guitarist Master Mathias, whose performance received enthusiastic applause.

The atmosphere grew more celebratory as Udant felicitated six remarkable Goan icons whose dedication and achievements have significantly shaped Goa’s cultural and social identity. Mr. Vinayak Khedekar was honored for his lifelong work as an eminent writer and folklorist, preserving the essence of Goan tradition through his insightful research and literary brilliance. Mr. Damodar Mauzo, an acclaimed author known for his fearless storytelling, was recognized for his monumental contribution to literature and his ability to portray the soul of Goa with striking authenticity. Mr. Siddhant Mulgaonkar Patil received the award for Inspirational Spirit, a testament to his resilience and commitment to transforming personal struggle into purposeful expression through writing and thought leadership.

Filmmaker and digital creator Mr. Mario Pimenta was celebrated for his innovative storytelling and ability to reach and inspire audiences across borders through social media. Dr. Pravin Gaonkar was recognized for his pivotal role as an Indian Classical Musician and educator, committed to nurturing young talents and preserving rich musical traditions. Acclaimed fashion visionary Mr. Praveen Saldanha, known as Monty Sally, was honored for his creative excellence in transforming narratives into distinctive couture, making a notable mark in the world of fashion.

The evening also witnessed the presence of former awardees, including renowned musician and composer Mr. Roque Lazarus and ace fashion photographer Mr. Prasad Pankar, whose attendance reaffirmed the lasting bond between Udant and the individuals it has honored over the years. Their presence added depth and continuity to the event’s spirit of mentorship and community. As the evening drew to a close, Mrs. Rahila Khan delivered a heartfelt Vote of Thanks, expressing gratitude to the dignitaries, awardees, performers, and guests who contributed to making the occasion truly memorable. The program concluded with a soulful performance by Scully Patricia Fernandes, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of joy, reflection, and appreciation.

Guests ended the evening with refreshments generously sponsored by Taj Cidade de Goa and Taj Vivanta Panjim, along with tea and vadas prepared by the chefs of Ddhyana – the wellness centre. The celebration not only honored outstanding individuals but also reaffirmed Udant’s commitment to fostering positive masculinity and recognizing those who uplift society with creativity, compassion, and courage.