THE BONDERAM FESTIVAL AT DIVAR

THE BONDERAM FESTIVAL AT DIVAR


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One of the nicest drives I’ve been on in Goa is the one that took us all the way from Assolna in the South on one side of the River Sal to Divar, an island across the Mandovi at the far end of North Goa. We were going to check out the Bonderam festival at Piedade. It took us all of two hours to get there, first through what one can call village, town and highway and then cutting through Pilar meandering narrow roads through quaint villages and finally to Old Goa. We caught the ferry and crossed over to the island.

The island of Divar is located approximately upriver 10 km from Panjim and connected to Old Goa on the south-east side, Ribandar on the south-west side and Neura on the north side, all by ferry.

The drive to the village is scenic, with paddy fields and wooded hills lacing the roadway, very typical of the Goan countryside. The Island of Divar was a famous site of Hindu pilgrimage and hosted the ancient temples. These were destroyed by Portuguese zealots in the 16th century in their drive for the Christianization of Goa.

Piedade, a small village is spread at the bottom of a small forested hillock on which there is the Church of Our Lady of Compassion. The island is dotted with well maintained, elegant Portuguese villas. From the top of the hill, superb panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, including Old Goa, Panaji, the meandering Mandovi river, and the bridges across it can be seen.

The Bonderam festival of Goa is celebrated on the Divar Island. The name Bonderam is derived from the word ‘Bandeira’, which means 'flag' in Portuguese. The celebration of this festival has a unique history behind it. It is said that many years back, the villagers resented the rules that were adopted for settling disputes regarding the land issues. During Portuguese rule, warring factions used to fight over land, often resulting in death. The authorities decided to end these feuds by placing flags to demarcate the borders, however even these were torn down by the unrelenting villagers. As time passed the fights lessened and today a festival is held to make a mockery of these protests, all in jest! The villagers engage in a mock fight that represents the knocking down of the flags during the time of the Portuguese. Toy weapons made of bamboo stems are used for fighting and wild berries are used as missiles that are aimed at the rival group. All this is taken in good spirit and all the people come together after the mock fight to eat and drink merrily.

A massive parade of colorful tableaux created by the people and children and adults gaily dressed, singing and dancing along is what the festival is made up of. People from all over Goa and tourists come together to celebrate Bonderam festival in Goa.

There is elaborate feasting during the Bonderam festival and every household is decorated thus presenting a scenic and colorful picture. The festival has become more commercial in nature nowadays from what we hear with big companies and the tourist department sponsoring the event.

The cops did a great job guiding traffic in a very calm manner without a hitch or fight which marks every event in Delhi! Ample parking lots were a pleasure to see with neatly parked cars and bikes. And yes, I love their colourful rain wear and pleasant manners!