Crowds throng D.B Marg along the Panjim riverside promenade. Festooned streets deck the capital city in a vibrant palette on the first day of Carnival, Sabado Gordo (Fat Saturday). Onlookers cheer at the first sight of King Momo and his entourage on an elaborately decorated float. Draped in regal bright red and yellow robes and flanked by models on either side, the cheery, rotund King announces the carnival decree.
King Momo is the centrepiece of the Carnival parade. If today’s royalty enjoy the perks of their role, the man who introduced King Momo to the Goa Carnival rode a humble bullock back in 1965. Carnival didn’t have a King until Timoteo Fernandes from Panjim walked the streets as the iconic comic character. At 87, his sharp memory tells of the article he read in a Brazilian magazine that inspired him. “I was taken up by the pictures I saw and I was enthusiastic on presenting a group of revellers, with a presentation of King Momo on the lines of the Carnival in Brazil,” his recollections still fresh.
It started as a fun occasion with a paltry budget compared to today’s standards. He improvised by renting a bullock cart from Merces for Rs 5. He decorated the sides with cellophane paper he bought for Rs 2. However, the bovines, irate from the loud noise turned uncontrollable and the procession slowed down the pace.
His next attempt at King Momo followed in 1966 with a borrowed open Jeep from the Panjim Municipality accompanied by four musicians.
Family of King Momos
Timoteo isn’t the only family member to reprise the role of the carnival king. His brothers Lawrence, Tome and Bondo donned the crown too. Of the four, Tome is synonymous with Momo with his multiple appearances over the decades. Apart from events in Goa, he has spread cheer to Kolhapur, Chennai, Gwalior, Mumbai, and other cities.
To the onlooker, King Momo’s bubbly personality and charming joie de vivre captures the hearts of his subjects. But wearing the crown isn’t as simple as the wave of a hand. Says Tome, keeping up a cheerful countenance throughout the official parade can be tough. “You have to be lively despite the heat. You can’t stand like a scarecrow. It’s so hot, by the time you finish, you are soaked in sweat,” he says.
Carnival of Past Present
Carnival celebrations in Goa kick off from 18th to 21 February. The extravagance associated with the celebrations is a recent phenomenon. Earlier, Tome recalls, he would set out with colour and ‘cocotes’ or powder bombs and throw them on unsuspecting passersby. The cocotes were used in the mock battles between the three Panjim wards: Fontainhas, Sao Tome and Campal.
Along with the customary float parade in the afternoon, the traditional Carnival dances at Clube Harmonia in Margao and Clube Vasco-da-Gama’s Red and Black continue till date. A recent crowd puller is the Samba Square, a street party near the Gracia da Orta in Panjim known for it’s electric live music, good food, and fun.
In South Goa, Margao, the newly elected King Momo, Russel D’Souza readies to adorn the mantle this year. The 41-year-old entrepreneur who runs his family business Souza and Sons, Kyra and Zoe Restaurant and Takeaway set aside the business world to spread Carnival cheer. At 6’8, the former basket baller shares, “I’m excited as I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. King Momo is a prestigious position and a way of getting recognized and known by people across the globe.”
After seeing three unsuccessful attempts, he got lucky with the fourth. Before the auditions this year, he sought Konkani coaching from veteran tiatrist Humbert Fernandes on the proper articulation of the language: “What we speak at home is not as polished as what is required.” Hard work and patience paid off in the end.
With a splash of the Carnival colours across the cities yet again, old timers like Timoteo lament that recent Carnival celebrations have more political involvement. As observed by Fr Apolinario Cardozo, SJ ‘In When Goa Celebrates,’ ‘It is no longer a ‘populist festival’ but one that is ‘organized and ‘sponsored’ by the Government. As a result, it has lost its old charm where people were active participants instead of mere passive onlookers.’
Whether Carnival can regain its lost glory still remains to be seen.
