Beautiful, serene Mhadei is being bartered for political clout. Her children, especially her creative children, have united to fight the powers that be and create awareness about her plight.
Urban Sketchers Goa, a community of artists known to passionately sketch various facets of Goa, is hosting the SketchForMhadei meet to raise awareness about the conservation of River Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi in Goa.
The event will be held on May 14, from 8.30 am to 10.30 am, at the new promenade and cycling track along the river, near the Children’s Park at Campal, Panjim.
The SketchForMhadei meet is a prelude to the Mhadei Amchi Mai festival, where nearly 7000 people are expected to participate in a seven km-long human chain for the Mhadei on May 20.
Several citizen-interest groups, including Urban Sketchers Goa, are collaborating in this community engagement festival being organised by the Earthivist Collective, the Goa Heritage Action Group and the Save Mhadei Save Goa Front.
The SketchForMhadei meet aims to encourage artists and the public to appreciate the beauty of the river and its surrounding ecosystem. Participants will sketch the river and its banks, capturing the essence of the natural and cultural heritage of the area.
The event is open to all sketchers who want to join in and support the conservation of the Mhadei, regardless of their level of expertise.
The group has encouraged everyone to participate in the two-hour event, where participants will be given an opportunity to sketch the river and enjoy its picturesque banks. Urban Sketchers Goa invites everyone to come and spend time by the river and join in to help celebrate and conserve the Mhadei.
“Art is one of the strongest mediums and tools to connect, to communicate and to evoke. It has the power to move people and emotions, and it not only moves us, it can make us move too, and emotions lead to action/impact/change. So through art, we are sharing our message for our river, our mother, our life-giving source,” says Darpana Athale, the founder of Urban Sketchers Goa.
The SketchForMhadei meet is part of Urban Sketchers Goa's ongoing efforts along with the Earthivist Collective and the Goa Heritage Action Group to promote the importance of conservation and heritage through art.
By organising events such as this sketch meet, the group hopes to raise awareness about the beauty of the environment and the need to preserve it for future generations.