Goa, as we are well aware, is always associated with beach and party destinations. But, there’s definitely more to the place which may not be apparent on a first visit.
To make it easier for visitors to the state, there are various travel companies that provide unique experiences through various walks, trails, etc. One such company is Make It Happen, an experiential travel company that specializes in designing and curating unique experiences in Goa, Diu and Coonoor.
They have now gone a step further to speak about Goa’s folk culture. On May 13, 2022 from 6.30 pm to 8 pm, at the Reis Magos Fort, Reis Magos, they will be screening a film, Guardian Spirits of Goa. It is an interactive film with live storytelling, where there will be recital of legends and anecdotes, associated with protector-spirit worship in Goa.
SPIRITS & LORE
“We wanted to unearth stories that were unnerving, yet transcended to reality and core belief of the people of Goa. The idea was to bring stories from both remote as well as lesser-known facets of Goa, and put them together in a film format for the audience to experience, while still retaining the essence of storytelling. Guardian Spirits of Goa is an attempt to highlight the inclusive narrative of Goa and how the worship of spirits has evolved and adapted across different empires, faiths, kingdoms and rulers,” says co-founder of Make It happen Murali Shankaran, who conceptualised this film with co-founder Maria Victor.
The film has been directed by Vikas Muthamparmabil, who has portrayed the vivid storytelling through the cinematic lens.
The film features guardian deities found in the villages of Loliem, Amona, Ibrampur and also Panjim city, to name a few of the locations featured in the film. The Panjim one is located at the start of the Panjim-Ribandar causeway. “Here, at the ghumti (small shrine), an offering is made by devotees every Wednesday and Friday. In fact, the ghumti was repainted a few months ago,” informs Murali.
Another interesting aspect, associated with these guardian spirits is the folklore, which in turn, become sort of village legends. Murali explains one such incident which is associated with the village guardian spirit.
Says he, “Some of the protector deities are believed to be mounted on a horse and move around the village on horseback. We heard from one of the villagers that, when a Hindi film was being shot in the village, one of the characters of the film was to ride the horse and they planned the shot accordingly. However, every time the horse would stop after moving a few steps ahead and would just not move any further. Several attempts to get the horse to move failed. The crew was told by the villagers that the horse would not move as this was the area were the protector deity would ride on horseback. The crew had no option but to move to another location.”
There are many such stories and anecdotes associated with the guardian deities in Goa which will be revealed through the film and also through the interaction.
Want to watch this film? Book your tickets here
Tickets are priced at ₹ 450 per person, while tickets for students are priced at ₹ 300.
Watch the trailer of the film here