Stories from Goa Festival by Make It Happen is a celebration of the Sunshine State’s heritage, art, music, and cuisine through a series of bespoke trails and experiences.
Goa may be a pocket-sized paradise full of sun, sea, sand, and susegad, but there’s so much more to the Sunshine State that most of us still do not know about. Make It Happen, an experiential travel agency that specialises in bespoke, eco-friendly experiences, is organising Stories from Goa Festival from November 10-13, 2022 to bring a different side of Goa in the limelight.
The four-day interactive festival aims to celebrate Goa’s heritage, art, music, and cuisine told through stories by subject experts. It is a collection of bespoke experiences that showcases the state through different lenses.
“Goa is a melting pot of diverse cultural influences, and through the Stories From Goa, we will unravel the various facets of history presented through heritage walks, museum tours, interactive film screening, academic talks, music, and art appreciation,” informs Murali Shankaran, co-founder at Make It Happen.
“We pioneered experiential heritage tourism in Goa some seven years ago. The whole idea (of the festival) came together during our brainstorming sessions with stalwarts in the field of conservation and heritage like Heta Pandit and Natasha Fernandes about how we can showcase Goa through diverse lenses,” further explains Shankaran, who along with founder Maria Victor started the company in 2011.
Arrive at the festival to go on heritage walks through Panjim’s colourful neighbourhoods with expert storytellers; enjoy soirees that bring together the Fado and Mando music featuring Sonia Shirsat, India’s famed Fadista and an ensemble of some of Goa’s finest musicians; and get introduced to traditional Goan cuisine prepared by home chefs.
What’s more? Stories From Goa also has in store an interesting evening with Heta Pandit at the 432-year-old Figueiredo Mansion where she’ll launch her book Stories from Goan Houses; screening of Guardian Spirits of Goa, an interactive film about the worship of local protector spirits; and museum tours to explore Goa’s unique art collections.
Ask Shankaran what’s one experience that the intrepid traveller shouldn’t miss out on at the festival, and he picks the film screening! “While the whole festival is one of its kind, I would recommend the Guardian Spirits of Goa, an interactive film by Make It Happen, with live storytelling by Amreen Shaikh, a bright young historian. This experience is a unique recital about the worship of protector spirits in Goa that takes you on a journey through the evolution of spirit worship over millennia, and unravels the mysticism of protector spirits that exist in every corner of Goa.”
Insightful and interactive sessions will also be held by subject experts on Goa’s unique soil art Kaavi, Goan folklore, and Christian art. Once done, you can cruise through Goa’s tranquil backwaters to understand river ecology and life along the Mandovi river narrated by an expert.
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