PANAJI: The 1st Liberty and Light festival of Goa (LLFG) will open on the morning of Saturday, May 28 at the Maquinez Palace here. The three-day people’s festival of ideas under community curation will see leading authors, culinary experts, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and musicians discuss the future of all of our endeavours in an extraordinarily changed world.
This festival has been inspired by the great Goan polymath Francisco Luis Gomes, who wrote an impassioned plea for freedom and enlightenment to Alphonse de Lamartine, the foremost European intellectual of the day, a good 161 years ago: “I was born in India, once the cradle of poetry, philosophy and history and now their tomb. I belong to that race which composed the Mahabharata and invented chess. But this nation which made codes of its poems and formulated politics in a game is no longer alive! It survives imprisoned in its own country. I demand liberty and light for India”, stated the media release issued on Thursday. The festival was open and free for all on a first come, first serve basis.
The inaugural Liberty & Light Festival of Goa will take the centre stage this weekend on 28-30 May, in the magnificent old Goa Medical College heritage complex where Gomes first attained prominence for his multifaceted genius.
A vibrant people’s festival of ideas, this labour of love and community showcases and celebrates the finest talent from Goa and beyond, including three stunning performance evenings that are free and open to all: Sonia Shirsat and Madragoa, Lou Majaw, pop-rock star from Meghalaya, The Braz Gonsalves Quintet, Daniel Fernandes, Dule Rocker, Akhu Chingbangam of Imphal Talkies, Omkar Rege, Q, Impana Kulkarni and the The Mustard Seeds Art Company.
Highlights of the festival:
Exclusive Book Launches: Jnanpith Award winner Damodar Mauzo’s The Wait and Other Stories (translated by Xavier Cota) at 4PM on 28th May.
On 29th May – Inquilab Zindabad: A Graphic Biography of Bhagat Singh by Ikroop Sandhu, A Full Circle by Namrita Bachchan and Trailblazers: Some Goan Women Achievers by Fatima Silva Gracias, as well as the long awaited Goa debut of Bombay Balchão by Jane Borges.
Made in Goa: a series of conversations with the most remarkable innovators working in and from India’s smallest state: Ayaz Basrai, Desmondji, Edible Archives, Buland Shukla, Chef Avinash Martins, Deelip Menezes, Rahool Pai Panandikar, David de Souza and Benhail Antao.
Launchpad Goa: a series of conversations curated by build3 to examine the future of new business in everyone’s ideal work-from-home destination, featuring founders like Pranay Gupta (91springboard), Sahil Barua (Delhivery), Vaibhav Chhabra (Maker’s Asylum), Sandeep Mukherjee (Blive), Ryan Prazeres (Oneboard) and Ashwyn Barreto (That Lifestyle Coach).
