At Sadbhav Mahotsav, students, San Andre locals celebrate sower, seed, soil & sustainer

Panaji: Sadbhav Mahotsav, a community festival aimed at appreciating the sower, seeds, the soil and the sustainer, brought together over 200 people of different faiths from seven village panchayats constituting the San Andre constituency.
Those participating in the festival included farmers, villagers and students.
Around 150 students from nine high schools took part in an experiential walk in a farm area and horticulture garden at Pillar hillock. They also interacted with officials of the directorate of agriculture who had set up a booth to disseminate information on agriculture and various agricultural schemes available.
“The aim of the festival was to infuse students with universal values of harmony, peace, brotherhood, and especially the urgency of protecting and caring for Mother Earth,” said Fr Elvis Fernandes, convenor of Sadbhav - an endeavour of the Society of Pilar.
Participants were treated to a vegetarian lunch prepared by the farmers and villagers.
As part of the activities, students had to create a painting on the theme ‘celebrating the sower, seed, soil and sustainer’. An activity-based session on the theme ‘Learning to live in harmony’ was conducted by Elaine Coelho, Govida Phadte and Meherunissa Shafi, all three students of the B Ed course at the Nirmala Institute of Education, Panjim.
The event also witnessed a panel discussion on the theme ‘Challenges and prospects of preserving, promoting, and sustaining agriculture in Goa’. The discussion was moderated by well-known agriculturist and horticulturist Miguel Braganza.
Environmental architect Elsa Fernandes presented a scientific analysis on climate change and its impact on agriculture while Ramrao Wagh, a professor at Goa University, spoke on cultivation of paddy in khazan lands.
ATMA North Goa, project director, Kishore Bhave spoke on the impact of new technology (crop seed and mechanisation) on revival of rice cultivation in the state. Agriculturist and member of the Society of Pilar, Fr Mario Rebello, spoke on organic farming and its benefits.