Panaji: On Thursday, 20 April, from 5-9 pm, the Pilerne Thursday Heritage Market (PTHM) will celebrate Cajuchem Fest, for the first time, in the village.
The cashew, Goa’s favourite summer fruit, will be the centre of attraction. Among the many fun traditional activities, there will demonstrations of: roasting and breaking of roasted cashews, playing of botani, the ancient game with cashew nuts, peeling of raw cashew seeds: bibe chirpache. Visitors will also share reflections on the history of cashew in Goa, its dwindling production as a crop and its place in state’s economy. But the emphasis will be on bringing back tradition.
Committed to saving the planet, the PTHM is striving to be Zero Waste. Disposables are banned and visitors are encouraged to bring their own plates and cutlery. In keeping with government directives, Single Use Plastics (SUPs) are also banned and most vendors use natural materials like banana, jackfruit and arecanut leaves, coconut shell, bamboo and earthenware to display products and serve food.
The PTHM is ‘inclusive’ by design. People with disabilities and Goa’s very ‘special people’ are warmly welcomed. They feel at home, because all areas of the Market are accessible to them The Market has a Food Court, where visitors can sit at tables and spend a warm, happy evening in groups or as families. Cooked in homely, vaddo kitchens, traditional Goan snacks, authentic heritage cuisine, age-old, village sweets and desserts, together with tea, coffee and soft drinks, fully satisfy veg, non-veg and vegan taste buds. There is foot tapping live music, nostalgic Konkani community singing and a tempting dancing space. Everything happens within the lip-smacking, finger-licking Food Court. And that makes for a truly relaxed, grassroots cultural experience that is not available at one venue, anywhere in Goa. Health foods, artwork, handicrafts, embroidery, soaps and candles all made by the villagers, together with plants, a jumble sale and a Gift Economy counter, make the weekly
PTHM a discerning shopper’s, niche market. This vocal-for-local character of the heritage market, is designed to strengthen the grassroots, village economy. It ensures that employment and business starts from the kitchens, studios and little workshops in the vaddos, mainly of Pilerne. With an eye on equipping future generations, the PTHM is also a great platform for villagers, especially the young, to showcase different talents: singing, dancing, acting, compering and everything that they love to do, either as a hobby or as a career. The PTHM is a very intimate space, where culture, tradition, heritage and economics meet. It aims to keep local Pilernekars financially grounded in their vaddos, while being deeply rooted in the Goa, they all love so much. Mario Mascarenhas, Media & Marketing – PTHM WhatsApp: 9405950607 Email: Res: natureWORKS, Kholbhatt. Pilerne. Goa.