India: community festival held for farmers, students and village council members

The "Sadbhav Mahotsav," a community festival to appreciate the sower, the seed, the soil and the sustainer, was organized by the Society of Pilar at the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, Pilar Goa, on October 1.
 
Over 200 people of different faiths, including farmers, village council members and students of the San Andre constituency, Goa, western India.
 
Over 150 students from nine high schools participated in the various activities. 
 
The festival infused in the students the universal values of harmony, peace, and brotherhood, especially the urgency of protecting and caring for mother earth, said Father Elvis Fernandes, the convenor of Sadbhav, an endeavor of the Society of Pilar for fostering interfaith relations and communal harmony.
 
In the morning, high school students had a painting activity titled "Let’s Paint the World." 
 
Their paintings were based on the theme "celebrating the Sower, the Seed, the Soil, and the Sustainer. 
 
An activity-based session on the theme "learning to live in harmony" was facilitated by Elaine Coelho, Govida Phadte, and Meherunissa Shafi, B. Ed students from Nirmala Institute of Education, Panjim.
 
Students also had an experiential walk into the farm area and horticulture garden located on the Pilar Hillock. Father Mario Rebelo and Father Andrew Joseph led the students in this hands-on learning activity.
 
The vegetarian food prepared by some farmers and villagers was served to all.
 
Father Lawrence Fernandes, the director of the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, welcomed everyone and applauded their presence to celebrate our togetherness as one human family.
 
After lunch, the participants interacted with the officials of the Directorate of Agriculture, who had set up a booth to disseminate information on agriculture and various agricultural schemes.
 
A short cultural program was staged consisting of three folk dances performed by the students of Fr. Agnel Higher Secondary School, Pilar, trained by Ms. Roshan Gaonkar; St. Aloysius High School, Divar, trained by Ms. Chaitali Naik; and Fr. Agnel College, Pilar.
 
As part of the cultural program, Madhav Bhide spoke on the theme of valuing diversity and strengthening communal harmony in our society.
 
This was followed by a panel on the theme: Challenges and Prospects of Preserving, Promoting and Sustaining Agriculture in Goa. 
 
Miguel Braganza, agriculturist and Horticulturist moderated the discussion.
 
Elsa Fernandes, an environmental architect, presented a scientific analysis of climate change and its impact on agriculture. Professor Ramrao Wagh of Goa University spoke on paddy cultivation in Khazan lands.
 
Kishore Bhave, project director, ATMA North Goa, spoke on the impact of new technology (crop seed and mechanization) on the revival of rice cultivation in Goa.
 
Father Mario Rebello, an agriculturist and member of the Society of Pilar, spoke on organic farming and its benefits.
 
The rich and thought-provoking presentations by the panelists generated a lot of discussion among the participants, who shared their experiences of various challenges that they face in their life as farmers.