JARI AAYALI MAHAMARI
TARI AGERA JHAAILA BHARI
Inspite of Pandemic East Indians Celebrate Agera
Anything is possible if you try and do your very best. This year’s Agera was a true testimony of this liner. In the current situation many Community members thought that this year Agera would not be celebrated as per our traditon. Exactly a month before the actual day, the MGP Team started brainstorming on possible options to ensure the traditional festival
was observed, inspite of the pandemic. We connected with as many Gaothans to observe this tradition in their own small way keeping the pandemic restrictions in mind
Great things can happen when Revival grassroot workers initiate their little bit to make things happen. Our team got connected with all Gaothan Representatives, though our network requesting them to ensure our traditonal Agera feast was atleast observed, if not celebrated. An alternative strategy was also worked out in case local churches did not
suport blessing of the paddy. A MGP team member volunteered to transport and distribute paddy at all hubs selected by the MGP Agera Planning Team. MGP was pleased to get a positive response from many of our connects as all wanted that Agera revival momentum was not affected.
Each of our active team connects also contacted their local parish to request for blessing and a handful of them accepted our request. One Church even went to the extent of making special announcements about Agera and even MGP facilitating the harvest festival by providing paddy for blessing. A day before Agera the paddy which was transported to the city was first taken to a North Mumbai Parish in suburbs to be blessed by two priests. Surprisingly these priests had called us a few days prior to request for paddy for the parish Agera mass and our team thought it best to bless all the paddy to ensure the places where it was not blessed had nothing to worry. The Vasai diocese paddy distribution was facilitated by our MGP team member who collected the paddy from Mumbai.
Rising up to this great Harvest festival was the specially planned East Indian Marathi Mass by MGP. A choir from Kharodi came forward to support us and Fr. Marshall Lopez celebrated the Mass at the Kashimira Church. The Agera Special East Indian Mass was premiered on the actual day in the morning and has been watched by more than 4000 families. The evening special was the Agera Celebration on our YouTube channel presented by St.Francis East Indian Beats, Vile Parle. For the first time ever, MGP encouraged the use of our Gaothan Holy Crosses for distribution of paddy.
A great learning for the MGP Team this Agera. If you have a passion to revive nothing can stop you. Its hard to believe how things happened in an unexpected way and was more of a miracle. Agera was celebrated in 91 Gaothans this year, a number hard to believe in these challenging times of the pandemic. Our Agera Team did their very best to network and
ensure the traditonal harvest festival of the East Indian Community, Agera was not forgotten. Special thanks to all those who made this happen and we are sure Agera will get bigger each passing year. MGP, a group popularly known for its Revival has once again shown it’s potential to make things happen.
Gleason Barretto, Old Kurla
Mobai Gaothan Panchayat 