Vijayawada(Samrudha Odisha)Andhra Pradesh Governor Sri S. Abdul Nazeer has participated as Chief Guest at the 36th Goa Statehood Day celebrations held at Darbar Hall in Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday. The programme was held commemorating Goa attaining its full Statehood on 30th May 1987, by becoming 25th State of India. Goa remained under Portuguese rule even after 14 years of India’s independence, and it was liberated from the Portuguese control by the Indian armed forces on 19th December 1961, through Operation Vijay. Speaking on the occasion, Governor Sri Abdul Nazeer has said that Goa is called the “Pearl of the Orient” for its splendid natural beauty and is known for its vibrant culture, breathtaking beaches and hospitable people and the State has contributed greatly to the national development. The Governor said that in the olden days, Goa came to be known as ‘Goa Dourada’ or Golden Goa, owing to its beauty and prosperity and as the region had lucrative ports that facilitated trade with the West.He further said that the ‘Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat’ programme under which the Formation days of different States and UTs are celebrated, aims to forge a strong relationship and bonding among people of the country, and enhance the interaction and promote mutual understanding through the concept of oneness by enriching the spirit of national integration, fraternity and universal brotherhood and share a strong bond of ‘One Nation – One People.’Ms. Md. Wajeeha Tarannum, Ms. G. Tejaswi, Ms. Sk. Haseena, and Ms. U. Kalyani enthralled the audience with their Goan dance performance. Ms. Mansi Maruti Harkare, Mr. Sahil Betigen, Ms. Pooja Vishwakarma, and Ms. Shantashree Nerekar, students from Goa studying in various educational institutions in and around Vijayawada, spoke on the occasion and shared their experiences.
By Sudhir Patnaik
