shigao the movements of the mukhya gaonkar the chosen respected village man are so swift as he climbs to the top of the almost 20fttall tree trunk erected in the shantadurga temple courtyard in shigao dharbandora that he puts primates to shame in the crowd below visitors from outside the village are left gaping at the feat using a rope the goankar then pulls a kollso earthen pot filled with water to the top and sends the water streaming slowly down the trunk causing the smooth shaven tree surface to froth around eight boys wearing only shorts gather below sizing up the task ahead of themthat of conquering the slippery tree trunk to win the jhelo garland of abolim flowers and valo a white cloth tied to the trunk top at stake on the night are pride and valor shigao residents call this shigmo sport durig which is practiced elsewhere in goa too but nowhere is the scale upped so much as in this village that lies in the midst of the sahyadris durig can be simply translated as a highboundary wall and calling the event so appears to be a likening of the tree trunk to one such high wall that has to be scaled on panchami day of the hindu calendar after shigmo begins at around 11pm the playing of local folk music known as suvari using the ghumat shamel and kasalle starts it takes the village men using other wood as levers around 45 minutes to place the tree trunk firmly into the ground only the trunk of the savri cotton tree is used for durig as it is the most slippery of all once its outer skin is shaven every year the village men set out into the forest surrounding the village to identify a tree a day before the durig one with the neatest trunk is chosen making the durig a real challenge for the boys says former temple committee secretary vasudev dessai the tree selected has to be one located within the villages boundaries and has to be transported to the village by dragging and not using any mechanized transport dessai adds the boys who take on the task of climbing the durig in a particular year are known as gadde who locals say usually make the commitment either to get rid of some ongoing troubles in their lives or to simply earn the blessings of the local deity the suvari plays throughout the event initially energizing the men setting up the trunk and then the young men climbing it says village panch member naresh shigaonkar as the gadde try to grab the frothing tree trunk and slip losing grip the crowd including children roar with laughter the gadde are sometimes seen struggling at a high point on the trunk sans support and shouting for help all of which the audience finds utterly hilarious but the crowd are equally supportive and cheer with a collective sense of attainment when one of the boys finally