Scribes were witness to another rather sad story. Delegates and journalists were ferried several kilometres away from the festival venue - to the Taj Holiday Village in Candolim - for a dinner hosted by Goa Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane.

The food was wonderful, the wine wasn't bad either and there were at least 10 different kinds of desserts, including traditional Goan sweets. But the pre-dinner song and dance extravaganza was a damp squib. Not that the performers did not try.

The opening act by an Australian crooner literally fell on deaf ears. The local dancing couple of Jason and Sylvia then sought to salvage the show but without much success.

Twenty-something Raghav Sachar, a master of many wind instruments, did his bit to pep up things with his efforts to draw the disinterested audience into the swing of things. That didn't quite work either.

The rest of the show was a downhill ride. The night ended with fireworks - an apt commentary on what had gone before: one could see a lot of money going up in smoke.