Goa, Feb. 26 -- Growing up in Goa, King Momo has been a mythical king, who wears a crown and regal attire and is often accompanied by Queen Momo and an entourage of dancers and singers, leading the four-day Carnival celebrations. Every child would rush ahead just to see the grandeur with which King Momo's float would be decorated and his strong voice declaring the Carnival open was a moment to celebrate. For Cleeven Mathew Fernandes, from Benaulim, this excitement was a family affair. He had grown up watching his uncles wear the King Momo crown and then as a young boy of 12 years, his father Roque Tome Fernandes became king Momo for the first time.

"I was not even born when my uncles began the parades as King Momo, but I witnessed my fat...