Quenching the Festive Thirst

The Kala Ghoda arts festival this year opened its doors from 6th to the 17th of February. It partnered with Make In India and extended by 3 days at Cross Maidan for an extravaganza of different forms of dance and a food festival. The Kala Ghoda arts festival is a community celebration of different forms of art. It takes place every year in the most beautiful and historic administrative places of Mumbai. It is free to all and hosts various workshops of varied interests. An estimate of almost 2,00,000 people visit the festival over 9 days. The festival saw numerous events across the southern tip of the art from the National Gallery of Modern Art (MGHAI) till Regal Circle, Tarq, Wisk, in Fort.

The events were distinctive from one another and were beautifully designed. The Kala Ghoda Festival this time brought 590 events to its plate. Stories in the park, Tara Sharma show, Rhythm workshop, cartooning, arts workshop, MAD stuff with Rob were some of the events hosted especially for children. The workshops were held keeping the children’s interest in mind and it was not only a process of learning but also entertainment for example – The wheel pottery, it had demonstrations of the potters wheel and people could also try their hand on the wheel. Children also came and painted clay medallions throughout the week which will be hung in an instillation. Zumba kids by Suchita Pal was a place where they learned fitness, meditation, a positive way of life and the joy of dancing. Animation 1o1 hosted by Oscar winner animation artist Torill Kone instructed on how to create an animated story. Various workshops by a number of literature lovers, librarians, writers, authors, chefs helped people unleash their talents, discover their area of interest and know their capabilities.

Save our squiggles (SOS) was an interesting event on children literature, where squiggle is stuck in a dictionary and you get to save her and doodle dude with Natasha Sharma.

There were a number of movies catering to cinema fans which as screened in different locations under the genre of horror, action, drama, dark, comedy, villains, woman, superheroes, and romance. On some of the days they even screened assorted shorts by cartoon network which were a favorite among people from all work of life.

The dance event was a show of colours and music with an array of different forms of dance by renowned artists. Maharashtrian folk, Odissi, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Mnipuri, Kucchipuri were some of the classical and folk dances of India which were brought back to life. Fusion, Abstract Contemporary, Bollywood, and belly dance were some of the more modern styles of dance which were displayed at the festival.

Food events and workshops hosted by celebrity chefs were another magnet which attracted a huge crowd at the festival. A wide variety of cuisines was like a feast for food lovers. The events in food included food styling and photography , pan Asian cuisine, cooking Canadian, the science of coffee , the art of bread making, pizza making from scratch. Renowned faces from Maria Goretti, Sanjeev Kapoor were the icing on the cake for which people waited in long lines hours in advance.

History lovers could grab the opportunity to go on heritage walks and bus tours to see the historic monuments of Bombay and know the interesting stories through story walks. Music was another genre which attracted a lot of people. Concerts of people like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and sons, Veer Das, Shibani Kashyap, Cliton Cerejo and Ayushman Khurana was a hit among people. Another interesting and different genre was that of the street events. Puppit show, puppit parade,kachi ghodi were something different which the audience witnessed.

Plays in different languages received a great response. Theatre groups performed plays in Marathi, Gujrati, Hindi, Hindustani, Parsi Gujrati, Urdu and English which cater to a wide variety of audience.

The festival began with great pomp and show and was a success throughout apart from the events mentioned above, genres like urban design and architecture and visual arts also attracted a lot of youth. Lastly, the partnership of Kala Ghoda and Make In India festival made it one of the biggest festivals of Bombay which offers both a learning opportunity while also providing us with a lot of entertainment.

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