The heritage precinct’s annual arts and culture festival is back, which means it’s celebration time for Mumbaikars!
As the city prepares to kick start its culture calendar with the 17th edition of the iconic Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, the organisers are hoping to cross the staggering 1.5 lakh footfalls that the event had got last year. The masterminds have planned 600 events across 12 categories spread over a dozen venues. There will be 95 art installations in all, 119 stalls, 48 workshops and panel discussions on topics that range from food to literature to avant garde art to Johnny Bravo. And adding a grand touch to the festivities will be the launch of a book on the history of the street arts festival written by Abha Narain Lamba.
“Crossing The Threshold” is the festival theme this year and the organisers promise that there would be plenty that’s new, including an additional venue at the Cross Maidan. Also, thanks to the government’s Make In India campaign, there will be a special focus on homegrown content. The children’s section and the stand-up comedy section, owing to their growing popularity, have been drastically expanded this year. The highlight this year will be the food and crafts expo too is expected to be a major draw.
Finding one’s way through a maze of so many events may be a mind-boggling task for many. So we got curators of specific sections to provide a roadmap...
Arpana Gvalani, music curator We will kickstart the festival with the Symphony Orchestra of India, with children from the group presenting a concert. Then we have Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan at the Cross Maidan.
This year we have made a conscious effort to make it a ‘mixed bag’ and also, to include talent that isn’t mainstream. So we have Alien Chutney, Prateek Kuhad and Karsh Kale who are otherwise music festival favourites. Clinton Cerejo is another artiste to look forward to; I think his Coke Studio session was one of the most talked about, and it will be an experience to watch him live. Then we have Nir Koren with the electric sitar, Natalie Di Luccio — a Candian singer who has worked with Amit Trivedi and A R Rahman. We have gone beyond the seasoned stars, and Bollywood faces to accommodate new talent. There’s something for everyone.
Nicole Mody, food curator When we started out, we were worried about people’s reception to the food section, but slowly it has become a favourite with KGAF visitors. I remember when we held a session by Pooja Dhingra in the first year, we had to send about 75 people away because it was a full house. This year, we have talks, book launches and workshops from celebrity chefs. In fact, this time we have a host of celeb chefs: Ranveer Brar will present a few recipes, there’s a food walk with chef Vicky Ratnani, Sanjeev Kapoor will share select recipes. Pankil Shah, Farhad Bomanjee and Yohaan Datoobhai will talk about the organic food movement — there is so much food jargon we come across that we do not understand the meaning of. We are hoping to educate people with this talk. Personally, I am looking forward to Sancha: The Tea Diaries event on February 12. If you are a tea lover, you need to be at the event! Tea taster Sanjay Kapur will launch the signature Kala Ghoda blend: An assemblage of floral Darljeeling tea and a select strong Assam tea.
Juhi Babbar, theatre curator Ever year we try to outdo ourselves, but I believe what we have in store will prove to be the most interesting. We have critically acclaimed, experimental, musicals, commercial and even amateur theatre. This year, we have made sure that there is a good mix of every genre. I am excited about Piyush Mishra’s Jab Shehar Hamara Sota Hai, which is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Then there is a play in Hindi based on the Comedy of Errors. We are kickstarting the plays with Tee, a Marathi play that is rarely explored on stage. We have introduced a lot of local theatre this year. More than anything, I am excited about the audience’s reaction. I want to understand what their response is going to be like once they look at the performance list. This is the largest street festival in the city, and it brings together artistes from every field. There is a sense of community that is built during the days of the fest — I am looking to experience more of that.
Brinda Miller, festival director: The KGAF is a street festival like no other. And what makes KGAF special is not only that it is arguably one of the biggest festivals of its kind in Asia, it is also an event that caters to all segments of art. This year we are upping the ante with a staggering 600 events on the schedule (much more than last year) and there is something for everyone. We have drastically expanded two of our sections — the children’s section and stand up comedy. And the highlight this year will be the food and crafts expo. We are also partnering with the Make In India Campaign for the first time with the aim of improving quality. Another new aspect this year will be the addition of the Cross Maidan as a venue which adds a lot of space. This year is also special because we will be launching a book on the journey and history of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, which is written by Abha Narain Lamba.
Omar Qureshi, cinema curator: This time around, the focus in the cinema section is to provide diverse content. We have ramped up the mainstream content that we have and there is also a lot of focus on shorts and especially the children’s section. A new aspect we are adding this year is dividing the venues and schedule according to genres. We have themes for each day of the festival, ranging from horror to dark films, and we’ll be ending with love and romance as the last day of KGAF will coincide with Valentine’s Day.
This is my first time curating for the festival and I felt that we need to focus a lot more children’s content as that is what India sorely lacks. So this year we’ve partnered with Cartoon Network and consulates of several countries including the US, Canada and Italy to play children's content from across the world. Cartoon Network has also allowed us to use their mascots so there will be a Mr Bean, Johnny Bravo and so on.
Asad Lalljee, literature curator: Apart from the usual workshops and panel discussions, we are conducting three-hour long masterclasses with some of the most well-known names in literature across the world. Some of the most interesting additions include our own book installation, the “bookstallation”, that will be put up at David Sasson Library and also a heritage tour of the library itself. To connect with more people, we are also introducing the concept of Tweetchat, which allows people to interact directly with our panellists through Twitter. We have also asked the more than 150 authors who will be participating, to donate two signed copies each of their books apart from the usual call for book donations, and these will be donated to the David Sassoon and other libraries in the city at the end of the festival. Some of the interesting panel discussions include the one by artist/illustrator and writer Molly Crabapple and Malay rapper/poet Omar Musa.
