The annual Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will run from Saturday, February 4 to Sunday, February 12. Here’s a handy list of our picks of events worth attending on the opening weekend.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4
CHILDREN’S EVENTS
Opera of Puppets
Magical Whispers, a theatre collective from Mumbai, will perform folk tales from across the world with puppets. The show will be followed by a puppet making workshop using recycled materials. Suitable for kids between the ages of four and ten.
When: At 11am.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
Literary Dogs to Real Life Super Dogs
Abodh Aras, founder of the city-based NGO Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), will share stories of literary super dogs such as Timothy from The Famous Five series of adventure novels by Enid Blyton and the dog that followed Yudhishthira in the Mahabharat. In addition to these, Aras will also narrate tales of real street dog heroes such as Traffic, the dog at the the Flora Fountain signal. He will bring along Kali, a WSD recruit to play with the kids attending the session.
When: At noon.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
Doodles on Denim
Mumbai-residing artist Jaideep Mehrotra will conduct this art workshop. Suitable for kids between ages of eight and 15.
When: At 1pm.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
A Naturally Nerdy Affair
Saevus, a Mumbai-based wildlife publication, will conduct a nature quiz for kids between the ages of six and 12.
When: At 4pm.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
CINEMA
Aligarh
Manoj Bajpayee turns out an intelligent and nuanced performance in Hansal Mehta’s Hindi film Aligarh (2016) about Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, the Aligarh Muslim University professor suspended for having sex with a man.
When: At 5pm.
Where: Visitor’s Centre, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
DANCE
Sudha Chandran
The actor and Indian classical dancer will present an hour-long bharatanatyam recital.
When: At 7.10pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
Kathak Ki Ada, Lavani Ka Thumka
Kathak and lavani performer Aditi Bhagwat will demonstrate the similarities and differences between the north Indian classical dance style and the Maharahstrian folk dance form.
When: At 9pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
FOOD
Discovering Food with the Tiny Taster
Roxanne Bamboat, who runs the food and travel blog The Tiny Taster, will conduct a culinary tour of Kala Ghoda. The tour, which can accommodate 20 people, will include tastings at cookie shop Oh Dough and Irani joint Cafe Military. Registrations will be taken on a first-come first-served basis from 10.30am onwards.
When: At 10.30am.
Where: The walk will begin outside Westside.
Fermentation in the City
Food writer and The Daily Pao columnist Roshni Bajaj Sanghvi, craft beer brewer Abhishek Chinchalkar and Moina Oberoi, a ‘wellness chef’ who has launched Mo’s Kefir, a brand of fermented flavoured milk, will talk about their passion for fermenting foods. The talk will be moderated by Kumud Dadlani, a member of the Indian chapter of the Slow Food movement.
When: At 7pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
HERITAGE WALKS
Celebrating the Life ‘Line’ of the City
Architects Kruti Garg and Sanaeya Vandrewala will conduct a guided tour of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. A. K. Shrivastava, additional general manager of the Central Railways, will address attendees inside the station. Registrations will be taken at the starting point of the walk.
When: At 9.30am.
Where: The walk will begin at the parking lot across Eros Cinema in Churchgate.
Heritage Bus Tour
This bus ride for kids and parents conducted by architect Kruti Garg and stained glass conservator Parveen Mistry will cover such heritage spots in South Mumbai as the Gateway of India, Taj Mahal Hotel, University of Mumbai, High Court, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Asiatic Society Library. Passes (one admits one parent and a child) will be available at the helpdesk near the Nirav Modi store in Kala Ghoda between 2pm and 2.15pm.
When: At 4pm.
Where: The tour will begin at the bus depot outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
LITERATURE
Padma Lakshmi
US-based cookbook writer Padma Lakshmi will discuss her memoir Love, Loss and What We Ate with food columnist Rashmi Uday Singh.
When: At 5pm.
Where: David Sassoon Library garden.
Who Runs the World? Women and Nation-building
Filmmaker Bishakha Datta will talk about the importance of gender parity for political stability with writer Chintan Girish Modi.
When: At 7.30pm.
Where: David Sassoon Library garden.
THEATRE
Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha
In Hindi drama Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha, written and directed by Rakesh Bedi, actors Anupam Kher and Nina Gupta play Preetam Chopra and Hema Roy, former lovers who meet, 35 years after their separation. They reunite in Delhi’s Lodhi Garden and try to figure out why their relationship ended.
When: At 7.15pm.
Where: Horniman Circle Garden.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
CHILDREN’S EVENTS
Denim Designs with Arzan Khambatta
Kids can assist Mumbai-residing artist Arzan Khambatta in creating an installation with denim. Suitable for children aged eight and above.
When: At 11am.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
Bird Stories
Children’s author Deepak Dalal and environmental activist Bittu Sahgal will read out stories about birds for kids between six and nine.
When: At noon.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
You Got Magic
Illusionist Neel Madhav will conduct this interactive session on magic. Suitable for kids aged nine and above.
When: At 4pm.
Where: Front garden of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
CINEMA
Parched
Leena Yadav’s film Parched (2015) follows four women leading challenging lives in a village in Rajasthan.
When: At 2pm.
Where: Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
Budhia Singh – Born to Run
Soumendra Padhi’s Hindi drama Budhia Singh – Born to Run (2016) is based on the life of Budhia Singh, the Oriya boy who at the age of four in 2006 was listed in the Limca Book of Records as the world’s youngest marathon runner.
When: At 4.30pm.
Where: Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
Crafting the Biopic: From Real to Reel
Academic Rachel Dwyer, actor Rahul Bose, screenwriter Apurva Asrani and filmmaker Soumendra Padhi will discuss the making of biopics.
When: At 6.30pm.
Where: Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
FOOD
The Art and Science of Eating Right by Rujuta Diwekar
Rujuta Diwekar, author and nutritionist to celebrities such as Kareena Kapoor and industrialist Anil Ambani, will talk about the future of food and eating correctly.
When: At 4.30pm.
Where: David Sassoon Library garden.
I Scream for Ice Cream
During this cooking workshop helmed by Alyssa Chesson, the founder of gourmet ice cream brand Bono, participants can learn how to make salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit ice creams.
When: At 7pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
Ranveer Brar’s Nawabi Twist
TV chef and cookbook author Ranveer Brar will prepare a few signature Nawabi dishes from the menu at Lower Parel vegetarian restaurant Tag the GourmArt Kitchen, which he helped develop.
When: At 8pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
HERITAGE WALKS
Walking to an Independent Identity
Architect Kruti Garg will conduct a walk covering spots associated with the Indian Independence movement such as Tilak’s home and the High Court where Gandhi was a barrister.
When: At 10.30am.
Where: The walk will begin at the gate of Azad Maidan.
Heritage Bus Tour
This bus ride conducted by architect Kruti Garg and stained glass conservator Parveen Mistry will cover such heritage spots in South Mumbai as the Gateway of India, Taj Mahal Hotel, University of Mumbai, High Court, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Asiatic Society. Passes will be available at the helpdesk near the Nirav Modi store in Kala Ghoda between 2pm and 2.15pm.
When: At 4pm and 5.15pm.
Where: The tour will begin at the bus depot outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
LITERATURE
The G. R. Bhatkal Memorial Lecture
Mukund Rajan, the chief ethics officer at the Tata Group and chairman of the Tata Global Sustainability Council, will deliver a lecture on ‘Corporate Responsibility and the Challenges of Sustainability’.
When: At 7.30pm.
Where: David Sassoon Library garden.
The Boys from Bollywood
Film writers Akshay Manwani and Aseem Chhabra will discuss the cinema of filmmaker Nasir Hussain and actor Shashi Kapoor with journalist Meenakshi Shedde. Manwani is working on a biography of Nasir Hussain and Chhabra has written a book on Shashi Kapoor.
When: At 8.45pm.
Where: David Sassoon Library garden.
MUSIC
Pulse Conversation
Percussion ensemble Pulse Conversation, featuring drummers Gino Banks, Vinayak Pol and Andrew Kanga, will perform.
When: At 6.30pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
Rahul Sharma
Santoor player Rahul Sharma will present an electronic-fusion concert.
When: At 7.20pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
Indiva
All-female fusion band Indiva will play a set.
When: At 8.45pm.
Where: Cross Maidan.
THEATRE
Moozi Soorma
Hindi play Moozi Soorma, by theatre group Mitman, is based on a humorous short story of the same name by Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha about a man who saves up all his leave for a journey.
When: At 4.15pm.
Where: National Gallery of Modern Art.
For the complete schedule, visit KalaGhodaAssociation.com.
VENUES
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda. Tel: 022 2284 4484.
Cross Maidan New Marine Lines, Churchgate.
David Sassoon Library M.G. Road, Kala Ghoda. Tel: 022 2284 3703.
Horniman Circle Garden opposite Asiatic Society Library.
National Gallery of Modern Art Madam Cama Road, Kala Ghoda. Tel: 022 2288 1969.