And Why Haven’t You Been To The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Yet?

Every year, when the attendees of the Jaipur Literature Festival are recovering from the aftermath of the literary event, another cultural extravaganza shakes them from underneath their feet. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, fondly abbreviated as the KGAF one of Mumbai’s largest arts festivals that takes place every February.

As the cobbled streets are blocked in one of South Bombay’s most posh (read: expensive) areas, Kala Ghoda transforms into a carnival ground, with a food walk here, a new performance there, with nobody unentertained. In 2019, as it hosts its 20^th edition—no mean feat—of the festival, we list out a few events that make that kaali-peeli ride worth it.

Will walk for food

Food walks, although an oxymoron in themselves, are exciting things. Take a look at the Irani chai walk on the 9^th of February as you visit café to café in Kala Ghoda district. Has there ever been a more tempting reason to exercise?

Art dekho

Last year, Mumbai’s parcel of art deco buildings were given the Unesco World Heritage tag. Walk around South Mumbai on an Art Deco Walk with architecture experts to understand the architectural style and learn to identify it. This takes place on 8^th February and is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Did someone say Flamenco?

Two fusion performances have caught our eye—a odissi and flamenco duo on the 7^th of February at Cross Maidan and FlamencoKathaa, a cross of Flamenco, and—take a guess—kathak on the 9th at Cross Maidan. Get ready to vicariously tap your feet. 

Dramarama

What’s life, specifically an arts festival, without some drama? A few plays to look out for at the KGAF are Ek Ka Teen (Feb 7^th), Ballygunge 1990 (Feb 8^th) and Adrak (Feb 10^th)

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Whoa whoa, could this #mumbaitaxi #ceiling be an actual work of art? It reminds me of the abstract paintings of Turkish artist Fahrelnissa Zeid. Which other artists do you think I should check out? 🚖 ♥ 🖼 🎨 #Mumbai #India #kaalipeeli #graphicdesign #print #design #kitsch #colour #decor #interior #pattern #art #photoseries #lookup #taxi #cab #selfie #surfacepattern #patterndesign #creative #symmetry #forehead #abstractart #abspd #fahrelnissazeid #modernart #sketch

A post shared by Rachel Lopez (@thegreaterbombay) on Jan 21, 2019 at 12:50am PST

Following @thegreaterbombay on Instagram religiously? Us too! As journalist and Bombay resident Rachel Lopez takes trusty kaali-peeli cabs around town, she takes a daily picture with the colourful and often weird taxi ceilings she looks up at. At an offline exhibit of the same, you can meet Lopez, get a quick picture with the ceilings printed as backdrops and extoll the virtues of Bombay. Exhibit: Taxi Tops

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