The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival or just KGAF is a rare oasis in an otherwise arid landscape of art celebration in Mumbai. It is held in the month of February each year, since last 14 years in south Mumbai, around Jehangir art gallery, Cross Maidan and other venues. Its one of the few places where a mumbaite can quench his thirst for enjoying various art forms without worrying about spending a paisa for it at all. The arts fest is more than a week long affair mingling all creative forms of art, from visual to music to performing arts, to sculpture, street plays…and lots more. It serves as a good platform for the creative folks to step out of the galleries and studios and mingle with the common man of the city and show him their arts.
Every year the event seems to be getting bigger than ever. I saw big national and international artist enthralling the audience. Everybody is welcome to any event free of charge. I particularly like this idea, coz most of Mumbai would not be able to afford to attend the gigs by famous artists held at swanky venues or stadiums. Its an unreal feeling to walk past by the gates without ever worrying about securing the passes and invites and focus on purely enjoying the performance. It also encourages folks to attend shows of artists you haven’t heard of, or try new music/plays that you otherwise would not find time/money to experiment with.
The festival also attracts sellers if obscure things, handicrafts, curios, gift sellers etc from all over the country, each bringing with it its special flavor. It is also a good place to hunt for artistic things to buy, which otherwise would be difficult to get.
Ross Ainslie is one of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians and composers
An interesting tid-bit : ” The name Kala Ghoda can be traced to the old equestrian statue of King Edward VII, which was placed at the center of the large node on the old Esplanade Road. The statue, a vestige of the colonial era, has since been removed from the site, but the name persist regardless – an assertive confirmation of a compelling public memory – The KGAF website.“
Art installations.
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