Preview: At Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, 14 events you must attend

Farhan Akhtar will perform his “Farhan Live” concert and also champion societal change through his MARD initiative, as part of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, on January 28 at Cross Maidan, Mumbai.

Asia’s largest multidisciplinary street arts’ festival, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) begins tomorrow in Mumbai and in its 24th edition, the annual extravaganza of arts, crafts and creativity has 300 plus programmes spread across more than 25 venues in the precinct. This year, the festival is also part of the Mumbai Festival, a cultural initiative by the Government of Maharashtra.

What started as a local event in 1999 has grown into one of India's longest-running and most prominent neighbourhood festivals, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from Mumbai and beyond. Some of the key objectives of the festival stated in their agenda from its debut year was to raise public awareness of the art district as well as to showcase the city’s cultural heritage through art exhibitions, concerts, workshops, book exhibitions, heritage walks, etc.

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will run from January 20-28 in Mumbai.

Brinda Miller, chairperson of Kala Ghoda Association and festival director, shares that they are glad that they have pushed the envelope each year when it comes to their objectives and have managed to establish the festival as one of the key events in the annual calendar for art enthusiasts. In the last few years, she believes, social media has also helped spread the word across. “There is a lot more visibility for the festival and the message is spread widely,” she adds.

The theme of the festival being ‘Udaan’ this time, Miller shares that the flight of freedom encapsulates most of the programming for this year, especially the Visual Arts. “We try to choose a topic which is generic yet interesting and which allows for some thought to be applied to the curation. It gives the programming a cohesion of sorts,” she says. This year, a number of new venues have been added to the lot. Miller is also excited about some of the smaller programming. “The bigger ones such as Gulzar saab or Javed Akhtar’s talks are bound to draw attention but we have tried to bring interesting names to the smaller events as well. The Literature section is looking quite exciting,” she says.

Here is a glimpse of some of the highlights of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2024:

Crowds at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai.

Khankana — The Sound of Dancing Feet by Surupa Sen & Nrityagram

Highly acclaimed and celebrated pieces over the last three decades by choreographer Surupa Sen that showcase a unique sensibility of thought and movement will be performed by highly skilled artists of Nrityagram from Bengaluru.

January 20, Cross Maidan

Indie Comic Scene

Hamza Sayed, founder of The Comic Book Store — India's first comic book store — which he started as an e-commerce website in 2019 and is the winner of multiple awards, will discuss the evolution of Indian comics from niche to mainstream.

January 20, Kitab Khana

Yours Truly, with Gulzar

Rakhshanda Jalil will be in conversation with poet and lyricist Gulzar about Baal-O-Paar, a collection that spans poetry and emotions, relationships and destinies, hometown and nationhood, and everything in between.

January 20, David Sassoon Library

The David Sassoon Library Restoration Talk and Walk

Abha Narain Lambah (Abha Narain Lambah Associates) and Sangita Jindal (JSW Foundation) will take the participants on a special tour through the UNESCO Asia Award-winning David Sassoon Library, after its magnificent restoration.

January 21, David Sassoon Library

Spiderman presented by Mereed India Kolhapur

Fantasy and realism take centre stage in this experimental and award-winning Marathi play that clinched top honours at the Maharashtra State-level competition. Three distinct perspectives, each representing a different stage of fantasy and heightened by the interplay of lights, sets, and music, will take the audience through a roller-coaster ride through the realms of fantasy, all underscored by the raw currents of reality.

January 21, Yashwantrao Chavan Centre

Ayaan Ali Bangash featuring Zohaan Ali Bangash and Abeer Ali Bangash

Renowned santoor player Ayaan Ali Bangash will perform with his twins Zohaan and Abeer who are making their debut on stage.

January 21, Cross Maidan

Same Ghee, Different Bottle

Zeenia Patel, Elisha Saigal and Pritha Thadani reveal the journey of the 107-year-old legacy brand Parsi Dairy Farm and the reimagining of this Mumbai icon.

January 22, Parsi Dairy Farm

The Making of a Neighbourhood Restaurant

One cannot imagine Kala Ghoda without the iconic Kala Ghoda Café or Americano. An insightful chat session with the owners — Farhad Bomanjee and Alex Sanchez as they speak with food writer Aatish Nath about the making of their neighbourhood restaurants.

January 23, Kala Ghoda Café

Kahwa Stories: A Kashmiri High Tea

If you have always been intrigued by the customs of Kashmir’s distinctive tea culture then this talk by Chef Jasleen Marwah is just for you. There will be stories and flavours in this special demo and tasting of the Kashmiri kahwa.

January 25, Folk

Kanan Gill and You!

Stand-up comedian Kanan Gill is out with a new book titled Acts of God and he will be here to talk about his new book which has been described as a highly entertaining and mind-bending novel. Gill has put his own spin on the long tradition of comedic science fiction with humour, imaginativeness and philosophical provocations.

January 25, YB Chavan Auditorium

Reframing the Narrative: Transgender Rights and Poetic Possibilities

Actor Trinetra Gummaraju and Radio presenter Rohini Ramanathan explore sexual representation in the arts. This will be followed by Mosaic of Me, a special spoken word performance by members of the transgender community.

January 25, Kalanjee House

Jai Kajal presents Mahesh Kale

Mahesh Kale’s Infusion: Taking Classical Beyond is a groundbreaking concert anchored in the rich tradition of Indian Classical Music blended with contemporary sounds. This unique musical experience showcases a harmonious collaboration transcending musical boundaries. The ensemble includes stellar musicians such as Sanjoy Das, Dipesh Varma, Manish Kulkarni, Prasad Padhye, Abhinay Ravande, Harshit Shankar, and Anay Gadgil.

January 26, Cross Maidan

The Travel Stories of Masala Memsahib

Food writer Karen Anand takes us on a tasting journey through the tales behind her new food memoir, Masala Memsahib. Each dish will be matched with a refreshing Smirnoff cocktail.

January 27, Kalanjee House

Music with Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Live is a concert that showcases the multifaceted talent of Farhan Akhtar, the renowned Bollywood actor, director, singer, and performer. As the finale to the KGAF 2024, Farhan will be there to mesmerise the audiences with his electrifying “Farhan Live” concert and also champion societal change through his MARD initiative.

January 28, Cross Maidan