MEGHNA MAITI
Mumbai
An eighty-year old Parsi gentleman slings his arm carelessly around
his famous artist friend and flashes a toothless grin for a
photograph. At a short distance, a group of flimsy chiffon-clad south
Mumbai homemakers crowd around a Man-booker nominated author to extend
an invitation for their next arty party. And even further away, at
David Sasoon Library garden, Mumbai poets join on 'Hope Street ' to
celebrate their annual reunion. Several such instances float through the cold,
slightly supercilious air of Kalaghoda art festival in South Mumbai
and touch people in a cosmetic spirit of cultural networking with a
dash of nostalgia.
For the nine days of Kalaghoda festival , a better part of Mumbai
flock to Kalaghoda art fair to mingle in the open space, linger in
galleries where world cinema and short documentaries flicker across
the screens. The fair has always been as much about glamour, glitz as
cutting edge alternative art- more like a multi-media,
multi-locational experience, meandering through the island city. The
venue is tucked in an enclave bounded by Mumbai's dockyard, Fountain
and Oval Maidan, near the cacophonous Colaba Causeway in an affluent
South Mumbai business district.
"We have seen around ten lakh visitors so far. The response is indeed
enthralling," said a person who is a part of the organizing committee
of Kalaghoda art fair on condition of anonymity.
However, this time around, the fair has not quite lived up to its
standard. Kalaghoda fair does not have much to offer in terms of
quality of products, movies, literary sessions or theatre. The ethnic
wear and artifacts available in the numerous stalls dotting the street
are ridiculously overpriced. "We have to pay almost treble the price
for most of the products," said Sutapa Maitra, a school-teacher based
in Mumbai. Similarly, the films being screened at Max Mueller Bhavan
are far away from the high-culture space. "Who would like to watch
Goliyon ki Raasleela Ramleela at Kalaghoda art fair," sniggered Alima
Tigga, a budding documentary film-maker and ex-student of Pune Film
Institute. Some of the other films being screened at Kalaghoda
festival are- Go Goa Gone, Aanhkh ki Sharam, Ghatothkach.
The art installations at Kalaghoda festival dealing with the idea of
changing perceptions and momentum are also not of remarkable quality.
However, the first installation titled Mithya (Hindi for illusion),
has drawn enough attention. It is a sort of a path where at each step
a walker realizes the illusory nature of his reality. Another
installation captures the multiple images of the festival. The third
one is a walk that recreates the experience of walking on a quiet road
surrounded by trees on both sides.
As far as the literary sessions are concerned, we mostly see the same
old faces every year- to name a few- Adil Jussawalla, Gieve Patel,
Sampurna Chatterjee, Sridala Swami, Arundhati Subramaniam. In fact, in
one of the interesting literary sessions exploring the idea of
'Renewal of the Journal' with Hemant Divate, Chandrahas Chowdhury, Ram
Manohar Reddy and Ranjit Hoskote, a peeved man from the audience
pointed out how we see the same old Mumbai writers every year, despite
the reach and resources of the organizer.
Also, the fair, having shifted its music and dance venue to distant
locations (Cross Maidan and Asiatic Steps) due to legal issues,
remained a little listless in its essence.
Around 22 dance genres were
displayed in the festival through 38 performances of the nine days of
the festival, representing various Indian states such as Punjab,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala.
On the last day of the Kalaghoda festival, the area is throbbing with
the elites and the ordinary, the air is alive with soap bubbles, the
pleasing tune of the flute and the drum, hushed conversations about
business deals, new job opportunity or even invitation to a party.
People are awaiting eagerly for the interesting literary session with
'William Darymple- the great historian. It will soon be the hour of
sunset and the end of a few sunny days of sublime pleasure.
meghnamaiti@mydigitalfc.com
ENDS
Mumbai
An eighty-year old Parsi gentleman slings his arm carelessly around
his famous artist friend and flashes a toothless grin for a
photograph. At a short distance, a group of flimsy chiffon-clad south
Mumbai homemakers crowd around a Man-booker nominated author to extend
an invitation for their next arty party. And even further away, at
David Sasoon Library garden, Mumbai poets join on 'Hope Street ' to
celebrate their annual reunion. Several such instances float through the cold,
slightly supercilious air of Kalaghoda art festival in South Mumbai
and touch people in a cosmetic spirit of cultural networking with a
dash of nostalgia.
For the nine days of Kalaghoda festival , a better part of Mumbai
flock to Kalaghoda art fair to mingle in the open space, linger in
galleries where world cinema and short documentaries flicker across
the screens. The fair has always been as much about glamour, glitz as
cutting edge alternative art- more like a multi-media,
multi-locational experience, meandering through the island city. The
venue is tucked in an enclave bounded by Mumbai's dockyard, Fountain
and Oval Maidan, near the cacophonous Colaba Causeway in an affluent
South Mumbai business district.
"We have seen around ten lakh visitors so far. The response is indeed
enthralling," said a person who is a part of the organizing committee
of Kalaghoda art fair on condition of anonymity.
However, this time around, the fair has not quite lived up to its
standard. Kalaghoda fair does not have much to offer in terms of
quality of products, movies, literary sessions or theatre. The ethnic
wear and artifacts available in the numerous stalls dotting the street
are ridiculously overpriced. "We have to pay almost treble the price
for most of the products," said Sutapa Maitra, a school-teacher based
in Mumbai. Similarly, the films being screened at Max Mueller Bhavan
are far away from the high-culture space. "Who would like to watch
Goliyon ki Raasleela Ramleela at Kalaghoda art fair," sniggered Alima
Tigga, a budding documentary film-maker and ex-student of Pune Film
Institute. Some of the other films being screened at Kalaghoda
festival are- Go Goa Gone, Aanhkh ki Sharam, Ghatothkach.
The art installations at Kalaghoda festival dealing with the idea of
changing perceptions and momentum are also not of remarkable quality.
However, the first installation titled Mithya (Hindi for illusion),
has drawn enough attention. It is a sort of a path where at each step
a walker realizes the illusory nature of his reality. Another
installation captures the multiple images of the festival. The third
one is a walk that recreates the experience of walking on a quiet road
surrounded by trees on both sides.
As far as the literary sessions are concerned, we mostly see the same
old faces every year- to name a few- Adil Jussawalla, Gieve Patel,
Sampurna Chatterjee, Sridala Swami, Arundhati Subramaniam. In fact, in
one of the interesting literary sessions exploring the idea of
'Renewal of the Journal' with Hemant Divate, Chandrahas Chowdhury, Ram
Manohar Reddy and Ranjit Hoskote, a peeved man from the audience
pointed out how we see the same old Mumbai writers every year, despite
the reach and resources of the organizer.
Also, the fair, having shifted its music and dance venue to distant
locations (Cross Maidan and Asiatic Steps) due to legal issues,
remained a little listless in its essence.
displayed in the festival through 38 performances of the nine days of
the festival, representing various Indian states such as Punjab,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala.
On the last day of the Kalaghoda festival, the area is throbbing with
the elites and the ordinary, the air is alive with soap bubbles, the
pleasing tune of the flute and the drum, hushed conversations about
business deals, new job opportunity or even invitation to a party.
People are awaiting eagerly for the interesting literary session with
'William Darymple- the great historian. It will soon be the hour of
sunset and the end of a few sunny days of sublime pleasure.
meghnamaiti@mydigitalfc.com
ENDS
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