Kala Ghoda Festival Now!

The Artist behind the spectacular Eiffel Tower at this year’s Kala Ghoda Art Festival…

2010-02-14T20:58:00.003+05:30

Meet Vikram Arora the creator of the wonderful ‘The Sunlight Eiffel’

Hey Gang, Nitesh here.
Although today is the last day of the Kala Ghoda Festival 2010 and we are bit sad biding it good bye, I just wanted to take some time talking about how amazing the whole experience has been. We have been fortunate enough to witness some of the most spectacular Arts and Crafts installations, unique visual arts and performances par excellence. During the festival we were lucky enough to have opportunities to interact with some of the most uniquely talented individuals of our country and understand their perspective and inspiration behind their respective master pieces.

One such amazing artist we interviewed is Vikram Arora. The main behind what is arguably Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2010’s most popular art installation ‘The Eiffel Tower'. His creation ‘The Sunlight Eiffel’ tower not only towered in popularity amongst the others but was effective enough to drive the real message of “conserving energy and harnessing the power of solar energy” home.
Vikram Arora is young, dynamic and upcoming artist with a truly unique perspective of integrating art with a message. His creation took over 3 months of hard work and dedication with serious dent to his pocket, but Vikram is happy that he has been able create a piece of art that is both majestically beautiful and conveys a simple but serious message across. Below is our complete interview with Vikram, watch it to catch a glimpse of the inspiration behind the genius.
Cheers!

P.S.: Noticed something different?
We got some new looks for our website. The current website designed specifically with the intention of keeping it looking extremely simple with easier accessibility and more focus on the content. Going by the feedback we got, we realised that the old template was having major visibility and structural problems when opened with Internet Explorer and viewed with a resolution of 1024 X 786 or lower. The existing template thankfully solves that problem. Hope you like it.

“Maharashtrachi Parampara” presented through dance stole our hearts…

2010-02-09T17:15:00.003+05:30

“Maharashtrachi Parampara” presented through dance stole our hearts…

Hey Gang, Nitesh here. Hope you are enjoying the updates? If you are then please-please leave us some comments and suggestions. Also feel free to share these with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter or anyway you deep fit.
“Maharashtrachi Parampara” presented through dance by the children of NGO Astitva definitely was highlight of our Day at Day 3 – Kala Ghoda Fest 2010. The small little children dressed up in traditional Maharashtrian ethnic wear moving to the groove of local dholaki was a treat to watch.

And the show had a lesson too, the aim of the performance to highlight the plight of many of the local artisans and craftsman who are loosing their jobs as the globalisation and industrialisation take over. The forms of entertainment are now rapidly changing from local mandali’s to Multiplexes.

The way these children came out and were able to perform to highlight the cause was simply exemplary. Now, just so that you don’t miss out on these wonderful performances we recorded them for you.

So happy watching.

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Day 3 at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2010 – an melting pot of Cultural Influences…

2010-02-09T16:21:00.003+05:30

Day 3 at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2010 – an melting pot of Cultural Influences…

Hey Gang, Nitesh here. Hope you are enjoying following our daily updates of this years Kala Ghoda Festival.

On Day 3 we were witness to some of the most spectacular visual arts and craft installations. The Eiffel Tower and the Tree of Light were amongst our personal favourites. (Pictures Below)

We are lucky enough to catch a potter at work on his latest masterpiece and managed to get a quick video of the same. (Video Below)

Potter at work on Day 3 of Kala Ghoda Festival 2010 - www.kalaghodafestivalnow.com

There were 3 dance performances setup for the evening and must I say each of them was fabulous. We specially loved the “Maharashtrachi Parampara presented through dance” which had these small kids from the suburbs performing the traditional Maharashtrian Lavni and Kohli dance. This was followed by a traditional Kathak dance by a group named Urrmee based in Pune. The last performance of the night was a Bharata Natyam dance by Nateshwar Nritya Kala Mandir, Mumbai.

Maharashtrachi Parampara through dance, day 3 at Kala Ghoda fest 2010

Earlier during the day there were a host of Children’s programmes like “Box Making using corrugated Paper”, Ready…Steady…PLAY! and Lighting up our Lives!. The literature section saw the big launch of the book “Neti Neti” by Chandrahas Chaudhury at the David Sassoon Library Garden.

The Kala Ghoda Festival 2010 has also focussed on some really beautiful and meaningful cinema thus earning it the nickname of ‘Kala Ghoda Film Festival’. Well, today saw the screenings of Japanese film ‘Ran’, Korean movie Ghost Taxi, French movie ‘Love on the Run’ amongst others.

On the whole it was an eventful day leaving us craving more some beer towards the end.
Our favourite bits had to be the fabulous Arts & Crafts Installations, Life size animal installations, and the Maharashtrian dance performances by the children.
And, here are some of the other unique installations that caught our eye.

Friends, if you are liking our updates, the don’t forget to pass the message and let others know as well.

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P.S.: There was a lot of confusion around what the “Jumbo” Glass of sugarcane juice meant. So, this time we got a volunteer to demonstrate the difference between the normal large and Jumbo glass.

Amazing Day 1 at Kala Khoda Fest 2010…

2010-02-07T14:47:00.003+05:30

Check out the first videos and some really awesome pictures of the amazing Day 1 at Kala Khoda Fest 2010…

hey Gang, Nitesh here. Hope all you folks enjoyed our post on the Kala Ghoda Festival one day before the start and the world famous Kala Ghoda Cafe!

Well, today was the big day and need I tell you that it was Rocking. Namz was there to cover the scene for you and he came back with some of the most awesome pictures and videos of Day 1 at the Kala Ghoda Festival that I have seen. So, without further adieu, here we go…

P.S.: Oh! BTW, apologies for not being able to do this post yesterday. You see the truth is that we have no excuses. I got an sms from Namz late last night that he was too tired after covering the scene and heading of for some beer. Now, you can’t expect much more from him after that, can ya?

Just Kidding, Namz, the Pictures and Videos are Brilliant!, Thanks Mate.

Some great Art Installations

The Vibrant Street Affair

Some more of the Amazing affair

Now, for some really cool Kala Ghoda Festival Videos…

Walk through at the Day 1 of the Kala Ghoda Fest 2010

Namz giving us a walk through of Day 1 at Kala Ghoda Fest 2010

Dance Performance on Day 1 at Kala Ghoda Fest 2010

Glimpses of a Dance Performance on Day 1 at Kala Ghoda Fest 2010

Guys, how cool was that? If you are liking this stuff then please-please leave us your comments and let others know about this post so that they can enjoy this as well.
Cheers for now, talk to ya later!

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Kala Ghoda Cafe

2010-02-06T13:29:00.003+05:30

Kala Ghoda Cafe – Part Cafe Part Gallery

What would one call a room with a tall ceiling, perfect lighting, and a sudden cut-off from the hustle and bustle of the city life? An Art Gallery? Nope. Welcome to Kala Ghoda Cafe, friends.

The place gives out a very calm and relaxing vibe. It is one of those places where automatically you try and speak in a hushed voice; not out of fear, but because, you genuinely would not want to disturb others, who are seemingly at peace with themselves.

Yes, Monastery is the word. The place has a feel of a monastery which calms you down. May be its about the white and black, the furniture, cutlery and walls are all white; rest all the things are black (Kala Ghoda Cafe). Even the staff wears only black and even the owner wears black. The people who serve are always with a smile and their motions are not frantic. When they are serving also they don’t appear to be in any hurry (a serving trait which is not seen very often in Mumbai restaurants, where all they care about is the fast serving so that the cash register can keep ringing).
The menu is also pleasing and we could not find any item on the menu which can cause a stomach ache. and finally when we came out, we could not stop discussing about the experience all the way back home (oops! does that mean we were not discussing about Kala Ghoda Festival, well for that half an hour we forgot the world). A totally enthralling experience and a must visit for everyone.

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The scene at Kala Ghoda Festival 2010 one day before opening…

2010-02-05T19:53:00.003+05:30

We were there at Kala Ghoda Mumbai today and this is what we saw…

Hey Gang, Nitesh here.
Just wanted to give you a quick update. Myself and Namz visited the Kala Ghoda Art District of Mumbai today and what we saw was pure delight. We can expect some magic tomorrow.

Some of the artist have already set up shop, there was pretty good buzz, equipment was arriving, the structures were coming, we saw some pretty neat stuff. Check it out, we have got loads of goodies from Kala Ghoda Festival the day before Kala Ghoda Fest 2010 starts.

Oh BTW, almost forgot we also discovered super cool “Sugarcane Juice in a Jumbo Glass”, clearly highlight of our trip and hummus and choco chip mini muffins were quite a treat at the Kala Ghoda Cafe.

Here we go….Cheers!

Myself enjoying the Jumbo Glass of Sugarcane Juice Namz enjoying the Jumbo Glass of Sugarcane Juice
Preparations underway for an awesome Kala Ghoda Fest 2010…

At the Kala Ghoda Cafe…

Gang, if you are enjoying the updates do leave us some comments and spread the word. Let’s make this BIG!

2 Days more to go for the Kala Ghoda Festival 2010…are you excited?…

2010-02-04T14:38:00.003+05:30

Also, we now have celebrities in our Mist…

Hey Gang, Nitesh here.

Just 2 more days to go…are you feeling the excitement?

We have been working hard on the KalaGhodaFestivalNow website along with the various KalaGhodaFestivalNow Facebook and KalaGhodaFestivalNow Twitter group. Hope you are liking what you see so far. We actually wanted to do an introductory video as well but since I am down with a cold and cough I didn't want to scare you at this stage, so hopefully we’ll be doing one when I am a bit less scruffy.

The good news is that we are on schedule and will be able to cover the festival starting Feb 06, 2010. What you can do prior to that is either subscribe via RSS or E-mail to the KalaGhodaFestivalNow website so that you can stay tuned to our progress leading to the event and the event itself.Even though you can keep track of us on our Facebook page or via twitter I highly recommend you also follow the website regularly as that is where the whole action will actually come together.

Now, the other thing I wanted to share with you was that we have celebrities in our Mist. Yes, spot them in our twitter followers:

Both Legends in their own fields. Welcome Mr. Chopra and Mr.Lord, hope you enjoy the Kala Ghoda Festival though our eyes.
Cheers for now, will talk to you later.

About the Kala Ghoda Festival Now Team…

2010-02-03T18:13:00.003+05:30

About Us

Hi Gang, Nitesh here. Firstly a big welcome to our brand new website called the KalaGhodaFestivalNow from myself and Namitoj (the co-creator of this weblog).

A bit about the web site first and then I will move on to us. Let me straightaway clarify one thing, we are in no way associated with the KalaGhodaAssociation or any other official body associated with the Kala Ghoda Art Festival. Whatever is published in this website is solely our views and understanding of the Festival. This blog is meant to be our account of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2010 journey as we do it.

The whole idea of KalaGhodaFestivalNow came about when myself and Namz (that’s what we all call him) decided to do something about scores of our friends who are going to miss out on the event as they cannot be physically present in Kala Ghoda Mumbai. Being hardcore lovers of the kala ghoda festival we just had to do something that would enable our art loving friends to experience and share some of the magic of this lovely festival as will be.

Here’s what you can expect, we intend to update this blog KalaGhodaFestivalNow very frequently as the event is going on with the best glimpses of the show. You can also follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/kalaghodafest, we promise to tweet the best stuff. Facebook fans catch us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kalaghodafestivalnow/282378042143 for all the action happening. Subscribe to our http://www.youtube.com/kalaghodafestivalnow YouTube page to be informed as soon as we post a video.

Now, do keep in mind that we are enthusiastic but amateurs. This is the first time either myself or Namz is trying anything like this. Our budgets are small, we don’t carry any professional equipment (don’t crib at the static in videos. Yes!, there will be videos.) But, keep in mind that if you support us we will be better prepared for the next kala ghoda festival much-much better. So, friends and fans of the festival, please re-tweet, re-blog, and pass on the message to one and all.
A tiny bit about us…
Namz (Namitoj Gaur) is an advertising professional, highly enthusiastic and super intelligent, he is fun to be around with. And Girls just love him! You can catch Namz at his facebook page to chat or just know more about him.
Myself (Nitesh Sawhney) am a full time blogger (yes, I make my full time income just by being on the Internet…if you want to know how contact me at babloggernow@gmail.com)

I have a few blogs apart from this one, namely: Lonavala Holiday, a website dedicated to the beautiful hill station of Lonavala and News At The Tapri, a blog which focuses on discussing the news that happens on the street tea-stalls, the news that effects us the most.
I am married to my beautiful wife Jasmin (who you see in the picture) and currently having a blast in life.

Lastly, I sincerely we stand fair on your expectations and you enjoy your visit to KalaGhodaFestivalNow each time.
Cheers!

Kala Ghoda Festival Schedule

2010-02-03T17:52:00.004+05:30

Know what’s in store with the Kala Ghoda Festival Schedule

So the wait is almost over people, the Kala Ghoda Festival Schedule is out and as expected we are in for some really fascinating stuff out there.

There are some dance performances from groups from all over India and abroad too, the dance goups will be from Orissa, Africa, Delhi, Pune to name a few. Then there will be something for children to bring out there creative side. The children section in the Kala Ghoda Festival Schedule consists of a canvas painting activity titled ‘If I were God for a day’ (what a thought, I must say) and there is some usual stuff like box making, clay modeling and paper puppet show. Besides all these children can also attend a motivational workshop and my personal favorite – Making faces. Also, for the kids are mind blowing sessions on Music, Ballet basics, Warli and Origami.

Then there are a host of movies to catch up ranging from – Korean, French, Spanish, Farsi, Hindi, Japanese, Italian and even Mandarin (relations are improving with Chinese :)). There will also be a host of films by celebrities like Deepa Mehta, Renuka Shahane. If that was not enough, watch Devdas from the eyes of three different people (Bimal Roy, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Anurag Kashyap). Yes! the three versions will be playing in the festival this time round.

The literature section promises some good book launches and worshops on story telling, visual story telling, screen play writing and of course poetry.

Music and theatre in the Kala Ghoda festival will show some scintillating performances of different genre – Rajasthani folk, Rock, fusion, western classical, Hindustani, Ghazals and some theatre performances on Munshi Prem Chand’s stories, Chanakya and many more.

Then, there are some photography exhibitions, Heritage Walks and Workshops for all.

Overall, the Kala Ghoda Festival Schedule has promised a power packed show for nine days. Be there people, and we know, you will not be able to go there for all the 9 days so follow us on
Twitter, Facebook, Orkut. Where ever you are, Whatever you browse from your office, follow us on this blog or subscribing to our youtube handle. The idea is not to let you miss out on the fun of Kala Ghoda Mumbai!!

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kala ghoda fair…

2010-02-02T15:18:00.004+05:30

This time, catch the kala ghoda fair as it happens right from where you are.

The kala ghoda festival which happens in late January or early February each year is also called the kala ghoda fair and rightly so due the vibrant street fair like atmosphere. Anybody whose been there previously will tell about how the streets are bustling with people who are enjoying themselves while appreciating the various arts and crafts displays, and the many street performances and workshops. {Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Raveesh Vyas}

The kala ghoda fair is one of the premiere art festivals of India and takes place in kala ghoda mumbai and goes on for a period of 9 days. In fact, the various performances, workshops, arts and crafts show have created an atmosphere which attracts not only visitors and participants from India but from the rest of the world as well. Thanks to the Kala Ghoda Art Festival the area of Kala Ghoda has also earned the nickname of kala ghoda art district.
kala ghoda arts festival 2010 starts February 06, 2010 this year!
If you happen to be in Mumbai this year I really suggest that you make it a point to visit the kala ghoda fest 2010, enjoy the atmosphere, take in the energy and vibrations and the head of to the famous kala ghoda cafe to chill out.
If for some reason you are not able to make it at the kala ghoda fair, then don’t waste time, just subscribe to KalaGhodaFestivalNow for minute-by-minute updates of events and stories right from the kala ghoda art district. Yes, we (Myself and my pal Namitoj)are going to be there and cover the whole event near live. You can even get tweets from us at twitter.com/kalaghodafest or join us at Facebook or Orkut. Watch snippets of the various live performances on our YouTube page. But don’t miss the Action.
kala ghoda arts festival 2010 as it happens!
Guys, check out some of the glimpses of the previously held kala ghoda festivals:


Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Raveesh Vyas	Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Chocolate Geek

Check out this video performance @ kala ghoda festival previously:

kala ghoda fair

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Kala Ghoda Mumbai

2010-02-01T23:09:00.004+05:30

Kala Ghoda Mumbai – The Art Hub

The horse started galloping since 1999, and since then the strides have never been shortened. The whole aim of 'Kala Ghoda Arts Festival' was to make it the Kala Ghoda Art District of Mumbai.

The place derives its name from a black stone statue of King Edward VII mounted on a horse. Although this statue was removed in 1965 to a museum in Central Mumbai, the name was carried on. The statue is now in the Jijamata Udyan in Byculla. The Kala Ghoda Mumbai district is locked between The fountain District, Regal Cinema and Dalal Street (It seems most of the intellectual and Financial capital of Mumbai is in South Mumbai)

Mumbai has always been the hub of all cultural events, as it is the true cosmopolitan – the maximum city. The city oozes life and only in this city, can one expect acknowledgement of passion and art. The performances in the festival are a display of passion which each performer delivers from heart. It is also evident from the fact that the kala Ghoda festival entry charges are Nil. The whole thing happens on a street and the costs are covered by corporate sponsorships of various fields (I think the corporate also know that they have to be present at a platform where there customers are :))
The Festival is organized by the Kala Ghoda Association and curated by teams handling each of the sub-festivals. What it offers? Kala Ghoda Schedule comprises of - visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature, lectures, seminars and workshops, heritage walks, special events for children, and a vibrant street festival.

Now, enough of gyaan on the Kala Ghoda Art Festival, all you guys should also know a reason why you should attend Kala Ghoda Festival. Right? I will give you 3

How so ever much this city acknowledges art, it also demands a lot of hard work. So this is your time to keep aside those belly enlarging beer and experience life
You just have to pay for your travel, even if you had to pay some extra money, it would have been worth it
All these years, the crowd going to the festival kept on increasing. Even last year so many people attended the festival that I lost count after … ummmm 1 million
Many of the enthusiasts visit from all over India (and may be from abroad also) to view the spectacle of Kala Ghoda Mumbai

But beware, the place can get really crowded at times. Your best bet should be planting your friends at different locations so that atleast you can share a seat with them. Its a separate story that just like Mumbai locals Kala Ghoda Fair in Mumbai also demands your agility. Craning your neck to get a glimpse of the performance and using the elbow joints effectively to make some room (I am not promoting vandalism here, but these are the things which gives us Mumbaikars a high. Isn’t it?)
Of course, if you don’t intend to do all these things and you are not convinced with any of my above stated reasons. You can follow this space regularly and we would make sure you don’t miss out on any experience (well, almost) of the ‘Kala Ghoda Arts Festival’.
Where do you want to follow us? Twitter, Facebook, Orkut. Where ever you are, Whatever you browse from your office, follow us on this blog or subscribing to our youtube handle. The idea is not to let you miss out on the fun of Kala Ghoda Mumbai!!


Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Kaushal Karkhanis	Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Raveesh Vyas

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kala ghoda festival…

2010-02-01T18:38:00.003+05:30

The Magic of the kala ghoda festival

Kala Ghoda Festival lovers behold! ……………The festival is back in 2010 and starts 06, February 2010.

For those new on the arts and dance scene kala ghoda festival is an annual, vibrant street festival celebrating visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature, lectures, seminars and workshops, heritage walks, special events for children for a duration of roughly nine days.
The kala ghoda art festival is held in kala ghoda in mumbai (Kala Ghoda is an area in South Mumbai, the area is also commonly known as the kala ghoda art district of Mumbai) usually either in late January or early February (Do note that kala ghoda arts festival 2010 dates are out and its starts 06, February 2010).

The kala ghoda festival has really grown in its stature and popularity since beginning in 1999. It now attracts various visitors and participants from the entire and country and outside the country as well. Its popularity has been soaring amongst art lovers and has also encouraged other art festivals to spring up around the city like the Celebrate Bandra Festival, and in 2007, the Kitab Festival.

The festival is arranged by non-profit organisation the Kala Ghoda Association whose objectives are to "physically upgrading the Kala Ghoda sub-precinct and making it the Art District of Mumbai.

Entry to various events at the kala ghoda fest 2010 are expected to be free but restricted by the size of the venues which include The Jehangir Art Gallery, The National Gallery of Modern Art, the David Sassoon Library, Max Mueller Bhavan, Elphinstone College, the K R Cama Institute, the M C Ghia Hall, and the street area of Rampart Row.
Now, the great news this year is that me and my good friend Namitoj (both big fans of this festival) will be trying to cover this festival near live on the Internet. This time around its
Kala Ghoda Festival Now – as it happens!
For the first time, you will be able to feel the street mela, the ambience, the atmosphere and get minute by minute updates via our kala ghoda festival twitter account, watch videos of performance on the kala ghoda festival youtube page, track us via our facebook group. And of course, all of this will also be available on this very kala ghoda festival blog.

So Guys, get in on the action by subscribing to this blog, joining our facebook group, following us on twitter and subscribing to our youtube page. Be with us all the time and watch the Kala Ghoda Festival Now – as it happens!

Guys, check out the some glimpses of the kala ghoda festival from the years gone by:


Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Raveesh Vyas	Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Extempore

Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: Raveesh Vyas	Picture used under a Creative Commons license, credits: induviduality

[Picture used under a a Creative Commons license, credits: sameer_aset]

Disclaimer

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This is just to let everybody know that we the creators of Kala Ghoda Festival Now are in no way associated to the Kala Ghoda Association in any official capacity and nor is this in any way an official Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Blog.

We are just fans of this festival and the views expressed here-in within the website are our personal views and should not be in anyway associated to the official Kala Ghoda Association, their website or their blog.

Please consider this blog as our personal account of the Kala Ghoda Art Festival and these should not be construed in any way as the anything to do with the Kala Ghoda Festival Officials.

We can be contacted at kalaghodafestivalnow@gmail.com


Myself enjoying the Jumbo Glass of Sugarcane Juice	Namz enjoying the Jumbo Glass of Sugarcane Juice