Kala Ghoda Fest 2018 flagged off encompassing nature’s beauty at its best
Mumbai, February 4: Mumbai is all set to display the authentic and ethnic facets of Maharashtra in its Kala Ghoda Festival, 2018. The eight-day fest has begun from Saturday 3rd February, and this year’s theme is nature. Apart from the exotic nature you also will come across the various art installations, performances, heritage walks, and much more.
History will be revisited on foot as there are installations which are displayed, reach for the skies, deforestation captured in a series of photographs. The broad theme is Nature, and it has prompted tremendous interest and inspiration among artistes. It will be showcasing authentic bamboo artifacts, Warli art crafts, handloom khadi products, Tussar silk saree from Maharashtra by renowned artists and tribal artisans. Tribal artisans from Palghar & Chandrapur will be presenting their art along with Khadi clothing from Amravati and jewellery by minority women's self help group.
Last year they had displayed a car covered in faux fur in an attempt to start a conversation about global warming and saving the polar bear. This year, the emphasis will be covering half the car with foliage and the rest with army fatigue material, to question whether we are moving towards conserving nature, or fighting it. Kalpavriksha’ a 15 ft installation showcasing different facets of Maharashtra for tourists will be on display in this festival.
The theme for the heritage walks section is Bombay as it was and Mumbai as we want it to be. The focus this year is to revive the long forgotten past of the city. The Horniman Circle gardens area were fondly known as Bombay Green, because that is essentially what it was a vast expanse of greenery. Not many people know about Bombay Green which was an actual spot in the Bombay of the 17th century. Over the years, buildings started closing in, most of the greenery disappeared and the name was forgotten.
Apart from this people can also discover something new about your city by pedalling around on a bicycle, hitching a ride on a breezy open-top buses or simply walking around tree-lined south Mumbai neighbourhoods. The aim is to make the people explore some rare and unique trees and water bodies that tell us about the city’s history and heritage too. The participants can also trace the edges of what constituted the original Bombay island on a bicycle, among a total of 18 tours lined up for the festival.