Kala Ghoda Festival :The Art Mela daljeet malhotra

Kala Ghoda festival: The Art Mela

         Vibrant colours around you, a brightly lit place, performers on the street; you know you are at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Being one of the much anticipated festivals in Mumbai, it’s the time when the city takes to the streets. Nine days filled with arts, culture, music and more, you would probably need an extra pair of eyes to capture the entire festival. On 4th February, 2012 the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival came alive with different things to look forward to this year.

          With ample choices laid out to cater to different interests, what caught my eyes were the various installations. Apart from the black horse created from scrap metal, tyres and plastic , the rest depicted the shades of reality. Some of my personal favorites at the festival were:

Submerged:

                                     

     This installation created by Mr. Vikram  Arora depicted the symbolic drowning process, where each of us is going down taking along the rich heritage, ecological system and animal kingdom. And all will be lost soon. This installation acted as a reminder of the importance of our creation in this existence, and a CALL for action.

The Big Catch:

                    

     Big Catch by Parag Tandel was a symbolic gesture to his community as he brings forth the fact of how garbage is being dumped into the sea leading to the extinction of many species of fishes. The installation has nets in the shape of fishes dumped with the junk like plastic bottles, thermocol remains, shoes and bricks.

Smoking is injurious to health:

     Smoking is injurious to health was an installation built by Kuldeep , Naresh, Mayura and Meenal . This project aimed at spreading the consequences of constant smoking. The installation by the four artists has bones covered with blood surrounding a bunch of cigarette butts.          

Silent Noise and Peace:

  

       Living in a city like Mumbai, you can barely escape the constant noise. Peace and Silent Noise by Saini Johray explains the increasing noise pollution where you can see a carving of a ear trying to block the noise generated as another one sits in a mediating position.

A CRY:

      Apart from the above mentioned installations, the other installation that draws your attention is A CRY To Nourish by the NGO CRY where more than 500 spoons form a large chime. Beautifully done, it is an interactive installation which tries to spread the message of the condition of under nourishment in the country and how we can fight it by just contributing a little.

      After nine days of visual and cultural delight, the city bid adieu to the 14th edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts festival with a musical bonanza on Sunday with music composing duo, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, charming the huge crowds with their performance.
 

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