The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, a cultural fest held in the Kala Ghoda region in Mumbai,
opens in Mumbai in 2017 between 4 and 12 February. Formed with the intent of maintaining and preserving the heritage and art district of South Mumbai, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) is hailed as one of the country’s largest multicultural festivals. We caught up with Brinda Miller, festival director at KGAF, to get an insight into what the fest has in offer in 2017.
Brinda, a pass-out from Parsons School of Design, New York and Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, has been associated with the Kala Ghoda Association almost since its inception.
She has played a key role in the be autification of the Kala Ghoda Art District and has not only created murals for the art district of Mumbai, but is also responsible for bringing
public art to the city.
According to her, KGAF 2017 will be bigger, better and brilliant. Adored by art connoisseurs from every strata of society, the festival offers a vibrant spectrum of tradition, art, color and culture. The sessions in the upcoming edition will be loaded with heated literary and social discussions alongside workshops and book launches. Open to all and free of charge, KGAF attracts thousands of people from across the world every year. Funds raised from the festival are contributed towards the maintenance and restoration of the area.
When asked how she sees the Kala Ghoda festival bring about change in society, Brinda says, “The kind of audience we receive has changed— from elite to middle class and back to a good mix. It brings about a certain unity in the city—people from ages and strata of society visit and mingle. In fact, it is the younger lot that is enjoying the festival more. The footfall has grown to half a million people in 9 days. It has become prestigious to say ‘I have participated at the KGAF.’”
In 2017, Brinda says the festival will have more venues at its disposal. For instance, it will cover Jehangir Art Gallery and there will be larger space available for the food festival at Cross Maidan. In addition, the opening act will see a performance by the supremely talented Hema Malini. According to Brinda, there will be at least one major highlight
across each session every day. The literature section will have book launches, workshops and discussions with well-known authors. Some well known names that will preside
over the discussions include Shashi Tharoor, Rujuta Divekar, and writers from Israel, Australia, Turkey, US and Switzerland. Children’s literature, which holds a significant space in the KGAF, will hold workshops by Peek-ABook at Kitab Khana.
Sharing her thoughts on the current Indian and international literary scene, Brinda shares, “I think the Indian writers are extremely talented as are our musicians, dancers, etc.; what we lack is good worldwide PR. However, with the various festivals that are conducted
across the country, there is a lot of exchange and exposure for all. Thus, there is tremendous awareness too among authors and the audience.”
