Kala Ghoda Festival Goes Virtual, Announces Stellar Line-up, Full Schedule from February 6 to 14

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | February 1, 2021 | News

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2021 Paytm Insider Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) Kommune Kashish

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, India's largest multi-cultural street art festival, is back – but this time in a new avatar. The 2021 edition of the festival will be a virtual one and every aspect of it including discussions with global audiences, workshops and demonstrations about dance and music, visual arts, theatre, cinema, literature, book launches and tributes to famous personalities will be held online.

The festival will be organised by the non-profit organisation Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) and hosted on Paytm Insider from February 6 to 14.

KGAF 2021 is partnered by Kommune, Kashish, MAMI, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Bangalore International Centre, Nehru Science Centre and Amar Chitra Katha, as also cultural embassies including the Institute of Italian Culture, Consulate General of Switzerland, the Italian Cultural Centre (Mumbai), the Brazilian Consulate and the Consulate General of Sweden.

Brinda Miller, Honorary Chairperson of the Kala Ghoda Association said, “The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has kept its date with Mumbai for the past 21 years. This 22nd year again, we are celebrating art and culture through a different medium that has spurred us on to ‘unlock’ the entire festival and make it virtual, including the much sought after KGAF stalls. Our partners, artistes and collaborators, who have worked with us through the years, have stepped forward this year too, to make this festival a ‘virtual reality’. What is encouraging is that we have well-wishers from around the world who are excited to be part of our festival this year. This has been an opportunity for us to reinvent the wheel.”

KGAF 2021 Line-up

The Kala Ghoda Spotlight will have performances and talks by Leslee Lewis, TM Krishna, Usha Uthup, Ankur Tewari, Rahul Mehrotra, among many biggies, brought by various collaborators including Teamwork, Mahindra Kabira Festival, Team Rewind, Kommune, MAMI and Sula Wines, among others. A special highlight is the session #AamhiKon? a concept that promotes lyrical Marathi Hip Hop and showcases MCs, poets and writers from around Maharashtra.

Kitchen Secrets will focus on cooking demonstrations by culinary heroes including Saransh Goila, Zeba Kohli, Pooja Dhingra, Tara Deshpande and Michelin Star Chef Fabio Mazzolini from Italy.

Unlocking Heritage captures a series of heritage walks through the city and its renowned architectural precincts; in association with Art Deco Mumbai Trust and Khaki Tours.

UpSkill features a series of workshops by the famous Arzan (scissorhands) Khambatta, musicians Gino Banks, Rakesh Chaurasia, Ojas Adhiya, Purbayan Chatterjee, Team M N M Talkies on podcasting, Unlocking Anxiety with Sonali Gupta. In a similar vein, Shake a Leg features workshops with renowned international dancers such as Bea Dabrabant (for Tai Chi), Laura Kenyon (Flamenco), Tommaso Petrolo (contemporary), Naima Yazbek (Brazilian Samba) and Natya Kalari by Dr Sreejith TR of Dancity India and Ashley Lobo.

Luminaries including Ruth Padel, Devdutt Patnaik, Ranjit Hoskote, Prem Chandavarkar, Swiss-Romanian novelist Dana Grigrocea, TM Krishna, Perumal Murugan, Pankaj Udhas with Kavita Krishnamoorthy, Tahira Kashyap, Neena Gupta and Vikas Khanna, Padma Shri Shubha Mudgal, Shilpa Rao, Dia Mirza with Licpriya Kangujam, and Talat Aziz with Pratibha Singh Baghel, Vikas Khanna and Neena Gupta will indulge in engaging discussions at the fest.