From pavements to performances: How Kala Ghoda found its cultural voice

As we navigate the chocabloc parking lot of the Kala Ghoda art district dodging serious shoppers and their large luxury cars the humourist in us imagines the lording black horse chuckle at our predicament In a little over a month the scene will dramatically transform into a vibrant showcase of eclectic installations and indie retail stalls for the 26th Kala Ghoda Arts Festival KGAF which begins on January 31Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia performs in 2002Brinda Miller its honorary chairperson and festival director accompanies us as we retrace the trail of the early editions Around us heritage landmarks create an ominous boundary that lines the nucleus of this annual cultural spectacle Some like the Elphinstone College are venue partners while others like the restored Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue and David Sassoon Library and Reading Room relay the intent behind the Kala Ghoda Associationrsquos core vision mdash to bring heritage culture and the arts together under one umbrella Later over cheese toast and coffee at Knead Cafe we dissect its massive imprint on Mumbairsquos and Indiarsquos cultural calendar for over 25 yearsExcerpts from the interview Letrsquos rewind to the early days of the festivalhellipIt was 1999 I remember standing on the pavement witnessing the press conference mdash there were Mrs Sangita Jindal the Tatas and Kala Ghoda residents I was excited that we finally had a lovely festival along Rampart RowAdnan Sami at the 2002 edition of the festivalMy father Nana Chudasama was always part of public life and he loved doing such things Maybe I inherited it from him In the early days it was a charming 14day festival with no verticals like visual arts The area was not shut to traffic Art galleries in the vicinity wanted to list their special shows and events For two weekends concerts were held in the parking lot where the horse stands now This was discontinued later when it became a silent zone due to its proximity to places of worship and educational institutionsTrilok Gurtu jams with Remo Fernandes right in 2003 File PicsEvery year we felt it wouldnrsquot survive because of lack of funds but somehow we kept it alive Few will remember that the late Pritish Nandy donated Rs 1 crore from his MLA fund in the early 2000s to build the amphitheatre in Kala Ghoda We were lucky that wellwishers came forward in the early days Today the district has transformed into a buzzing destination where heritage and history blend with eating out and retail destinationsWhen did you and the core team realise that the festival had the potential to get biggerFunds were a struggle for the first fivesix years Then there was a sudden burst of sponsorship from the print media HSBC and the Jindals supported us immensely However when people helming the festival would move after a few years we would face a sense of abandonment The challenge was to prove to ourselves that we could take it forward I was on the committee and was always around to help The role came to me by default When they said lsquoWe donrsquot think you can do it as well we hope you canrsquo I took it as a challenge Every year we ensured that the bar was raised There were highs and lowsVisitors walk past an installation at the 2023 editionHow did you rise after the lowsOne of the reasons the programming suffered was when we lost funding The festival started looking tacky We have a wonderful event management team that has helped us survive over the years through the ups and downs Just when we were not doing too great COVID19 hit but we were determined to keep it going So we organised an online edition that year People liked it though it wasnrsquot my cup of tea Then when the second wave struck I decided to give the festival a gap year despite suggestions to organise another online edition There are certain costs involved and we didnrsquot wish to waste peoplersquos time and effort The 2026 edition would have been the 27th year but it is the 26th for this reasonA view of festivities in the parking lot File PicShadab KhanOur resilience brought us back after those two years We had to find sponsors and literally beg for funding We are artistic people not business folk Now itrsquos better people approach us and itrsquos an organic process The festival stalls were our saviours They were lucky because we had secured permissions back then which wouldnrsquot have been possible now These stalls have funded the festival in a big way Many performers come on board for much less because we are a free festival The dynamic changes if we become a ticketed festival The state government also backs us for this reason Irsquom sure we are Asiarsquos largest street festivalHas the typical KGAF visitor changed over timeThe crowd has distinctively changed over the years Earlier the festival used to be just for the elite in SoBo the rest couldnrsquot figure what it was about When big artistes including Ustad Zakir Hussain Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Trilok Gurtu began to perform at Rampart Row the middleclass thronged the festival Back then we didnrsquot have security or DFMDs Door Frame Metal Detectors Visitors would even climb trees to watch concertsA metallic horse installation on Rampart Row right A man poses with a dabbawala installation during the 2013 edition of the arts festival File PicsPeople tend to forget the role of the Kala Ghoda AssociationhellipI was enthused to raise awareness about the heritage buildings in the area which was appreciated Many didnrsquot and remain unaware that the Kala Ghoda Association raises funds to restore these sites Right now we are rerestoring the Bomanjee Hormarjee Wadia Clock Tower thanks to generous sponsorship We are happy that people are coming forward to conserve our heritage sites JSW Foundation has always supported major restorations including the David Sassoon Library and the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue Despite slow progress itrsquos good that restoration of the Esplanade Mansion mdash the cast iron marvel mdash is underwayYou are a seasoned celebrated artist too How do you approach the two rolesI miss art at this time because I am not able to do any work Art is my therapy and is a contrast to my role at KGAF There I am dealing with people all the time but when I paint I am alone in my studioKGAF 2026gtgt Horniman Circle Garden is back as a venue As a wider community outreach itinerary there will be performances by Bengali congregations Marathi and Sindhi groupsgtgt Last year the steps of the Asiatic Society was revived as a performance venue after four years thanks to fundinggtgt The second year of the Lifestyle vertical will have a robust programme Under fashion expect walks and possibly a fashion show Mental wellness will also be addressed in the form of art therapy workshopsQuirky Memories from KGAFgtgt Occasionally wersquod rescue politicians and important guests from DFMDs and security I had to call someone several times to help me get past securitygtgt Famous musicians have long lists to feed armies Red Bull cartons sandwiches and burgers dry fruits and nutsgtgt A drunken showstopper musician could barely perform he arrived late and only spoke to the audiencegtgt A star musician insisted on arriving in a Mini Cooper so we had to hire onegtgt As part of his play a theatre director brought a real horse on stage Brinda MillerMilestonesgtgtTwo years ago jazz legend Herbie Hancock performed for us at NCPA thanks to the US ConsulategtgtUstad Zakir Hussain has performed in the outdoors on several occasionsgtgt The Bodhi Art Gallery had set up installations across the entire parking lot for an entire yeargtgt Moving the Dance and Music programming to Cross Maidan and the steps of the Asiatic Society was a blessing in disguisegtgt Winning UNESCO Awards of Merit for the restored Mulji Jetha Fountain Bomanjee Wadia Clock Tower David Sassoon Library and CSMVSgtgt Installation of the Spirit of Kala Ghoda statue conceived by Altaf Miller in 2017gtgt Better street deacutecor for the 25th edition 2025 gave the festival a new lookgtgt Ongoing pedestrianisation of the inner streets Brinda Miller