"If they were keen on placing a horse statue as the centrepiece of this historic sub-precinct, why not bring the original Kala Ghoda back from Rani Baug and install it at the very same spot? Why waste public money to create a new statue when we already have one that is steeped in history?" asked a historian and fellow heritage buff. We went quiet in the middle of a lively chat one morning in January over coffee at a cutesy café that was a stone's throw away from the location that was the focus of our conversation.

The area will be abuzz all over again. Starting this week, all roads will lead to a popular annual festival where city folk from all walks of life are expected to throng a mela-like setup, where wares from across India will be on sale, and where cultural and literary events will unfold across different venues. Overall, a celebratory air will take over many streets in this art district and its surroundings. This time, we hear, there is talk of it being a green themed festival, of it sporting bigger names and broader itineraries [higher prices and larger sponsor banners too, we suspect]. As we sipped on our steaming coffee and tucked into our BLT sandwich, we wondered how much bigger it could get and if the essence of it might get lost in the bustle.