Khullam khulla

Outdoor experiences stand out from even the swishest ones indoors for this writer and now post pandemic possibly for everyone As Mumbai opens up itrsquos heartening to see events move into open spaces several of them open to the public for freeA weekend paradise for art and culture lovers these events have over the last few weeks been catering to varied interests including music drawing and dance and above all age an opportunity for the audience to socialiseHere are four of our favouritesThe Steps BandraIF you have visited the famous Mount Mary church you couldnrsquot have missed a flight of colourful steps on your way Also known as St Stephenrsquos Steps the space was used as a garbage dump for 30 years until residents and government representatives reimagined the space as one that would support art and community This multiuse space has ramps making it accessible not only for the disabled but also for cyclists Starting 2019 The Steps has been hosting art and community festivals featuring art music and dance events drawing and architecture workshops along with interactive sessions for all ages The entry has been kept free and the artistes have been performing probono A foundation set up by the core team hopes to fund the arearsquos upkeep manage sound and light and maintain the murals that decorate the steps while covering the travel expense of participating artistesgtgtgtCOMING UP At St Stephens Steps Bandra WestWHEN March 20 430 PM onwardsFOLLOW thestepsbandra InstagramNCPATheParkAditi Bhagwat and Troupe PicPradeep DhivarAn initiative by The National Centre for Performing Arts NCPAThePark has hosted four events this month at Cooperage bandstand Fort including a poetry session UnErase Poetry Western and Indian classical music and dance performances and a jazz night ldquoI have spent so many good times listening to music at Bandstandrdquo says NCPA chairman Khushroo N Suntook sharing how hersquod split time between concerts here and football matches at Cooperage grounds ldquoIt was a shame no one was taking advantage of this space so we spoke to government officials and they welcomed the ideardquo Held over weekends these are free and as Suntook puts it ldquofor the people of Bombay many of whom canrsquot afford tickets at the moment This way they can enjoy the first few months of free shows which will also give them a taste of what to expect in futurerdquogtgtgtCOMING UP At Bandra BandstandWHEN March 25FOLLOW ncpamumbai InstagramJio World Drive LiveEarlier this month Jio World Drive kickstarted a monthly music IP with Hindi rock band Ankur Tewari and the Ghalat Family Called Jio World Drive Live the event hopes to offer an amalgamation of art and music while a market alongside lets visitors browse art pieces ldquoWith everyone saturated with virtual events our endeavour is to bring artistes in contact with our audience and feature local and homegrown talentrdquo says a spokesperson Scheduled on the first Friday of every month the IP will see Hindi altrock band The Yellow Diary perform next monthgtgtgtCOMING UP At Jio World Drive mall BKCWHEN April 1FOLLOW jioworlddrive InstagramSound RiseA Community of music lovers has been hosting openair gigs in parks across the city on Sunday mornings Initially started at the amphitheatre at Dharya Garden in Cuffe Parade Sound Rise has now taken the gigs to Bandra Fort Amphitheatre and the lawns outside Bombay Gymkhana They are now looking at evening gigs too While these gigs are free the community encourages the audience to make donations as it helps them pay the musicians A petfriendly initiative Sound Rise also boasts of local food stalls and hopes to make it spread to every public garden in MumbaigtgtgtCOMING UP At Cooperage Bandstand garden FortWHEN March 20 915 AM to 1045 AMFOLLOW soundriselive Instagram