10 November,2021 08:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal Ashar
Directions showing the way to the amphitheatre and pet park; (right) the green space by the ocean makes for a pleasing sight
In a first, a Cuffe Parade venue will host a live jazz performance on Sunday, November 14, morning. The new amphitheatre at Dharya Garden, S B Somani Park, Cuffe Parade, will host SoundRise - a series that aims to "create space for live music to thrive", by its own definition. The one-hour jazz event by young trio Arnav, Shrea and Sanmeet begins at 9 am and is described as a "free, independently organized community show" in promotional material announcing the event.
Speaking on the live music debut at the venue, corporator Harshita Narwekar said, "The location seems perfect, an amphitheatre next to the sea. It has been a tough time for everyone and it is only fitting that we up the ante on cultural events, as a break and entertainment and education, with precautions as priority of course. As far as Covid safety goes, we tick every box. This is open air, for the fully vaccinated, masks must be worn and there is plenty of space too. We are actually going to inaugurate the pet on November 26, but we thought: let us go ahead with the event anyway."
Haresh Hathiramani, a local, said, "Going by early buzz, the response seems phenomenal. The community is willing, in fact yearning to wake up and come in on a Sunday morning to witness this performance. People are happy that a park in the vicinity is playing host to this, making good use of the space and proving that if indoors seems difficult at the moment, we can take such initiatives outdoors. This is a first but there are several other music events of different genres planned."
"We have a few parks that have a little performing space like a pagoda or amphitheatre within. At times this stands empty and unused, and that is a waste of precious open air space and can become derelict or simply encroached upon. So, if the amphitheatre can be used regularly, it is a win-win for the community," he said.
That is precisely what the organising team of four - Mohit Chhatrapati, Shaan Khanna, Varun Narayan and Raoul Nanavati - wants to achieve. "We want these live music mornings to become a weekly feature," said Chhatrapati and Khanna. They added this was a debut, but eventually they hoped that the BMC gives permission for events at other outdoor park locations across the city.
There had been an uptick in events in such spaces in pre-Covid times, but there is more that could be done to use these spaces, they thought, especially when it comes to music. The overall sentiment is that it also brings the community together.
Khanna explained, "These spaces are a platform for young artistes to showcase their talent. Today, artistes need a stage, and it is very difficult to market oneself. This can be a good way to make that start." Chhatrapati, who was inspired to plan this after he witnessed several uses of park space for such events when he was in New York a while ago, said, "Youngsters have digital platforms today, but it is always different playing in front of a live audience. Putting this together takes a little effort and we realised that people have been starved of something like this. This is a non-ticketed event, but donations to upcoming artistes will be encouraged as support."
