Don’t let your kids miss a children’s festival that brings back the traditional games from a time before technology existed
A DIY coral workshop conducted at a previous edition
Nostalgia runs through this writer’s mind when we speak to Aradhana Nagpal, the founder of DHOOP, a now-shuttered culture gift shop in Bandra. She talks about the memories of riding a bicycle in her nani’s backyard and of children playing in the mud at a local garden, instantly taking us down the memory lane, long-forgotten in the grapples of growing up. In an effort to bring this life experience — that has now been overpowered by the clutches of technology — back to the youngest generation of today to witness, the erstwhile platform along with The Vintage Garden, a shopping space in Bandra West, are reviving Garmi Ki Chutti — a children’s summer festival.
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Tie-and-dye parties (left) include natural colours; the workshops promote crafts taught by local artisans
“I had conceptualised the idea of this festival in 2005. I wanted to introduce young children to traditional crafts. We conducted it eight to nine times till 2018, after which we shut down. And now, after the pandemic, and being cooped up at home for a long time, I thought it was a good time to re-start Garmi Ki Chutti,” Nagpal tells us.
Aradhana Nagpal
“Art and craft classes are great but being able to really experience, feel and sensitise for yourself is a different experience. We have something called Mitti Masti at the festival which is just buckets of mud for the kids to enjoy. I am also planning to have a tie-and-dye party where they make colours with flowers. And the kids always have a blast colouring their own clothes with them. We have kept some workshops with traditional and local artisans who we put together with a foundation called Mee Marathi, a platform that conducts online workshops with these artisans. There will also be workshops with stage actors and experts from other fields as well,” the craft consultant explains. There is an entry ticket to the festival which comes with access to a whole bunch of activities including the workshops and screening of films provided by Looking Glass Films in New York. “These days, we tend to look forward to what the future holds for our children but it is time to look into the past. Because there is so much tradition and wisdom to learn from and to acknowledge, which I feel is a great benchmark to have and introduce our children to,” she concludes.
On: April 28; 4 pm to 7 pm; April 29 and 30; 10.30 am to 7 pm
At: The Patkar Bungalow, Bandra West
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 350 onwards
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