As Kala Ghoda Arts Festival returns to Mumbai, here is a curated list of unmissable events

The beloved cultural fest returns after two years, and we’ve mapped a path for you to make the most of it

Clear your calendar for this week. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is taking over the art precinct, and the heritage areas around and about, populating it with workshops, performances, talks, walks and curio stalls. Here are a few events we won’t miss!

Making newsmakers

Ahalya Naidu of Trilogy, a curated library, bookstore and literary event space, will walk children aged 10 to 14 years through the process of editing a story and familiarise them with the role of an editor in the publishing process. 
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When: Wednesday, February 8, 4.30 PM to 5.30 PM 
Where: Kitab Khana

Scripting Bollywood

Loving the shift in Bollywood towards women-centric stories? The filmmakers and writer spearheading the revolution—Anubha Yadav, Tanuja Chandra, Bhavani Iyer, Devika Bhagat, Urmi Juvekar and Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh—will discuss the revolution underway and talk about redefining the ‘bada pardah’, one script at a time. 
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When: February 5, 7 PM to 8 PM 
Where: CSMVS Main Lawn

See how they shine for you

Give your children a memory to preserve for a lifetime: Go on the Astro-Voyage organised by Nehru Science Centre Museum (NSCM). They will teach the young star-gazers to peer through Telescopes, and observe the sky and its infinite movement. 
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When: February 5, 6 PM to 7.30 PM 
Where: CSMVS Children’s Museum

Colour me blue

Get your hands dirty for the sake of art. Take a hands-on class in making Jaipur’s famous blue pottery with Nand Kishore Prajapat. The art form can be linked to Turko-Persian roots, and the stall organisers, Ramnarayan Blue Art Pottery, employs a workforce of rural artisans, 70 per cent of whom are women.
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When: Tuesday, February 7, 12 to 2 PM 
Where: Bombay Natural History Society

First Nations textiles

The Australian Consulate-General is hosting an exhibition of Australian indigenous textile art from the most remote art centres in the world. Jarracharra (dry season winds) is a collection of screen-printed textiles carefully created and handpicked by 17 female First Nations artists from the Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Australia.
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When: Till February 20, 11 AM to 7 PM 
Where: ARTISANS’ gallery

Taste of Israel

Israeli chef Efrat Dvir, in association with The Consulate General of Israel, is hosting a workshop where you will be taught how  to make authentic mezze, falafels, yebreh and more, followed by a tasting session.
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When: February 6, 5 PM to 7 PM 
Where: Café Knead 
TO BOOK: food.kgaf@gmail.com

Ode to Amrita Pritam

Celebrating the life of writer and poet Amrita Pritam, this theatrical piece focuses on the part of her life where she met interesting people, who inspired and left a mark on her. 
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When: February 6, 11 AM to 12.30 PM 
Where: Yashwantrao Chavan Centre

Map your walk

Nisha Nair, the founder of The People Place Project, will take you through the Flora Fountain district in Fort, while enlightening the bunch on ethnographic mapping and urban design practices. At the end, findings from the walk will be discussed.
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When: February 8, 5 PM to 6 PM 
Where: Starting point, Kitab Khana

A Himalayan strain

Music composer Shantanu Moitra is bringing his latest offering, Songs of the Himalayas, which was a result of his 100-day journey across the mountain range. 
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When: February 6, 8.30 PM to 10 PM 
Where: Cross Maidan

For Shiv 

Ratna Pathak Shah, Vivaan Shah and Divya Jagdale will discuss the work and legacy of actor-screenwriter Shiv Subrahmanyam. There will also be a special reading from his book Irani Cafe and other 
Plays by Kenneth Desai and Hidayat Sami. 
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When: February 8, 7 PM to 8 PM 
Where: CSMVS Main Lawn

Front row to a masterclass

Be part of the live shooting of The Film Companion’s (an online film review and pop-culture platform) Front Row Masterclass featuring Raj and DK (creators of The Family Man) as they discuss the making of their upcoming crime thriller, Farzi. 
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When: February 8, 5 PM to 6 PM 
Where: Main stage at Cross Maidan

Conscious culture

Trying to lead a sustainable life? Then this one’s for you. Actor Dia Mirza and Sejal Mehta, Consultant Editor at Marine Life of Mumbai, will talk to Aaran Patel (Director of Climate at The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation) about how to debunk fast culture.
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When:  February 12, 8 PM to 9 PM 
Where: CSMVS Main Lawn

Design your cloth

Belaa Sanghvi, who has been celebrating handicraft, khadi and handloom for over four decades, is hosting an interactive lecture about traditional textiles and their modern avatars.
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When:  February 8, 3 PM to 5 PM 
Where: Bombay Natural History Science

Qawwali in town

Immerse yourself in Urdu and Sufi qawwalis with Naeem Naza. Originally performed at Sufi shrines and dargahs, this musical performance will bliss you out.
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When:  February 10, 
8.30 PM to PM 
Where: Cooperage Bandstand Garden

Design your cloth

Belaa Sanghvi, who has been celebrating handicraft, khadi and handloom for over four decades, is hosting an interactive lecture about traditional textiles and their modern avatars.
>>> 
When:  February 8, 3 PM to 5 PM 
Where: Bombay Natural History Science

Movement bhelpuri

Sandip Soparrkar’s dance and drama act, Why Roses Are Red, is inspired by Greek mythology. It combines dance forms such as Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Waltz, Paso Doble, Flamenco, Tango, Tap, Freestyle and Contemporary.
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When: February 10, 7.30 PM to 8.30 PM
Where: Cross Maidan

Dastangoi ki dastan

Actor and poet Danish Husain, who has been actively trying to revive Urdu storytelling art Dāstangoi, will talk about its nuances and why it deserves to be resurrected.
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When: February 11, 8 PM to 9 PM 
Where: CSMVS Main Lawn

Lean to lavani

In this 50-minute workshop, artistes Gauri Jadhav and Akshay Malvankar will demonstrate and teach a man-woman lavani number, which will be followed by a performance of a love story by cross-dressing artiste Akshay Malvankar.
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When: February 10, 4.30 PM to 5.45 PM 
WHERE: National Gallery Of Modern Art

Book & Bhoots

Shabnam Minwalla author of A Book of Bhoots, Saira Zariwala is Afraid and The Strange Haunting of Model High School is hosting a spooky session for kids between the ages of eight and 14 years. There will be storytelling, chatting about ghosts and illusions that drift through her books.
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When: February 10, 5.30 PM to 6.30 PM 
Where: Kitab Khana

Irani chai Vs Parsi Raspberry

Enjoy a chai and chat with food anthropologist Dr Kurush Dalal about all things Parsi! Pair it with bun masks tomake a delicious afternoon. 
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When: February 9, 3 PM to 4 PM 
WHERE: Ideal Corner
PRICE: Rs 300 
TO BOOK: yashna7@gmail.com 

Politics of architecture

The political standing of the era undoubtedly seeps into the architecture and this panel will discuss how. A conversation between Alan Abraham of Abraham John Architects, Rahul Kadri of IMK Architects and Kaiwan Mehta will explore how architecture impacts society and its landscape.
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When: February 8, 6 PM to 7 PM 
Where: IF.BE, Ballard Estate

Cousins go colonial

Legendary duo singer Hariharan and composer Leslie Lewis, aka the Colonial Cousins, need no introduction. Watch them reunite after a decade for this epic performance.
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When:  February 12, 8 PM to 10 PM 
Where: Cross Maidan

All about Love

Cruel and comic in equal measure, this Marathi documentary is about the three generations of the Phadke family, tied together by more than just love.
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When:  February 12, 12 PM to 1.45 PM 
Where: Rangaswar Audi, Yashwantrao Chavan Centre

IN PHOTOS: Watch these innovative installation arts from Kala Ghoda 2023 in Mumbai

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