Sense of oneness & cultural motifs

MUMBAI: The venue is ready and the dates have been set. One of the country's biggest art and cultural festival will kickstart this weekend. Surf Excel presents The Times of India Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2011, which will begin on February 5 this year, and the organizers are as excited about the event as ever.
With a fresh theme-One World-and a few changes in the offing, the organizers claim this year, the festival will be bigger, better and more colourful."We are trying to create a sense of oneness and culture is the common thread among all. The language of culture knows no boundaries so we thought this would be good base to showcase the festival this year," said Pallavi Sharma, one of the organizers.
Keeping the noise restriction in mind, all the amplified events have been shifted to a new venue this year. "All the major music and dance programmes have been shifted to Horniman Circle, instead of the Kala Ghoda amphitheatre. Also, two extra days have been dedicated at the Asiatic venue to accommodate the bigger concerts," said Maneck Davar, honorary chairperson of Kala Ghoda Association.
Apart from the various artists and performers coming to The Times of India Kala Ghoda Arts Festival every year, a lot of artists from across the globe can be found under one roof this year. "We have many international performers joining us this year, including Paul Taylor's dance company from US and a Dutch Jazz band. The list has gone up by almost 100 programmes this time," added Sharma.
After all, the hardships the organizers faced in keeping the festival alive, what lifted their spirits was the keenness expressed by many to keep it going. "This festival is being set up this year with the support of many people, including the police as well as the municipal commissioner, the collector of Mumbai as well as the secretary of culture at the Government of India," said Davar. Also, demand for the festival from the general public has risen this year. "Within a few days of the new Facebook page on it, we had thousands of followers and requests from many to keep the festival going. We realized that even the general public demands this," said Sharma.
Explaining the reason behind the excitement, Davar said, "Many people can and many cannot afford to see a lot of things but they don't get the opportunity to do so. The Times of India Kala Ghoda Arts Festival stands as a good platform for all, and both the performers as well as the audience make the best out of it."
Regular updates and the programme schedule will be provided in Times of India everyday.