Kala Ghoda festival on a rocking start

Mumbai got into a festive spirit on Friday evening as the Kala Ghoda Festival of India kickstarted with great enthusiasm.
With Kala Ghoda having become an integral part of Mumbai���s cultural ethos, the Kala Ghoda Festival of India is a prelude to the bigger fest coming up in February. The festival was inaugurated amidst great fanfare by the dapper Jackie Shroff and Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan, even as Brinda Miller and Pallavi Sharma played able hosts and emcees.Speaking about his association with the festival, Jaggudada remarked in his typical Mumbaiyya style saying, ���I love associating myself with this festival because it reflects who we are ��� our art, our culture and our talent. It gives a platform for amazingly talented people from all over.
It is for us to encourage them by coming to see their performances here.��� Sivanandhan too, while stressing on how the Mumbai police has ensured to make the festival safe enough for citizens to enjoy without any cares, congratulated the team for ���creating such a tempting melting pot of art, culture, food and shopping! It���s irresistible.��� MP Milind Deora could not be present on the occasion but sent his heartfelt wishes saying, ���I am delighted that my constituency of South Mumbai has the privilege of staging this annual cultural extravaganza. I want to congratulate the organisers for showcasing the incredible talent pool that Mumbai has on offer, and for creating an exciting interactive public space that ordinary citizens from all walks of life can access. Artistic instincts and creativity especially amongst our young must be encouraged if we are to excel as a nation. In the meantime, I urge all Mumbaikars and visitors to our city to experience Indian culture in its many avatars over the next few days and enjoy the festival.���
The festivities began with an enthralling Bharatnatyam performance by Gracy Singh and soon, the audience could be seen enjoying themselves watching the array of performances, including an electrifying one by Anushka Manchanda, taking a tour of the several shopping outlets or simply lazing around with a beverage or snack underneath the lit and decorated huge trees and the starry sky. Encompassing drama, dance, food, workshops and much more, the Kala Ghoda Festival of India is set to add glitter, glamour and enthusiasm to Mumbai till Monday night.