February heralds the advent of spring in India. It was the beginning of the spring season in Mumbai when I visited the city on the 4th of February to enjoy the festival of the “Dark Horse,” commonly known as the”Kalaghoda Festival.” Mumbai is known as the commercial capital of India.
The annual gala is historically associated with a giant statue sculpted during India’s colonial days. It is a sculpture built towards the end of the Victorian era: Prince Edward astride a dark horse! Today, the legendary place where the statue stands, and the locality surrounding the city hub, is known as the “Kala Ghoda district,” a cultural center of South Mumbai.
My daughter and I reached the venue at Rampart Rowe in the evening and marveled at the kaleidoscopic display of art and craft from different corners of the country.
The audience stood mesmerized by the breathtaking visual art forms: there were exquisitely carved potteries by the artisans of Maharashtra, a state from the western region of India.
The paintings on the pots depicted ancient India: there were displays of strange mythological figures from the distant past! Also, the vibrant Madhubani. Images captured our attention. It is a style of painting from the Mithila district of Bihar, a state in the northern region. The artists from Mithila maintained the traditional geometrical designs and patterns in their depiction. The different stories of war and celebration that the paintings portrayed brought to life the “Arcadian world” of the pagans, similar to the world that John Keats had vividly described in his”Ode on a Greecian Urn.”
The deities in the paintings seem to be from the “sylvan”past. Keats had beautifully depicted in his “Ode on a Greecian Urn.” There were multi-hued flowers, birds, and animals in the Madhubani paintings. The colors used are organic- red sandalwood to produce red, yellow from turmeric; green from the wood apple tree leaves!!
Next, we appreciated the artist Jamini Roy’s classic oil paintings, which unfolded the story and essence of the folk life of Bengal, a state from the eastern region of India.
These pictures had a distinctively Indian identity from the decorative motifs and floral designs drawn on the walls and floors of the tribal huts during the seasonal festivals, showing the celebration of abundance and fertility.
They transported us to the legendary world of festivities associated with the fertility rituals of the ancient Greeks during the harvest.
As we strolled down the street and savored the electrifying atmosphere, we were entertained by the Rajasthani folk dancers (from the state of Rajasthan) on the outdoor pavement gallery. The hugely turbaned men created heady rhythmic sounds on their dholaks, a South-Asian two-headed hand drum. A band of tall Rajasthaniwomen was dancing away merrily in gyrating movements as they swirled their resplendent ghagra, long decorative skirts. I could not decipher their dialect, yet their choric wild notes brought alive the dunes of Jaisalmer, famed as the “Golden City Of India” in Rajasthan.
As we visited the Amphitheatre, we experienced the lively dance drama “Lavani,” which reflected the folk culture of Maharashtra. The sensuously arrayed fisherwomen, beautifully decked up in vermilion red sarees and white jasmine garlands that delicately entwined their neat buns danced away in quick rhythmic steps. Their nose rings glistened, and I was bewitched by their kohl-lined eyes that twinkled with subtle expressions! Music, Poetry, Dance, and Drum intermingled inseparably.
We watched the skillful folk dancers from Goa. Goa is the most coveted International tourist site situated in western India.
The Goan dances were soulful. The dancers from the region displayed varied rhythmic movements to the accompaniment of the folk instruments. The cadence of the dancers was in acrobatic style while they balanced brass lamps on the head.
It was midnight then and our appetite sharpened by the effect of walking long stretches. We savored the fresh meatballs and the tar tines: the signature open-faced sandwiches from the chef of a Belgian bakery.
As we walked down the Rampart Rowe, the heritage buildings stood on both sides of the road, displaying Mumbai’s finest building-scape built during the British period. After the cultural rendezvous, we left the venue with a refreshed mind, inspired senses, and a feeling of exhilaration.
