'Mumbai Saptarang'...State Golden Jubilee Celebrations...A variety of Cultural Programmes..Including Drama...

Seven Days Cultural Festival at Seven Venues
Starting 22th January to 28th January 2010


As a part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Maharashtra, the State Government has organized a week-long cultural festival, entitled, 'Mumbai Saptarang, from January 22 to 28th Jan.

The gala event will showcase Maharashtra's arts, culture and traditions at seven different venues across Mumbai. Over 250 artistes from the States, living in remote villages and the hilly areas will present their art in 'Saptarang'. Apart from them, an equal number of artistes from all over the country will highlight the glorious cultural traditions of India.

The distinguishing feature of this year's 'Saptarang' is the prominence given to rural folk artistes and participation of the talented young artistes. The programme is jointly organized in association with the South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur West Zone Cultural Centre, Udiapur, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, and the N.C.P.A., Mumbai.

The Saptarang event will be organized at the Gateway of India, N.C.P.A., Pu. La. Deshapnde Maharashtra Kala Academy, Nare Park-Parel, Jambori Maidan-Worli, Government Colony Maidan- Bandra, Kannamwar Nagar-Vikroli and Mumbai University's Complex at Kalina.

The grand innovative programme - Mahalokgatha, will have 200 traditional folk artistes present an integrated performance on the stage. Besides, Mahalokgatha programmes like Sufi Quawwali, Special programme of Zee TV's SARAGAMAPA, performance by Shankar Mahadevan, Pankaj Udhas, Bhavani Shankar and Rajashri Shirke will be the attraction at Gateway of India. Each of these programmes will be held every day at 6.30 pm from January 22 to 25. The programme by Shankar Mahadevan will be held at 6.15 a.m. on January 22nd.

The festival of prize-winning one-act plays will be organized at the N.C.P.A. from January 22 to 24, under the title, 'Yuva Act'. The same one-act plays will be performed at Prithvi Theatre on January 24, throughout the day. At the N.C.P.A., folk artistes from Maharashtra will perform Lokdharmi on January 23, and on January 24. Drishyapat - a festival of short films of young directors will also be held. An exhibition of paintings by painters from Maharashtra, under the title of Rang pat will be organized from January 22 to 28. On January 27, in the programme captioned 'Ekapatri', Bharud, Pandawani, Phadwachan will be performed. Marathi 'Natya Sangeet' will be organized on January 28.

Although the entry to all these programmes is free, it is necessary to have entry passes. For 'Yuva Act', and 'Natya Sangeet', there will be tickets at a nominal rate. For all other programmes limited entry passes are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Maharashtra Watch Colmpany, Dadar (West), and Rhythm House, Fort, Mumbai.

At the Pu.La.Deshapnde, Maharashtra Kala Academy, various programmes like 'Nrityotsav 2010, 'Athavaninna Ujala', audio-visual recording of old musical dramas done 15 years ago, will be presented. All these programmes have no entry fee.

At Parel, Worli, Bandra, Vikroli and Kalina, programmes like Santwani, folk arts, Adowa's music dance festival, 'Sankahipta Mee Natsamarat', Kathakkerang Bhaktike Sang, Agthanayika, will be organized daily at 7 p.m. from January 22 to 28. This year, people from Dombivali and Thane can also enjoy the programmes under 'Saptarang'. The Mahalokgatha programme will be held at Savitrai Phule Natyagriha, Dombivali on January 27 at 8 p.m. and at Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane on January 28 at 8 p.m. Free entry passes are available at these two places.

*Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule

Kala Ghoda Festival

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an annual festival, usually around nine days long, held in late January or early February, in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai, India.

From its inception in 1999, the Festival has grown in stature and popularity, attracting visitors and participants from other parts of the country, and the world.

The Festival is organised by the Kala Ghoda Association (a non-profit organisation that states its objectives as "physically upgrading the Kala Ghoda sub-precinct and making it the Art District of Mumbai") and curated by teams handling each of the sub-festivals.

The sub-festivals feature the visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature, lectures, seminars and workshops, heritage walks, special events for children, and a vibrant street festival. Entry to all events is free to all (only restricted by the size of the venues) and costs are met through corporate sponsorship. Venues include The Jehangir Art Gallery, The National Gallery of Modern Art, the David Sassoon Library, Max Mueller Bhavan, Elphinstone College, the K R Cama Institute, the M C Ghia Hall, and the street area of Rampart Row. Rampart Row is closed off to vehicular traffic for the duration of the festival, with the entire area becoming a street mela, with food stalls, artisans selling their creations, artists who sketch instant portraits, street art installations and the like. In recent years, the Festival has expanded beyond the Kala Ghoda crescent, with events being held in Azad Maidan and Horniman Circle as well.

The success of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has, arguably, encouraged the setting up of several other arts and cultural festivals at that time of the year, when the weather in Mumbai is cool and the sun sets early. These include the Mumbai Festival, the Celebrate Bandra Festival, and in 2007, the Kitab Festival.

However in recent times, local residents have gathered up in arms to complain about the noise, and left over mess that is left at the end of the festival. If some reports are to be believed, the festival is slated to be moved to nearby Horniman circle. However, this change of venue has not been confirmed by the organizers.

Banganga Festival

Banganga Festival, a two-day celebration paying tribute to Mumbai's heritage through rhythm and music, takes place at Banganga Tank. The site comprises temples dating to the 6th century BC, making a dramatic backdrop for performances by renowned Indian classical musicians.

Banganga Festival held every year in the city of Mumbai is a musical tribute to Lord Ram. The aim behind the celebration of this musical carnival is to protect the existing rich heritage. According to the legend Lord Ram had stayed here for some time on his return from Lanka after winning over Ravan. The natives were probably Shaivites and worshiped Shivalinga (Phallus stone). When Ram happened to visit the place locals asked him for water to perform bath ritual for Shivalinga. Lord Ram shot an arrow (Bana) and water profuse from holy Ganges itself.

The major attraction is ringing bells of temple along with praising songs for God. The whole affair gives nostalgia. These songs composed by unknown poets through the ages have become part of local culture and are integral part of temple rituals performed everyday. ‘The same heritage should be protected’ is the idea behind the organizing the Banganga Festival. The main organizer Indian Heritage Society Mumbai and MTDC want to foster the thought of protection of heritage among people.

This two-day musical carnival enlivens the city of Mumbai. The city comes into its true spirit and versatility. People visit temples varying from different class and caste. Volunteers to offer glittering look decorate Temples all over the city. Music, chants, and praising songs of God become popular in these two days. Though started in the year 1992, the festival in these two days makes Mumbai more attractive to tourists.

Elephanta Festival - Elephanta Island

Magnificent rock- cut temples...
Created between AD 450 and 750...
On a historic island off Mumbai harbour...
Dedicated to Lord shiva...
A perfect for a divine Celebration...
A spiritually uplifting once-in-a-lifetime experience...

Theme: The Puranas tell us that Lord Brahma's attempt to create the human race was futile since he had only created the male species. Realizing this, Brahma sought the help of Lord Shiva who obliged by assuming the form of Ardhanarishvara. 'Ardha', 'nari' and 'ishvara', meaning, 'half', 'woman' and ‘God’ respectively, is depicted in the transformation of one side of Lord Shiva's body into that of a woman. This prepared the way for procreation and the emergence of the human race. The sculptures at Elephanta bring out this dichotomy, where the contrasting gender components of the god are clearly expressed. Perhaps the message is that gender differences are therefore complementary and contained within a single entity.

Objective: To commemorate the living heritage of Indian dance, sculpture and art, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in association with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has organized the Elephanta Festival. The Elephanta Festival is a tribute to classical performers and an initiative to popularize Indian classical dance and heritage art forms. A renowned world heritage site, Elephanta forms a stunning backdrop for India's leading artists as they enthrall you with their music and dance recitals. TCS in partnership with MTDC is delighted to be associated with the Elephanta festival.

Background: The festival will feature eminent artistes, showcasing a traditional welcome with the catchy tunes of 'Koli' fisher folks, the aesthetically erected stage, bright lights, delicious ethnic food and the marvelously illuminated Maheshmurti cave. This festival by MTDC will, once again, bring back the golden moments of our glorious past through this extraordinary extravaganza of enchanting ragas and dance performances.

Highlights: The festival will host a number of ethnic food stalls which will highlight the traditional foods of the locality. There will be a 'Shehnai' program at the Gateway of India and Gemini boats will be arranged with the help of the Navy to ferry the visitors.
Organized by: First started in 1989, this festival is organized by MTDC.
In Association with Tata Consultancy Services.

Artists: Renowned Artist like Zakir Hussian, Hema Malini, Pandit Jasraj performs for the event.


Venue : The festival will be held at the famous Elephanta island

When: 19 Mar 2011 (annual)

Festival Timings:7.00pm - 10.00pm

Tickets:Rs.300/- per day, includes to & fro Launch journey between Gateway of India and Elephanta
Launches will leave Gateway of india between 4.30 p.m. & 6.30 p.m. and will return from 9.30 p.m. onwards from the elephanta Island. The Travel time is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

Note: The last launch will leave for Elephanta Island from Gateway of India at 6.30 p.m.


Tickets Availale at:
1. MTDC Reservation Division, Tel.: 2202 6713/2064 4489
2. Gateway of india, Tel.: 2284 1877
3. All MTDC counters
4. Churchgate
5. Rhythm House, Tel.: 2284 2835
6. Archies Gallery, Tel.: 2202 7511 Ext. - 113





Video of Elephanta Festival 2008