The first ever Govandi Arts Festival gets underway in Mumbai this February

In an attempt to celebrate the unique neighbourhood of Govandi Community Design Agency CDA in association with British Council has launched the unique Govandi Arts Festival at Mumbais Natwar Parekh Compound It will showcase the remarkable creativity and skills of the community in a new and exciting way Govandi Arts Festival is part of the IndiaUK Together a Season of CultureThe festival uses inclusive strategies to highlight the skills of underrepresented communities It is the culmination of a sixmonth mentorship programme in which 45 young people from Govandi learned from wellknown Mumbaibased artists The mentorship included a variety of artistic mediums including rap public art photography film and theatreAfter the lamp lighting ceremony Day 1 of the highly anticipated event saw visitors being treated to a display of photography and public art exhibitions as well as artist residency projects The captivating work of young and talented photography mentees showcased their unique and diverse perspectives on the world The Matargashti Public Art Mentorship Exhibition was an inspiring show of the creative expression of young artists who had honed their skills by learning to use various materials and techniques with mastery Two of the artist residency exhibits were also the highlights of the day featuring works of the talented Nisha Nair Gupta and visual communicator Jerry Antony Their work was done over the course of three months with the local residents Gupta with her mentorship skills had guided 10 residents of the Natwar Parekh Compound to create intimate portraits that reflected their experiences in the neighbourhood Jerry Antonys film Afsana was a stunning journey through the stories of the residents of Govandi presented through the imaginative medium of an animated film projected on a building After a day filled with introspection on Govandi the visitors were treated to electrifying performances by the gifted rap mentees with songs touching upon the various sides of growing up in the areaThe season celebrates and strengthens the bilateral relationship friendship and vibrant cultural bonds between the two countries and also marks Indias 75th anniversary Organised in partnership with UKbased Lamplighter Arts CIC and Streets Reimagined the festival was inaugurated by Mithilesh Tiwari and Parveen Shaikh representing the Govandi community Rashi Jain director West India from the British Council Sandhya Naidu Janardhan founder and managing director of Community Design Agency Dee Moxon director Lamplighter Arts CIC and dignitaries from government agencies Shri Ramamoorthy S IAS joint metropolitan commissioner MMRDA Rais Shaikh MLA Bhiwandi West Arjun Rajane senior police inspector Shivaji Nagar Police Station Govandi West and Akhtar Quereshi municipal councilor MEast Ward MCGMCommenting on the launch Sandhya Naidu founder and managing director of Community Design Agency says We are elated to present the Govandi Arts Festival a celebration of the passion and dedication of our artist mentors and mentees Our goal is for visitors to experience the vibrant and diverse creative expressions of the Govandi community At CDA we firmly believe in the transformative power of art and have been honoured to work with the residents of Govandi for over six years to enhance the spaces they call home We are confident that this festival will leave a lasting impact both on the community and on all who attendRashi Jain director West India British Council said The India UK Together Season of Culture is a platform for emerging artists to showcase their skills and talents alongside established artists to audiences at an unprecedented scale Our Season of Culture enables undiscovered and underrepresented artists to connect with local national and international audiences The Govandi Arts Festival is one of the standout projects of the Season and a shining example of inclusion in the creative sectors and of the arts amp artists connecting the community of Govandi in Mumbai with Bristol in the UK The showstopper street procession of spectacular handmade lanterns by the UKs Lamplighter Arts bringing their iconic lantern parade to India is especially excitingShe added Govandi Arts Festival is also a meeting point of our larger arts work in India to upskill Indias future festival sector professionals We are glad that alumni from our festivals programmes have been actively engaged in the development of the Govandi Arts Festival making it a model festival for communityfocused culture festivals in the future Audiences are in for a truly international festival right in the heart of Mumbais suburbsThe art festival will present all of the mentees creative endeavours over the course of the following four days through a variety of photography exhibitions theatrical productions and rap performances The festival strives to honour the neighbourhood and provide local artists a chance to show off their abilities and gain exposure The event will use art to dispel misconceptions and prejudices by assisting residents of Mumbais other neighbourhoods in understanding and appreciating the nuances of the region The audience will have the opportunity to view various artistic mediums created by Govandi locals which will deepen their awareness of marginalised peoples livesAlso Read Govandi Arts Festival Five interesting ideas you can explore this weekendThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever