Monday 30 May 2011
Return to the 'Bay: Kala Ghodha: a discovery in of culture and art
Return to the 'Bay: Kala Ghodha: a discovery in of culture and art: "If you find yourself in South Bombay and have some time to kill just head straight to the cultural hub of the city, Kala Ghodha. Whatever b..."
Kala Ghodha: a discovery in of culture and art
If you find yourself in South Bombay and have some time to kill just head straight to the cultural hub of the city, Kala Ghodha. Whatever budget you have will do for an afternoon in Kala Ghodha having money is optional, unless your driving then you will have to pay for parking.
I can’t suggest a better place to start then the museum and its majestic grounds. A walk from the museum to the Jehangir Art Gallery is laden with street art and it’s called the Pavement Art Gallery. It is a place of great interest to me you never know when you will discover there and its an opportunity to invest in a maybe great artist. My mother swears that when she was a young girl this bearded man used to chat with her and ask her to buy his artworks there. I assure you if she did so today we would have sold his art work and I would be self publishing my own books if not own a publishing house! That artist today if the legendary MF Hussain!!!
If your walking through the Pavement Art Gallery you will end up at the Jehangir Art gallery and for those who like cutting edge art by the Museum Art gallery in the Max Muller Bhavan building. Great news to all those on a very low budget outing, its all free. If your hungry there are loads of stalls from time to time on the streets to grab a budget snack.
If your hungry and want a nice meal cross the street to find a wide range of restaurants ranging from Joss which has a good spread to the Bombay Blue franchise which is the epitome of reasonably priced food. There is a snacky place on the road and a Chinese place but I have never had the chance to try either. I am told that Chetna does decent vegetarian food but the fact that the bookstore behind it is a treasure trove of spiritual books and they have some other cute nic naks I can vouch for. The staff at Chetna bookstore is very educated on all the publications and if you have time to spare you can discuss a few spiritual and mythological topics with them who knows you may add to your knowledge from a chat, again great on a low budget as its free.
After lunch you may want to pop into Rhythm House and browse through CD’s, movies, magazines and nifty accessories. In the days before you could download movies and music of the internet it was a place swamped with college students. If the thought that when you were a teenager you had cassettes gets you feeling old and down cross the road and visit the Art Entrance, which in my opinion has a steady stream of really nice artists exhibits. Westside is next door and they are very proud of their new deli so peak in there for dinner ingredients if you have money to spare and do not mind tampons in close proximity to your food. As the tampons were in packets and obviously unused it did not bother me but if you’re a fussy about segregating sanitary wear from food heads up.
One of my favorite people watching places in Bombay is the trendy but way too healthy for a meal Kala Ghodha café. I do love to go there but it contradicts my if your going out forget your diet at home rule. If your lucky on the way to the Kala Ghodha café which is tucked in a by lane behind Rhythm House there you may be able to get permission of the dozen or so police officers hovering about to get a peak inside the beautiful synagogue. By now if for some reason if you have not had your fill of art there is a tiny gallery next to the Kala Ghodha café and if you walk back to the Museum and cross the road you will be assaulted by the Modern Art Museum.
A must visit for all foreign tourists is FabIndia which is a bit off the Kala Ghodha square. When I lived overseas I used to buy loads of things from my house and for my friends from there. Its three floors of clothes, house accessories and it also has a small organic section for a few select edibles.
If you just want to potter and chill out without OD’ing on culture you can grab lunch or coffee and go to the movies a few minute away form the Museum of Modern Art. A word to those who have never watched a movie in India it can be a slightly jarring experience. I am still not used to the fact that every single time I manage to engrossed in the film it shuts down abruptly, the lights will flicker on the screen flashes intermission and everyone will vanish to pee and eat.
So as you may have guessed in the next few weeks I will be sharing my adventures in Kala Ghodha with you.
I can’t suggest a better place to start then the museum and its majestic grounds. A walk from the museum to the Jehangir Art Gallery is laden with street art and it’s called the Pavement Art Gallery. It is a place of great interest to me you never know when you will discover there and its an opportunity to invest in a maybe great artist. My mother swears that when she was a young girl this bearded man used to chat with her and ask her to buy his artworks there. I assure you if she did so today we would have sold his art work and I would be self publishing my own books if not own a publishing house! That artist today if the legendary MF Hussain!!!
If your walking through the Pavement Art Gallery you will end up at the Jehangir Art gallery and for those who like cutting edge art by the Museum Art gallery in the Max Muller Bhavan building. Great news to all those on a very low budget outing, its all free. If your hungry there are loads of stalls from time to time on the streets to grab a budget snack.
If your hungry and want a nice meal cross the street to find a wide range of restaurants ranging from Joss which has a good spread to the Bombay Blue franchise which is the epitome of reasonably priced food. There is a snacky place on the road and a Chinese place but I have never had the chance to try either. I am told that Chetna does decent vegetarian food but the fact that the bookstore behind it is a treasure trove of spiritual books and they have some other cute nic naks I can vouch for. The staff at Chetna bookstore is very educated on all the publications and if you have time to spare you can discuss a few spiritual and mythological topics with them who knows you may add to your knowledge from a chat, again great on a low budget as its free.
After lunch you may want to pop into Rhythm House and browse through CD’s, movies, magazines and nifty accessories. In the days before you could download movies and music of the internet it was a place swamped with college students. If the thought that when you were a teenager you had cassettes gets you feeling old and down cross the road and visit the Art Entrance, which in my opinion has a steady stream of really nice artists exhibits. Westside is next door and they are very proud of their new deli so peak in there for dinner ingredients if you have money to spare and do not mind tampons in close proximity to your food. As the tampons were in packets and obviously unused it did not bother me but if you’re a fussy about segregating sanitary wear from food heads up.
One of my favorite people watching places in Bombay is the trendy but way too healthy for a meal Kala Ghodha café. I do love to go there but it contradicts my if your going out forget your diet at home rule. If your lucky on the way to the Kala Ghodha café which is tucked in a by lane behind Rhythm House there you may be able to get permission of the dozen or so police officers hovering about to get a peak inside the beautiful synagogue. By now if for some reason if you have not had your fill of art there is a tiny gallery next to the Kala Ghodha café and if you walk back to the Museum and cross the road you will be assaulted by the Modern Art Museum.
A must visit for all foreign tourists is FabIndia which is a bit off the Kala Ghodha square. When I lived overseas I used to buy loads of things from my house and for my friends from there. Its three floors of clothes, house accessories and it also has a small organic section for a few select edibles.
If you just want to potter and chill out without OD’ing on culture you can grab lunch or coffee and go to the movies a few minute away form the Museum of Modern Art. A word to those who have never watched a movie in India it can be a slightly jarring experience. I am still not used to the fact that every single time I manage to engrossed in the film it shuts down abruptly, the lights will flicker on the screen flashes intermission and everyone will vanish to pee and eat.
So as you may have guessed in the next few weeks I will be sharing my adventures in Kala Ghodha with you.
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Reluctant Returns to Curious Beginnings
Reimported Reluctantly:Mumbai Stories and more: Reluctant Returns to Curious Beginnings: Read on about my assimilation in Mumbai and as I re-discover the city after being away a long time
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