Glittering Mumbai Will Dress up on 26th January.

Most of the visitors who come to Mumbai from abroad, want to do shopping. Their next interest is exploring street food of Mumbai or meeting Bollywood personalities.

And there are some who want to visit the places of interest. There is lots to do in Mumbai, there is never a moment of boredom. But exploring Mumbai is not one-day affair; one needs more than a week to get the true flavor of the city.

But most of my guest love to go to Gateway of India. The iconic monument, completed 100 years of its foundation has been a pride of the city and a symbol of the spirit and resilience of the city and its people. The open space surrounding this structure is very vibrant. There are short Tonga rides around this area. You can see many people sitting on the seawall and enjoying small snacks of roasted peanuts or bhel puri. Many go for longer boat rides and small cruise to enjoy the sea breeze.

This place will become even more interesting when it will get a visual makeover from Janaury 24^th 2014. An advanced LED lighting system is in place. The joint initiative by Philips and MTDC will make the monument even more inspiring and vibrant for Mumbaikars and for the tourists who will visit us in future.

You can read up about the initiative, share your ideas, and see suggestions from others on www.MumbaiInANewLight.com. You can also share your ideas on Facebook and Twitter using #MumbaiInANewLight. Select ideas will be read out at the lighting ceremony at the Gateway.

The lighting ceremony will also be live streamed on the microsite, Philips Lighting’s Facebook pages, and at select locations across the city.

Just waiting anxiously for January 26^th to see the lighted monument. Will you be there??

Two Farmer’s Markets In Mumbai This Sunday

Kavita Mukhis Farmer’s Market is quite popular in Mumbai city.. It made its maiden appearance at Nilgiri Gardens in Bandra, then shifted to another location at Hill Road and lately it is held regularly at the Maharastra Nature Park in Dharavi. There is fresh produce and few organic foods stalls, this is a perfect place to spend the Sunday mornings.

But this Sunday, Mumbai has another Farmer’s Market with the same name but a different host.  This one is helmed by cookbook author and restaurateur Karen Anand, who organizes similar events in Pune. She will have her event on December 1^st at The Westin Mumbai Garden City of Goregoan.

What is interesting about this Farmer’s Market is that it is on a bigger scale, with more hours, (10am to 7pm) because in addition to a season produce by Trikaya Agriculture and Vrindavan Farms, there are many more things by well know brands.

Some of the produces that you may find at Goregoan are fresh fruit juices, kitchen props and tableware. There will also be stalls by Bandra Café Piccoli Tortini, Punjab Grill, Bandra Sandwich shop, Versovas casual dining restaurants Jam Jar Diner, dessert caterers such as Icing On Top, The Vanilla Bean and Cheesecake Republic and wineries such as Sula, Myra and Charosa.

So it looks like more of a food festival to spend a day with family and friends. All you need is an empty shopping basket and pocket full of cash.

Mumbai International Literature Festival

Fourth Chapter of Lit Fest Live in Mumbai starts today.

More than 120 writers and thinkers are expected to participate during its four days at NCPA theatres.

There are workshops like ‘How Not To Write a Play’, ‘Illustrating Stories’, ‘Writing Books That Make Children Laugh’, and many more.

Those interested in panel discussion or debates can spend a perfect evening at different venues at NCPA.

There are some interesting theatre performances too.

‘Tall Tales’ is an interesting event where people relate their personal stories.

Mr Jeejabhoy and the birds, a play about the wonders of our city and the world seen through the eyes of young children

The Tin Ring a play about the uplifting quality of love, even when faced with immense adversity

Arthur Miller, an actor’s Godsend, is a talk show by Alyque Padamsee relating why Arthur Miller is such a great playwright, interspersed with scenes.

How to skin a giraffe, is based on Georg Buchner’s comedy Leone and Lena, has all the ingredients of Bollywood film. It is beautifully told using imagination, music and evolving set design.

And of course some live events like ‘book awards’ too.

Catch up all the details at http://www.litlive.in/?p=145

Urban Haat At Belapur

Last week, there was an interesting event on photography at Urban Haat at Belapur. Postponing a visit to an event that you are passionate about is not a good idea. I went for this event on the last day only to see the people pack up. I was able to see just few photographs on display which were so beautiful that I realized what I had missed.

Well, visit to the Urban Haat is an event by itself. This is the venue where different exhibitions are conducted throughout the year. Surrounded by hustle and bustle of the city, this venue remains unaffected by pollution and noise and offers peace and solitude. Built on a higher altitude, the place is dotted with wooded area of bamboo trees, medicinal and herbal plants, and large rocks that have Warli paintings.

A smooth concrete path cuts through the slopes leading to different cluster of shops, There is a colorful water fountain in the heart of the park that adds to the beauty of this place.

There are many shops selling handicraft items and sometimes you are likely to find rare artifacts.

There is an Amphitheater standing proudly on a separate concrete platform.

As we walked up and down the concrete, sometimes on the slopes and sometimes on stairs, we chanced upon a puppet show. The man behind the stage was only too happy to bring his puppets to life on strings.

Although we did miss the photography event, the evening was well spent, munching on 'Sev Puri' at the food courts and walking lazily in the park.

Mumbai Women's Film Festival in Town

You agree that women are super talented? Yes? They are SUPER TALENTED.

Well, Women in Mumbai will be in a limelight next week at the Mumbai’s Women International Film Festival to be held from 8^th to 14^th October, at these venues in Mumbai

1. Broadway cinemas - Harmony Mall, Oshiwara, Mumbai

2. Broadway cinemas - The Dream Mall, Bhandup.3. Broadway cinemas - Annex Mall, Borivali, Mumbai

4. Fun cinemas - Fun Republic, Andheri, Mumbai.

5. Ravindra Natya Mandir - Prabhadevi,Mumbai.(Opening Ceremony)

6. Sophia Bhaba Auditorium-Sophia College,Mumbai.(Closing Ceremony)

There will be short films, ‘her’ films, documentary films, feature films, with seven categories to choose from, including the viewing and participation experience, this festival looks interesting.

If you have profound love for films, behind or in front of camera, this is the festival for you.

For details and updates do visit their facebook page.