Chembur Festival 2020: Photos

It has barely been days since Mumbai's Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) wound up and another part of the city is already been celebrated. The 9th edition of the Chembur Festival 2020 is currently on in Mumbai and will remain so till Monday 17 February.

It is an arts festival, very much on the lines of KGAF where an entire street comes alive with art works and stalls. The one artwork that caught everyone's eyes this time was the selfie point where some pretty-looking post boxes are installed. This makes you realize that we hardly use post these days.

You will also find stalls selling a wide variety of items. But what makes the Chembur Festival stand apart is that it has a much larger space. So much so that they have a separate lane for food and beverages. They serve Chaat, Dabeli, Pani Puri, cakes, soda, ice gola and some heavy food items too, both veg and non-veg.

Also see: Photos: Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2020

Today the Chembur Festival also saw a musical concert by singer Amit Kumar, son of the legendary singer and actor Kishore Kumar, at the Chembur Gymkhana ground. Along with singing songs, he also kept the audience in splits with his funny acts.

There was also an display of dance with weapons by people from a Sikh group.

Here are some more pictures from the Chembur Festival 2020:

Also see: Bombay 1960s: When this govt card was mandatory to buy milk

Amit Kumar performing

Dance with weapons by a Sikh youth

The same post boxes at night 

By: Keyur Seta

Bombay 1960s: When this govt card was mandatory to buy milk

Over the years we have gotten used to using cards to buy a wide range of items, especially since we understood the importance of going cashless. But once upon a time in the state of Maharashtra way back in the 1960s people used to buy milk through a card.

No, this wasn’t a cashless transaction as the term itself was unheard then. Actually it was mandatory for people back then to get a ‘milk card’ in order to buy milk, as per the rule imposed by the then Maharashtra Government. In other words, you wouldn’t get access to milk if you didn’t have a permit in the form of this card even if you had money to buy it.

Yes, you read it right.

Somehow, my family in Mumbai has preserved this card over all these decades. I can’t thank them enough since I haven’t found anyone in the city who still has this card. Even after Googling about the same, I am unable to find anyone to have mentioned this anywhere on the internet.

As you can see in the picture, this is a simple card made of aluminium. It mainly only consists the words ‘Govt of Maharashtra Milk Scheme, Bombay.’ The name of my grandfather ‘M V Seta’ indicates that it belongs to us.

Back then, one could buy milk only from government milk stalls that are still called ‘Doodh Kendra.’ They used to provide milk in glass bottles.

My father tells me that the mandatory rule of getting milk only through this card was done away with somewhere in the 1970s. From then onwards, anybody was able to buy milk without any card. However, it was mandatory to provide empty bottles in exchange of bottles filled with milk.

I clearly remember in the early and mid-1990s going to buy milk in exchange of empty bottles. Today, people might find it difficult to believe that there used to be a long queue as early as 5:30 or 6 am back then to buy milk in our area in Dadar west.

We have come a long way now when anyone can order home delivery of milk literally by just a few clicks or swipes.

By: Keyur Seta 

Photos: Kala Ghoda Festival 2020

It's that time of the year again when the arts enthusiasts and aficionados of Mumbai gather at an iconic place in the southern part of Mumbai for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. This is another reason why this period is loved by a section of the Mumbaikars. The other being the winter; a respite from the terrible heat.

So, like every year, the pretty Kala Ghoda street is made prettier with a number of artistic works not limited to sculptures, paintings, sketches, photographs, etc.

Kala Ghoda Festival also offers opportunity to plenty of businesses to put up stalls to sell a large range of items from clothes to art items to food.

The festival is an ideal place to click photos. We did the same.

Here are some colorful glimpses from Kala Ghoda Festival 2020:

Also see: 5 types of chai available on Mumbai’s streets