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  Private endeavours drive Mumbai’s cultural renaissance

Private endeavours drive Mumbai’s cultural renaissance

Published : Jan 21, 2016, 11:54 pm IST
Updated : Jan 21, 2016, 11:54 pm IST

Traditionally Bombay has been a city that has always lived and thrived by the rail tracks. The three north to south railway lines demarcate the different socio and linguistic groups.

Traditionally Bombay has been a city that has always lived and thrived by the rail tracks. The three north to south railway lines demarcate the different socio and linguistic groups. The more wealthy you were, the closer to the sea (particularly the Western Seashore) you lived. However once the mill lands were open to development, those areas from Mahalaxmi to Elphinstone stations have become the shining example of capitalism and retail therapy in the city. There are more glass structure corporate offices and fancy Malls in that district than there are anywhere else. It has truly become the ‘centre’ of Bombay.

However the redevelopment of the mill lands has had a couple of major flaws. It left no room in the plans for public spaces, either parks or cultural auditoriums. This was thanks to short sightedness on the part of the civic planners within the municipal corporations and the builders who constructed this new “Gotham”.

Yet the last twenty four months has seen a strange cultural renaissance in the district. This is mainly due to incredible private endeavours. People with resources or spaces or just sheer will power are providing spaces and havens for community experiences, that aren’t the regular multiplex or shopping megastore. While the locality is not yet a cultural hub, it does feel like a new dawn is coming.

South Bombay, which was long seen as the artistic centre of the city, has slowly lost its energy and fast pace, due to the exorbitant rents and the emptying out of population. While the Kala Ghoda Arts festival does rejuvenate the area, the streets of Colaba or Churchgate wear quite a deserted look post 7pm.

By contrast, ex-mill Bombay is thriving often till the wee hours of the morning. It is a commercial district with few residences, and therefore is not burdened by the same rules as more residential localities.

From an Arts point of view, what is more exciting is the rise of alternate spaces. These are not regular theatres or art galleries or cinemas. These are all odd spaces committed to interesting and envelope-pushing work. From Mahalaxmi Station to Elphinstone Road Station, there are variety of spaces that have sprung up in the last few months. G5A at Laxmi Mills is a black box theatre dedicated to alternative cinema, new media and unique music and theatre performances. Trilogy Bookshop & Library in Raghuvanshi Mills stocks books that you wouldn’t find in the run-of-the-mill bookstore chains. The Integral Space opposite Phoenix Mills runs workshops and talks about alternative healing, and new age techniques. The Blue Frog features non-Bollywood music and a live band every single night. Deepak Talkies, rechristened Matterden CFC, features fantastic classic films like Dr. Strangelove, all in wonderful 70mm. Sitara Studio is about to become a regular central Bombay venue for theatre and the performing arts. Best of all each of these spaces is less than a ten minute walk from their respective railway station. This makes them incredibly accessible by cheap affordable transport, in a city where cab fares are becoming prohibitive.

Recently the British Council called a meeting of artists to help brainstorm how to better use their existing office space for cultural programmes. Where is it located Right between Elphinstone and Lower Parel stations.

In a sense this is a hark back to the old Marathi theatres, which all sprung up along the railway lines, never more than two kilometres from a station. Their success was based on their accessibility to the audience.

A railway line has always played an important role in the access of culture to a city. In London, the Underground was designed such that a majority of the stations and lines and junctions happened in the West End area where the 20 odd theatres are located. Today the West End sells over 1.25 Lakh tickets a week. This means that all these people have to be entertained and fed before and after the performance. So the district automatically developed eateries, bars and hotels. London is a great example of a cultural economy.

Unfortunately Bombay’s civic planners do not have the foresight or vision to build infrastructure around cultural hubs. Thankfully, the city does have strong-willed individuals who are creating centres closer to such infrastructure and giving the soulless glass towers a little bit of warmth.