Dock Dhamaka!
By A Draft Correspondent
This year, the teeming crowds making a bee-line to Colaba, Mumbai for the Mumbai Urban Art Festival’s (MUAF) Sassoon Docks venue were in for a pleasant surprise.
On 12 February 2023, the otherwise quiet afternoon at one of the oldest docks in Mumbai reverberated with rhythmic beats of Bollywood and Hip-Hop music, folk songs and enthralling performances by the locals of the zone.
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| A Koli dance performance during the community event organised by St+art India Foundation |
St+art India Foundation’s Mumbai Urban Art Festival launched the first leg of the Sassoon Dock Art Project ‘Intuitions. Between the sea and the city’ on 22 December 2022. The second leg of the project ‘Illusions. Between the sea and the city’ was launched on 13 January 2023. The festival, organised by St+art India and Asian Paints in collaboration with Mumbai Port Authority, will conclude on 22 February 2023.
MUAF hosted the community event at Sassoon Docks to celebrate the vibrant communities of Sassoon Docks and to bring the residents of the zone together for the festival. The event provided an opportunity for locals to showcase their culture and talent, who went on participate with great enthusiasm and fervour.
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| Children perform at Sassoon Docks during the community event |
The community event was organised to involve the locals of the zone and turn the festival into ‘an experiential exhibit’. As part of the initiative, representatives from St+art India foundation visited peeling centres, fishing warehouses and local events to invite and encourage residents to visit the festival.
Additionally, specially-curated walks in Marathi and Hindi were conducted to make them feel at ease. On the day of the community event, locals gathered in huge numbers at Sassoon Docks to watch the programmes lined up for the cultural evening.
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| Onlookers enjoying the performances at Sassoon Docks |
It is the interplay of these culturally and ethnically diverse communities that lends Sassoon Docks its enigmatic appeal.
Community fiesta went on till late at night
The community event organised by St+art India Foundation as part of the Mumbai Urban Art Festival was an effort to celebrate the diversity of the people so integral to Mumbai’s iconic Sassoon Docks.
Local participants from Colaba and Cuffe Parade areas showcased their talent through performances that included ethnic dances representing Banjara, Koli and Maharashtrian cultures, singing, Hip-Hop, Martial Arts and more.
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| Another performance during the community event as part of the MUAF at Sassoon Docks |
The energy and enthusiasm of the performers was contagious as it mesmerised the audience who had gathered in large numbers in support of the initiative.
Performances by children and locals aptly displayed the diversity of the people that make Sassoon Docks what it actually is!
DraftCraft International through 'The Sassoon Docks Project' (www.sassoondocks.com) generates media to document the heritage of the zone, lives of locals and provides legal support to stakeholders. To volunteer with the project, write in to contact@draftcraft.in or visit www.draftcraft.org (Media Partner: The Draft)
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