Culture curry

The festival,organised at the Mahul Village,showcases the age-old vibrant Koli culture of Mumbai. It also drives home a charming picture of the city that existed much before it acquired multiple personalities. This quaint coastal village,in Northeast Mumbai,is surrounded by humongous factories and refineries. Breaking the monotony of huge structures and the silence that prevails in the evening,a string of artists from various parts of Maharastra perform till late in the night.

The only other aspect of Koli life that can claim to be more enjoyable than their folksy dance and music is the spicy seafood that the Koli womenfolk dish out. The festival has a row of seafood stalls—run by Koli women sporting the best of their gold ornaments and navari saris. They have ready-to-eat preparations of crabs,pomfrets,prawns,rawas,surmai and other displayed at the counter. For those,who want their bhareli pomfret fried fresh,the maternal-looking staff at the stall will only be pleased to oblige.

“We started the festival three years back. It’s been growing steadily,” says Ashish Chavan,secretary of the festival trust. Chavan assures that the next two evenings of the festival too will be packed with lots of cultural activities. Still,this relatively-new Koli festival is yet to achieve the kind of turn-up the one held at Versova attracts.

For those desperate to sample the Koli culture and missed the recently concluded Versova festival,Mahul could be a good option. Though situated in Trombay and a bit far from the hustle-bustle of the metropolis,it’s well connected by buses and autos.