For over a fortnight, residents of Mumbai's Bandra suburb joined together in an infectious celebration of music, dance, art and theatre for the bi-annual Celebrate Bandra 2007 festival.
It was a coming together of the present to remember and celebrate what was there in the past.
"This year, heritage was the focal point at Celebrate Bandra. While change is inevitable, it is important not to lose track of our roots. Today, Bandra is a Bollywood and food haven... Celebrate Bandra took a few moments to remember the Bandra that once was," says Patricia Nath, secretary of the Celebrate Bandra Trust.
Trustee Vidya Vaidya adds, "Bandra is as much about its people as it's about its places and Celebrate Bandra brings all of its people together wholeheartedly, with vigour and warmth."
Situated in the southwestern corner of the island of Salsette, Bandra's historical importance is noteworthy.
"Bandra has been an important business hub, supplying meat, salt and fish to the rest of Mumbai city. As suburbs beyond Bandra came up, it served as a much-needed connecting point, making it the queen of suburbs," says Jayanti Shukla, joint secretary of the Trust.
Shukla, chairperson Darryl D'Monte and other trustees toiled for six months to put together the celebrations.
Last Sunday evening, the Lands End amphitheatre swooned to jazz while on Monday the Carter Road Promenade was abuzz with old time hits belted out by local band Retro Park even as the wind brought with it the first whiff of the Mumbai winter.
Through the week-long festival, people across age groups were enthralled with performances in Indian pop music, Maharashtrian folk music, Hindustani instrumental and popular English numbers.
Theatre too came with it’s own Bandra twist. Pali Village housed street plays minus any props in the village centre. Like the good old days, residents were seen hanging out of balconies to catch a view and even becoming a part of the performance.
Art enthusiasts etched murals across Bandra's promenades while short films like Rohan Sabharwal and Andrew Fernandes' Romson and Juliana took cinema lovers through Bandra's history with the tale of the feuding Cardozos and Mendonca families.
Then there were Heritage Walks that toured the uninitiated thorough landmarks like the Jari Mari temple where wishes are fulfilled and the Ca stella De Aguada, Bandra's Portuguese fort that serves as a watch tower over Mahim bay.
With a magazine that detailed Bandra's history, Celebrate Bandra 2007 had a little something for everybody. Called Once Upon A Time, the magazine journeys through Bandra's oldest eateries, bakeries and people with pictures and prose. Some of the people mentioned were even brought forth for a story-telling session.
A special segment brought all of Bandra's underprivileged children together in its merry-making, imparting knowledge along the way. The Warren Menezes- and Fabian Pinto-led group 'Eon M' on the other hand provided a platform for young blood to explore and showcase their talents.
In all this fun and frolic, philanthrohy has not been forgotten either. The funds from the proceeds have been used for the welfare of the locality. If one year, the funds were used to uplift the Bandstand and Carter Road promenades, the other year saw the funds being used for a bus for school-going children.
Perhaps townships across India can take a cue from Bandra and celebrate their existence while reveling in the past that was.
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