A joint initiative by Mumbai BJP president MLA Adv. Ashish Shelar and KCT Entertainment
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Mumbai: With Christmas almost upon us, it’s time for communities to get closer and celebrate the Winter Neighborhood Festival. Starting December 18, the fest will have a wide spectrum of events and activities that range from sports like football, hockey, retro games, and athletics to performing arts like music and dance right till January 13, 2023.
What started as a one-day event in 2009 has become almost a month-long festival. A joint initiative by Mumbai BJP president MLA Adv. Ashish Shelar and KCT Entertainment, this is a free festival for the people. The entry pass for the different events can be collected from the office of MLA Adv. Ashish Shelar.
This year the Shillong Chamber Choir, a multi-genre choir, and an American band – the Big Mountain, 2 Blue, Black, And White will perform as a part of the fest’s celebrations. There will be special shows by ventriloquists, puppet and magic shows, and musical concerts playing different genres.
A musical evening will be organized on December 24 at Rang Sharda on the occasion of the Late Mohammad Rafi’s 98th birth anniversary. On this occasion, music composer Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia will be awarded the Mohammad Rafi Lifetime Achievement Award and veteran singer Dilraj Kaur will be felicitated by the Mohammad Rafi Award for their exemplary work.
This year, a special musical evening to offer tribute to the late Lata Mangeshkar will also be organized on January 4 at Carter Road. There will also be shows by ventriloquist, puppet, and magic show specially for children along with a few retro games at the Wings Sports Centre on January 7 and 8 to introduce children to some of the traditional games like seven stones also known as various other names from the Indian subcontinent involving a ball and a pile of flat stones.
“What’s better than partaking in the popular NWF22 to bid adieu to the year on a meaningful note? There will be unlimited fun, frolic, merrymaking, and an eclectic way of celebrating the occasion, nothing but a potpourri of all. We Indians love celebrating umpteen fiestas throughout the year and there cannot be a better occasion than NWF22 to bring communities together,” said Mumbai BJP president MLA Adv. Ashish Shelar, the driving force behind the festival.
He said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party loves to be a part of festivals where people across communities participate in large numbers. After the two years of the pandemic, this year the BJP ensured that people celebrated all the festivals with the same excitement and enthusiasm.”
The Neighborhood Winter Festival is the brainchild of a local activist Derek Talker who started it to build communities. “Our society is highly fragmented, so much so that at times we don’t even know who our neighbors are. That was one of the reasons to start this festival, basically to meet new people and to build communication with one another,” said Talker of KCT Entertainment.
“We wish to touch all communities and all strata of society. The idea is that you could be living in a posh locality but here at NWF22 you will find yourself sitting next to someone from probably a gaothan,” said Talker adding, “Through events like the food festival, we have offered the locals a platform to showcase their culinary skills and also a chance to make some money.”
