City Walk to Jungle Safari: Here is what to expect at the Mumbai Festival

Starting January 20 the city will see a plethora of activity take over its streets theatres and stadiums The Mumbai Festival which brings under its banner the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Happy Streets and Mumbai Marathon aims to highlight what makes Mumbai the vibrant and exciting city it is Herersquos what you can expect from the festA tour through Raj BhavanSpread over a 44acre property amidst the winding lanes and treecovered locales of Malabar hill the residence has been home to Mumbairsquos governors since the year 1665 when Sir Humphrey Cooke took over the island of Bombay from the Portuguese Inside there are several items of historical and artistic value including paintings portraits and carpets that date back to the British reign of Indian history The tour is an opportunity to explore the history of the residence as well as gaze at the Arabian sea from the vantagepoint of Malabar hill So if yoursquore a history buff or simply looking to understand the city you live in better sign up for the tourWHEN January 20 to 28 5 AM onwardsPRICE Rs 649 onwardsTO BOOK insiderinNew Acropolisrsquo Street Sign InstallationsIf you step inside the MMRDA grounds from January 20 onwards and see street signs pointing in no particular direction donrsquot be perplexed These are part of an art installation by New Acropolis a 17yearold organisation comprising aspiring philosophers which aims to spread the message that philosophy is deeply embedded in every aspect of human life and is in fact the foundation of every perception experience and action For the Mumbai Festival the team came up with the idea to use street signs as a channel to look at life philosophically The signs are tweaked to challenge our view of the everyday ldquoIt is our attempt to take philosophy to the streetsrdquo says Trishya Screwvala a volunteer at the notforprofit organisation ldquoLife is actually full of inspiration if only we learn to see it and look for itrdquo The street signs may be familiar to all of us she says but every person can find news ways of looking at them For example the typical workinprogress sign that features a man with a shovel scooping debris has been tweaked to state ldquoLife A Work in Progressrdquo Similarly the blaring yellow Caution sign has been reinterpreted as ldquoCaution Comfort ZonerdquoWHERE January 20 to 28 MMRDA Grounds BKCExploring the jungleMumbai is often called a concrete jungle but there are also vistas of greenery that the city has to offer If you prefer treks and nature trails rather than squeezing in between crowds of pleasureseekers the Jungle Safari will be right up your alley The safari features a tour of Borivalirsquos Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNPWHERE Sanjay Gandhi National Park Borivali WHEN January 20 to 28 10 AM onwardsPRICE R2596 onwardsTO BOOK insiderinMumbai walksThe Mumbai walk as it is simply named offers a view into the cityrsquos unique flavour of entrepreneurial spirit The walk starts at the Gateway of India and aims to pay tribute to the ones who keep the city going the dabbawallahs BEST drivers and fisherfolkWHEN January 25 7 PM to 10 PMMEETINGPOINT Gateway of India FortTO BOOK insiderin