Something for everyone at the Chembur Festival

Rangoli, ragas and RD Burman were on the roster on Day 3 of the Chembur Festival, dedicated to celebrating the neighbourhood. Supported by The Times of India, the cultural extravaganza had over 7,000 people ambling over to participate in rangoli exhibitions, 3D street art competitions, talent shows, cultural parades, and band performances. This year, the theme is Bollywood, which is why the RD Burman Night organized on Saturday at the Chembur Gymkhana ground drew hordes of visitors.Along with a string of sessions dedicated to music, including classical, bhajans as well as live band performances, there was also the daily favourite: the central avenue exhibition, with its 1km stretch of food and handicraft stalls that proved to be the most popular with visitors. Since its inception in 2011, the Chembur Festival has drawn between two and three lakh people. This year, at the popular rangoli exhibition, professional artists from the locality had been roped in to depict Bollywood celebrities, said Suprada Phatarpekar, secretary and founder of Chembur Citizens’ Welfare Association, which organises the festival. There was truly something for everyone –from culinary events for foodies to music lovers being treated to Bollywood playback singers Neha Kakkar and Rajesh Iyer’s orchestra performing RD Burman hits.