Say Guten Tag to Mumbai

It promises to be ten days of fun entertainment and an opportunity to learn about the multilayered landscape of Germany With curious quirky additions including a beer garden HipHop and graffiti artists from Germany as well as German bands in performance the Mela hopes to give Mumbaikars a better understanding of Germany The Urban Mela which starts today has been organised as part of the Germany and India 20112012 Infinite Opportunities most importantly to celebrate the strong ties between the two countries The Street theatre group Grotest Maru will be performing over the weekend Enter Deutschland Apart from a beer garden which will serve several German delicacies the Mela set up at Cross Maidan will have 15 pavilions with exhibitions on liveable cities The pavilions combine state of the art technologies from both the countriesu00a0The Mela which has been organised in collaboration with the Max Mueller Bhavan had organisers on their toes for months together with preparations for it having begun last year ldquoWhen we developed the events for the Urban Mela we first discussed possible programmes and performances with our friends and partners of the Max Mueller Bhavan in Mumbairdquo informs Dr Marla Stukenberg director Max Mueller Bhavan Talking about the upcoming events she adds ldquoMany collaborations developed quite naturally since cultural bonds between many artists and performers from both countries already existed However we are glad we are hosting some lsquonew facesrsquo as well which will help create a basis for further cultural cooperation between India and Germanyrdquo This Saturday listen to German performers the Schal Sick Brass Band whose tunes are a combination of Balkans Afro beats oriental groove Scandinavian themes and Jazz Also donrsquot miss stilt walkers who will perform a fairy tale parade this weekend ldquoIt is called Parada Narrnia and is a fairytale story of a travelling court which has lost its queen and is looking for her all over the worldrdquo explains Ursula Maria Berzborn artistic director of Grotest Maru the street theatre group which is performing in India for the first time She explains that the performance is partly interactive and the artistic intention is to get in contact with the audience not through talking but through body language and on an emotional level ldquoWe are looking forward to connecting artistically with Mumbairsquos audiencesrdquo she shares The mela will also feature a photography exhibition titled BerlinMumbai by Aneesh Bhasin and an event called Pecha Kucha which is a fun gathering where creative people get together for one of the worldrsquos most popular design events Key in to IndoGerman Hip Hop look up the Urban Art Project a BBoy competition and a Book Design Exhibition along with book readings and a host of other events Two nationconnect ldquoThe IndoGerman Urban Mela addresses relevant urban transformation processes in India Our Mela provides glimpses into urban architecture education and urban art science education technology and business that all play a crucial role in shaping the future of city spacesrdquo says Stukenberg ldquoWe are convinced that the Mela will strengthen IndoGerman ties Both countries are economic powerhouses Germany has a reputation in the field of technology and engineering while India is one of the big emerging markets in this worldrdquo she concludes On April 13 to April 22 At Cross Maidan Karambir Bhaurao Patil Road Marine Linesu00a0 Log on to wwwgermanyandindiacom