Kala Ghoda Arts Festival: 'A Beautiful Doorway Into the Soul of India,' Says Food Curator Romi

Food blogger, influencer with an eye for detail, Romi has been curating the Food vertical since last three years. Her passion for food and films made her introduce the new section.

Excerpts from the interview:

What's that one thing that you love about Kala Ghoda Festival and why?

What I love most about Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is its happy energy and joyful purpose. For those few days of the festival, people from completely different worlds come together with a shared sense of infectious purpose to create something far greater than just a multi-faceted festival that celebrates the city’s arts, artisans and culture. I like to think of myself and my fellow curators as creators of a beautiful door and pathway into the soul of India, and enablers of personal unique experiences.

What's most challenging in planning the Food vertical? And how do you counter it?

I personally look at curation as a kind of artistic choreography, a stringing together of movements to create a flowing dance piece. I guess it comes from being a dancer for a large part of my life! I like to push an idea to create an experience that is MORE. Can I make it more informative? More interactive? More immersive? More useful? These are the questions I ask myself when I am picking the venue, the activity and the partner so that I can bring all these elements together to create something that doesn’t just add up, but transforms into something much bigger. That’s when I can make it an unforgettable experience for the audience, and that is my biggest challenge, as also my biggest reward.

What made you look at the Film n Food relationship and include that as a program?

My passion for food has always driven me to explore food beyond the culinary space. My podcast show ‘Songs that Make You Hungry’ is a crossover between food and music that explores the cultural subtext, the origin stories and the symbolism of food in songs. Food X Cinema is an organic extension of this, and an attempt to celebrate both. Mind you, the screening of a film, at a busy food venue, with a one-on-one session with the filmmaker, and the many different collaborations it requires is a lot of effort to put into just one event. Brinda Miller, our Festival Director, has often reminded me to keep the balance, like she has been doing brilliantly across all the sessions and verticals for 26 long years. But I think this program creates a little bit of magic by bringing together the two worlds of movies and food, and this year’s screening of Cheeni Kum and a chat with its writer director R. Balki will be something quite special.

Which is your most favourite this year and why?

It’s like being asked to choose a favourite amongst one's children! I honestly can’t because I am too close to each and every event that I have spent so much time and heart in bringing together. And also no two sessions are the same - the hands-on Dim Sum masterclass is very different from the Swiss chocolate Chef’s masterclass, the Sushi ‘deep dive’ is very different from the Chutney making session, the Grilling-Smoking masterclass is very different from the Noodle-Pulling session, and there’s a vegan cheese Blind Tasting, a ‘Wine Manners’ session and a thought-provoking discussion on Myths and Mythologies of food thrown into the mix! There really is something for every taste, every palate, and every aspect of food. So they are all my favourites, now you have to pick yours. Just come early, because there are limited seats. And come hungry, in both stomach and in mind, because there is a lot to consume!