FAHTHAI
137
INDIA COUNTRY CODE
+91
EXCHANGE RATE
INR61 = US$1
MUMBAI
FREQUENCY
1 flight per day from Bangkok
DAY TRIPS BEYOND DHAKA; A TRIO OF PREMIER ARTISTIC EVENTS IN MUMBAI
TEXT: RITU SOM (MUMBAI, DHAKA) AND SARAH HARVEY (MALDIVES)
MAIN IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES
Performing arts inMumbai;
literary fair in Dhaka;
Maldive’s extravagant eats
South
Asia
THEGUIDE
What’s
on
M U M B A I
NH7 WEEKENDER
Now in its fourth year,
this Glastonbury-esque,
three-day music festival
celebrates the country’s
best performers. This year
the festival travels across
the country to New Delhi,
Kolkata, Bengaluru and
Pune, just two hours from
Mumbai. Metal, indie
rock, jazz and more are
played across three stages.
There are also pop-up
cafés and a pet crèche.
21-23 November; nh7.in/
weekender
SUNBURN GOA
A crowd pleaser since
2007, the country’s
premier dance music
festival takes place in Goa,
India’s party capital, which
is just a 45-minute flight
fromMumbai. During the
festival, Goa’s beaches are
covered in psychedelic
tents and there’s zorbing,
bungee jumping and
stunt-bike rides.
27-29
December; sunburn.in
SARI
Daksha Sheth Dance
Company bridges the gap
between traditional and
modern choreography,
infusing
kalaripayattu
,
an ancient martial art,
with dance and acrobatic
moves.
Sari
highlights the
evolution of a sari from
seed pod to magnificent
fabric.
30 November;
ncpamumbai.com
D H A K A
City sojourns
Exciting outings in and around the capital
TIGER TALES
The Sundarbans
is a vast stretch of
near-impenetrable mangrove forest.
Just less than half of this UNESCO
World Heritage Site lies on the
Indian side of the border in West
Bengal while the larger section is in
Bangladesh, easily accessible from
Dhaka. It’s worth devoting a few days
to a river tour, during which you’ll
come across fascinating tribal villages.
Better yet, you might just catch a
glimpse of The Sundarbans’ most
notorious resident, the nearly extinct
Royal Bengal tiger, sightings of which
are not as rare as you might think.
At the very least, you’ll see beautiful
swathes of forest and even river
crocodiles slipping along the banks.
ON THE WATERFRONT
One of Dhaka’s most congested
areas is
Dhanmondi Lake
. But it’s
not traffic snarls, narrow shopping
streets or flea markets that you’ll find
here. Rather, this is a cultural hot
spot, drawing intellectuals and artists
to its shores.
The Rabindra Sarobar
(named after Indian poet and Nobel
laureate Rabindranath Tagore) is an
open-air amphitheater that hosts events
throughout the year, especially in
balmy November and December. Look
out for music, dance and theatrical
performances. A visit to this celebrated
cultural institution makes for a
picturesque night out.
ART ATTACK
The Dhaka Art Centre
is one
of the best places in town to
see contemporary Bangladeshi
art. It’s a non-profit institution
that’s home to six galleries.
The art centre typically exhibits
work that is moving and often
political – a recent show focused
on the brutality of the Bangladesh
Liberation War. There are also
regular video and film screenings.
dhakaartcenter.org
ON THE WATER
The lake is the
highlight of the
Dhanmondi
residential area
