The four-day Kala Ghoda festival of India, a prelude to the Arts festival in february, will have visually-impaired children offering foot massages, constables exhibiting their art works and male dancers dressing up as females to perform a 16th century dance form

The Kala Ghoda precinct in South Mumbai may no longer have its namesake, the black stone statue of King Edward VII mounted on a horse (the statue is now at Jijamata Udayan), but it is still the closest the city has to an art and cultural hub.

It is in proximity to several art galleries, such as Jehangir Art Gallery and Hacienda Art Gallery, the David Sassoon Library and the Prince of Wales museum. With a view to celebrate the famed locality, the annual Kala Ghoda festival was started a decade ago.

In the span of a few days, the area transforms into a fair buzzing with stalls selling artefacts, offering diverse kinds of cuisine as well as cultural events at the Amphitheatre.

While the main festival will take place in February, the Festival of India acts as a prelude to the event.

Dance performance at last year's Kala Ghoda festival