The M East Ward, parts of which are referred to as Govandi – located on the north-east edge of this megacity, is home to Mumbai’s largest resettled population. A land of constant displacement, this ward, throughout its history, has been grossly neglected with over 70% of its population living in slums, having the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.05 in the city (in 2009), and with the average life expectancy of 39 years (as opposed to Maharashtra’s 73.5 years). The neighborhood is infamously identified as unsafe and criminalized. Residents often find the need to hide their addresses in order to get admissions in schools or be selected for a job.

Community Design Agency (CDA), the host organisation of Govandi Arts Festival believes that art and culture are an integral part of urban development that is overlooked in city making, but has the potential to effect social and spatial transformation, especially within neighbourhoods that are underserved and denied access to human development and basic infrastructure as a result of their marginalisation.
In our 7 years of practice at Natwar Parekh, we see art as the input through which multiple tangible and intangible, big or small transformations begin to emerge. Art-based interventions have led the youth to express, and explore their artistic-selves, while they worked on improving their neighborhood. We leverage this interest that the art based approach garnered among the youth to initiate the Arts Festival.