CSMIA hosts 3rd edition of Jaya HE Museum’s carnival series with “Aaghosham 2021”

The month-long celebration to showcase the endless beauty of Kerala

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai, May 26, 2021: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s (CSMIA) Jaya HE museum is hosting the third edition of its carnival series. The digital carnival ‘Aaghosham 2021 – Celebrating Kerala’ will be showcased on Jaya HE and CSMIA’s Instagram and Facebook platform between May 18 – June 18. Through this festival CSMIA’s Jaya He Museum aims to bring a note of positivity and adventure by providing patrons from across the globe, the opportunity to explore the indigenous culture and heritage of the state of Kerala from the comfort of their homes.

‘Aaghosham’ denotes ‘Celebration’ in Malayalam, the local language of Kerala – a state famously known for its backwaters, elegant boathouses and delicately spiced cuisine. To showcase the grandeur of the state, CSMIA’s Jaya He carnival aims to bring together audiences from different parts of the globe to explore indigenous elements such as its cultural diversity, including history, society, art & crafts, people, food, festivals, textiles, tourism, and architecture of Kerala. The 30-day carnival will also capture Kerala’s unique performing arts in the form of classical & folk arts, dance and music. Additionally, the carnival will engage with over 200 children between the age group of 12-14 years from a BMC School in a playful storytelling format. The story session will be conducted live on Zoom with the carnival’s storytelling partners.

Staging various elements each day through infographics, videos, photographs, live talks with renowned experts, the day-long forums are divided into storytelling sessions, activities, and Instagram Live sessions, conducted on CSMIA and Jaya HE’s social media platforms. The audience will also get a glimpse into the world of a performer, filmmaker, sustainable designer and chef from Kerala, along with the enthusiastic host – RJ Rohini Ramnathan, to name a few. By hosting the carnival on widely accessible digital forums, CSMIA is extending its mission to promote the culture and heritage of the diversity in India for the enjoyment of patrons across borders from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Launched in 2018, the Jaya He Carnival series was strategically introduced by the airport’s museum around the International Musuem Day, which is celebrated on May 18. Each year, the Jaya He Museum adopts the theme of the occasion to bring forth the cultural and artistic magnificence of the various states of India. Innovating on this theme announced by the International Council of Museum theme for International Museum Day 2021 – “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine” – Jaya He Musuem has collaborated with multiple partners to celebrate the rich culture of Kerala. These include Utkarsh Patel as Mythology content partner, United Way of Mumbai as philanthropy partner and bringing Anvaya and Kathanika as the content partner and storytelling partner once again this year, respectively.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, CSMIA’s Jaya He Museum has adopted various digital initiatives such as the first-of-its-kind digital airport carnival and a unique Jaya He Audio Guide app amongst others to provide an opportunity of exploration and an adventure to those bogged down by the lockdown and safety restrictions. In the previous edition, the Jaya HE Carnival featured the art, culture, tribal history & religion, textile & crafts, food & festivals of different states in North-East India that reached a diverse set of audience through Instagram and Facebook. Given the unprecedented time, CSMIA’s Jaya HE Museum continues to involve audience across the world, cultures, and traditions that they can resonate with.

CSMIA’s Jaya HE Museum is a celebration of Indian Art in every form and was conceptualized as an extension of the exclusive Indian aesthetic of Terminal 2. It is an exceptional vista where past, present, and future come together to create one of the largest public art platforms, where modern technologies fuse effortlessly with traditional knowledge. Through ‘Aaghosham’, CSMIA aims to offer endless experiences and engage a larger audience to be a part of this magnificent virtual celebration.