Kala Ghoda to return

"The identity of Kala Ghoda will be revived,” Maneck Davar, chairperson of the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) informed Mumbai Mirror (MM) of March 11, 2016, referring to the statue of a black horse (kala ghoda, in the vernacular) that the Association proposes to install in the art district of south Bombay. The original statue of King Edward VIII (then Prince of Wales), which gave the district its name, was removed from its famed location and relegated to the zoo premises in Byculla in1965 when the statues of several British royals and notables were removed from prominent locations around the city.

The original Kala Ghoda statue at the zoo complex in Bombay

The KGA, along with the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee has put forth a proposal that Kala Ghoda should have a black horse and the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) is enthusiastic about the idea. Davar told MM that "the BMC… is very keen on restoring heritage structures in the vicinity. We have been asked to have a larger statue of a horse inside the main parking lot at the Kala Ghoda junction” (see "Preserving a Parsi landmark,” pg 33).
"The idea came about after we moved our proposal for a smaller statue to be placed inside that traffic island… We will hold one more round of talks (with the BMC) and then finalize the plan,” Davar mentioned to MM. Initially the KGA had shortlisted noted architect and sculptor Arzan Khambatta to design the art work, but plans have now changed with the BMC stepping in and Davar is hopeful that a decision will be arrived at soon.
The KGA holds the popular Kala Ghoda Arts Festival every year in the district which boasts a number of heritage buildings and museums. Kayomi Engineer of the KGA told MM that the Association "works closely with the BMC and is undertaking many restoration projects like (that of) the Bomonjee Hormarjee Wadia Clock Tower which stands at the junction of Bazaar Gate road and Perin Nariman Street. We have proposed the installation of an art work which will help people identify with the area’s colloquial name Kala Ghoda since the entire area is still widely popular by that name.”