Jinx

Mumbai's a hamster wheel on high speed – and often, it feels like you've got to match her stride or get off and go home! It's the city that never sleeps, never pauses; everyone's always in a rush, all the time. Mumbai's also not the greenest urban city in India, making for less opportunities to slow down, but art galleries, it turns out, rise to the occasion instead, offering a rare moment of respite. They're a haven for art lovers, of course, but they're also supremely accessible. They're a chance to look at Mumbai through the lens of her trysts with contemporary artists, but they're also a chance to wander through quiet spaces uninterrupted, or strike up a conversation where otherwise, you'd have to rely on a dating app.  While its roots stretch back to the 1850s, back when she was still called Bombay, the art scene has since flowered into a tree laden with low-hanging fruit. There are art galleries older than your ma, and galleries that seem to have sprung up overnight – and they've all got something for everyone. Here are seven of the best. I promise they'll change how you view the city – even just a little bit.

Few things in life are as great a unifier as live music. One moment, you're standing next to a complete stranger, awkwardly waiting for the set to roll out. The next moment, you're headbanging in sync with them to a godly guitar riff. By the end of the night, you're probably a) drunk and b) have made a new friend.The live music scene in Mumbai is, admirably, pretty diverse. If going nuts in a mosh pit isn't your idea of a good time, acoustic gigs can be the chatty friend that introduces you to other introverts. Hindustani jugalbandis are often doorways to great conversation about the dying art of Indian classical music, and jazz nights almost always end up doing for you what the latest dating app failed miserably at.  So whether you fancy discovering a new singer flying under the radar, a heated debate on Kishore Kumar versus Mohammed Rafi, or watching a bragging competition play out on stage between a drummer and saxophonist, Mumbai's got it all. In this guide, I've put together the greatest venues in the city that host the best gigs and, mercifully, back up the whole show with world-class sound systems. 

Strangers House Gallery, oddly enough, feels kind of like visiting your grandma's house. There isn't a crevice here untouched by some niche historic episode, yet it's sprinkled liberally with contemporary trinkets that represent, in a way, the endless movement of time. All the exhibits here are lit by trusty old fluorescent lights, liberated from pesky security ropes (thank god), and carry the weight of resistance and solidarity that finds its roots in social movements, like Ambedkarite ideology and black consciousness.  Much of the gallery’s curatorial themes pay homage to the history of the building it’s housed in: Clark House, which, between 1940 and 1962, served as the Strangers Guest House – a long-term rental for people from all over the world. In 1955, Ram Bahadur Thakur & Co. launched their international shipping business from here; their trade connections, spanning the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Japan, made Clark House a node for cultural engagement.  Later, commemorations like the Lidice Memorial Day, honouring a Czechoslovak village massacred by the Nazis, led Indian artists like K.K. Hebbar and Chintamoni Kar to donate their pieces too, contributing to a vast, historic collection that linked Bombay to a global artistic solidarity. That international history's very much a part of the gallery today. It still functions as a hub that bridges history, art, and political discourse – there's art here from across the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, as well as Afr

The original NGMA was inaugurated in 1954 in Delhi; the Mumbai arm, at the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall in Kala Ghoda – Mumbai's art district – opened to the public in 1996.  One of the largest in Mumbai, the gallery houses a vast, varied curations across five floors. It's best known for housing some of the best works by the Indian greats – Raja Ravi Varma, Rabindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-Gil and Jamini Roy – as well as contemporary figures like M.F. Husain, Anjolie Ela Menon, and Krishen Khanna. They've also hosted several highly-regarded international collections, such as the The Enduring Image, Treasures from the British Museum in 1998, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of India's independence; Picasso: Metamorphoses 1900-72; Italian Art 1950-70 Masterpieces from the Farnesina Collection in 2005; and Stefan Norblin (1892-52) A Master of Many Arts in 2011. Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall itself boasts an impressive legacy; designed by a Scottish architect, it was once the city’s go-to venue for concerts, political gatherings, and public meetings. Its walls have echoed with speeches by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, and with the music of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. It was restored and transformed into the NGMA as we know it today following the efforts of Indian sculptor Piloo Pochkhanawala and gallerist Kekoo Gandhy. Time Out Tip: If you aren’t a fan of depositing your belongings in a locker, travel light, because bags and personal items aren’t allowed

The Crasto bungalow in Girgaon's Khotachiwadi has seen its fair share of goings-on. It's housed a printing press, and in a minor blip, even functioned as a gym. Today, it's the proud home for 47-A, a gallery exclusively dedicated to design. Inside, you'll find regular exhibitions that spotlight furniture, ceramics, textiles, and functional design, with each exploring themes like craft, sustainability, and material experimentation.  The nature of the work displayed is such that it invites viewers to spend time observing and reflecting on the care taken in curation – and that's helped along by the bungalow's spacious layout and vast availability of natural light. The village of Khotachiwadi itself is an interesting choice of location – it's a heritage village dating back to the 1800s, and it still contains some 30, fairly well preserved Portuguese colonial-influenced bungalows. This gallery's appropriately named 47-A, keeping in line with the numbering system the other bungalows in the area observe. Over time, it's become an intrinsic part of the village's community, and participates wholeheartedly in keeping its heritage alive.  The gallery came out of a collaboration between Chatterjee & Lal, an art gallery, and Baro Market, an online store that curates art, craft, and designer ware. Together, they created a mishmash of what they each do best – and because of that, 47-A's the only gallery in Mumbai that pays such exquisite attention to detail when it comes to design, material

Bonobo's been around since 2008, and the reason it even exists is because the founders were fed up with Mumbai's weird rules on formal dress codes and the lack of good, chilled out spots to hang out at. And so they built their own rebellion – Bonobo, a relaxed bar that also treats music like a religion (and with them, Mumbai eased up, too). The first thing you'll notice about Bonobo is the jungle-chic aesthetic that they've got going on atop the roof. It's very subtle in some ways – dim lighting, lush greenery – but wacky in others – mushroom-shaped umbrellas? – and it ties together in a way that puts you immediately at ease and snaps you out of the city's chaos.  Here's the real kicker: the food and drinks are way better than they necessarily need to be. That's an odd thing to say, but for a bar that's known for live music, you wouldn't typically come expecting top-notch nosh. But Bonobo excels at stuff beyond just snack plates. They serve great continental food – the Spicy Burnt Garlic Pizza's a must – and their cocktails are similarly well-crafted, with infusions ranging from wasabi to curry leaves. It's fuelled by the kind of inventive spirit that's kept the place relevant for nearly two decades.  Bonobo runs a tight ship when it comes to the music schedule, so plan a visit around your preferred genre. On Wednesdays, the theme's Live is Everything (mainly jazz and live music). This is their essential, free-entry live music night, typically starting around 10.30pm. It’s wh

antiSOCIAL's the effortlessly cool friend (who would balk at the word 'cool', even) who already knows about the best music way before everyone else catches on. If there's a gig worth seeing in Mumbai, nine out of ten times, it's happening here.Located in Lower Parel's Mathuradas Mill Compound, the space embraces the unfinished warehouse aesthetic, with exposed concrete and ducts. No velvet ropes or glitz here at all. And don't get me wrong, it's not the artfully-assembled sort of grunge chic – it really is grungey, because the focus is meant to be the music. But look up and you'll see a nice touch – a disco ball hanging overhead, in a cheeky nod to to dance floors past.  The music schedule is pure gold, of course, and it cycles through everything that's both popular and niche. From intense, floor-shaking techno nights to heavy electronic DJ sets, to even phenomenal live rock and funk bands, antiSOCIAL guarantees an electric night out. In short, it’s an essential stop for music discovery and a critical node in Mumbai’s music scene, and it's serious stuff – even the layout features bleacher-style seating as well as standing zones, ensuring maximum capacity while redirecting everybody’s attention to the stage.When it comes to the food and drink, you are, again, in the hands of pros. The killer grub and inventive cocktails are expertly handled by the Social chain, so you know everything's going to be high-quality and legit.  Be sure to peek into the smoking area even if you don't

The Royal Opera House is unlike any other venue in Mumbai, or even in India. Built in 1911 and inaugurated by King George V, the hall served as the city’s cultural heart and soul, until it tragically shut down in the 90s because of a lack of clientele. But in 2016, the hall reopened following extensive restoration, and man, did they revive it to its former glory.When you come to the Opera House, you’re paying for the performance and the place. Normally, that’d come with a bit of a gimmicky feel, but here, it feels totally justified. The hall features the best elements of European Baroque architecture and old-school Indian detailing, so what you see is loads of Italian marble, massive Corinthian columns, and very sparkly crystal chandeliers (some were even donated by the Sassoon family from their very own mansion, which served as a community for the Baghdadi-Jewish community). The auditorium itself is opulent, featuring plush seating, royal boxes, and a ceiling shaped like a gramophone horn, paying homage to the great acoustics.  Today, the hall’s calendar’s jam packed with variety – it hosts classic Marathi and English plays, candlelit concerts by greats, unique storytelling events, comedy specials, and other kinds of live music gigs. If you’re coming, remember to dress up. It’s not the sort of place you’d want to be caught looking shabby at.