Kiran Rao, the film maker, in a panel discussion at the Think Festival (Tehelka) in Goa discussed how creating more spaces for art and culture could help strengthen the cultural creation and appreciation process of a nation.
Growing I was
always intrigued by the world of art. Mumbai has vibrant art community. When I
first came to Mumbai, I made it a point to visit every art gallery and cultural space in the city. At bookstores I
would read books about the evolution of man and how art has evolved parallel to
man’s thinking. I found so many!
Events at these Spaces
I would read
the events section of the daily newspaper and take a note of any exhibition
openings happening around the city. I attended such opening of the works of
painters, photgraphers, cartoonists and graphic artists.
The Jehangir
Art Gallery in South Mumbai always had a calendar full of such events. I got to
attend some very insightful talks by creative people from different professions
here. The Museum in
South Mumbai was another place I liked visiting often. The museum would
organize talks inviting guest speakers like professors, p.h.d scholars,
collectors and artists. The talks would be about subject as varied as language,
culture, city planning, poetry readings and more. The Asiatic Society Library also held some public lectures in South Mumbai.
Meeting a Hero at an Art Gallery in Mumbai
One event that
remains fresh in my memory was an art exhibition opening of Raghava KK, an
Indian cartoonist and artist. The news network CNN, described Raghava as one of
the ten most creative people in the world. Raghava was
born and brought up in Bangalore and started his career with freelance work for
local papers. He has never looked back since and is now a world renowned
artist.
I was inspired
by how Raghava created a career in a field he was passionate about even after
within a system that was designed to encourage youngsters to choose what is
safe.
Why I loved Raghava's Work
I often saw the
TED Talks online (TED short for technology, entertainment and design). It is a
world conference where people are given eighteen minutes to share their life
changing ideas. Raghava’s Talk was one of the most popular ones on the TED
Website. I saw the talk and hoped I got to meet him someday.
I had gone to
an earlier exhibition of his, but could not meet him there. I got to the
Gallery twenty minutes early. I approached Raghava and spoke to him about his
work for a while. I also gifted him a copy of my second book 101 Habits to
Greatness.
I shared the story of the campaign and the book with him after that.
He
congratulated me and told me to keep doing what I did. Raghava KK also
introduced me to Anand Gandhi, the indian film maker and director of the movie,
‘Ship of Theseus’. I also got to meet Laxmi Pratury, the lady that brought TED
Talks and the popular Innovation and Knowledge Talks to India.
People you Meet at Art Galleries
I also got to speak to a popular VJ from MTV, a renowned fiction writer, and an
employee from Walt Disney. It was extra-ordinary that I had the opportunity to
network with such creative people. Such a wonderful creative community at these spaces. Everyone was so nice and so open to share ideas.
It was such a
great learning experience for me. This would not have happened had I not
developed the curiosity to meet and learn from the people and environment
around me. Lifeschool was doing me good.
Let us Learn Together
Tweet @AbhishekShetty_
Sat-chit-ananda
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