Today I visited the first ART MOB,a inter-college art festive organised by young students in Pune. The event was organised by AAW and Nayanika Chatterji who is heading AAW in Pune. She is a student at Ferguson college in Pune, which is considered as the most vibrant, diverse and leading college for art & cultural activities. I remember during my engineering days I had once gone to Ferguson college to represent my college VIT in various cultural activities. I did not win in any of the activities and came back feeling very proud to VIT AFTER a woeful performance. No worries it was my first inter-college experience and I had loved it. I will later go on to win in national competitions and its always good to fail so you can rise again. Very philosophical…No worries…Keep reading…  

The art show was organised on Koregaon Park Annexure road to give it a more creative feel instead of organizing in a gallery. This Art Mob is being organized by Artist At Work (AAW) Productions, which was started in July 2013 with a simple motive of bringing all art forms under one umbrella. Their first event, Pukaar, marked a rather unusual approach to a first great event. It was a 5 day exhibition-sale in Dilli Haat to raise funds for Kashmir flood victims in 2014, by which they raised a considerable amount when they barely expected 15,000. Since then, this group of socially responsible citizens has done various events and made several short movies to support a tide of causes.

“There is exploitation of artists in the market. There are artists not being paid or treated well. Not every artist has the funds to pay rent for an exhibition. And even after that, they don’t just want money; they desire outreach. We want to make art sustainable as a source and a way of living. We want it to be at par with something that is considered vocational. It won’t happen today; won’t happen tomorrow. But, I believe in my vision, in my dream, in myself and I’m willing to put my heart and soul into it” says Rahul Maheshwari, Founder of AAW Foundation, who is a 21-year-old Economics graduate from Hansraj College.

Source: http://baysidejournal.com/wp/art-enthusiasts-head-to-pune-for-an-insane-art-mob-on-november-21/

Side Pic: Young photographers  in Pune…Future of photography in India…India rising   

Video of young budding photographers

The event was organised right next to ABC farms where the annual cheese festive was organised for two days.  I had gone to attend the cheese festival and was delighted to know about Art Mob from Moohit who works for Teach for India. ABC festival coming up next.

The event was majestic with students from all over Pune showcasing their talents. The event had two sections, one which was dedicated to photography while the other to paintings ranging from oil, acrylic etc. These were very young kids in their early 20s full of youth, energy and passion. It is such a refreshing change from the humdrum of usual chit chat we see around us everyday. The best part of the event was the confidence and exuberance shown by all i.e. all  the artist and the volunteers who made the event a success.

Side pic of volunteers in motion…Heros behind the event

Hallmark of any great civilization is the creativity & innovation which the society brings to the table.

Some of the exhibits above. On the top left: assorted photographs, middle painting: Famous Russian folk singer, on the right an artist exhibiting her work.

As a society we must encourage our  youth to venture into different fields for it is creativity which brings out the best in people as well as is a precursor to cultural progress. I was unable to click a group photograph of all the painters.  In the end the event was well appreciated by everyone and some of them were pleasantly surprised as they drove by. The event it seems has generated lot of interest among people in Koregaon Park. It was a very out of the box way of showcasing talent of students and should be replicated in all major cities around India.

Pune is the educational hub of India and known as Oxford of East. It has more than 800 colleges and Pune university is one of the most respected universities in India.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/With-811-colleges-Pune-varsity-2nd-largest-in-country/articleshow/25196438.cms

Abstract art painting done by students on the wall.

Pune is a melting point for students from India & Asia and has always been the city with creative fervor ranging from academics, spirituality incl. Yoga (Iyengar yoga headquarters in Pune), extra curricular activities and music. Pune remains a great cosmopolitan city known for its vibrant colors, multinational community and trend setting lifestyle.

Government should encourage such creative initiatives and I am sure Pune will remain the cultural capital of India for many more years to come. To wrap up these young students have shown that work is important, why waste our time debating who is eating what…why waste your time & energy…Do something constructive like these young folks or just follow The Dude on his epic journey.

So everyone involved in  AD MOP great going, keep it up and in my iconic words

Much Appreciated and Deeply Obliged

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