The Beginning...

LABA – Let Art Be Alive!!! Hmmm….

“Art is not a thing, it is a way.” - Elbert Hubbard

Three months back when Komal came up to each one us with this initiative, most of us were clueless as in how would we as an individual be able to contribute towards something which we had never thought, imagined or even heard about on similar lines. What gained our interest and eventually the will of being a part of this group was it’s out of the box idea. Just keep going and a bit of patience you will come to know what LABA is all about!! :) From a huge and excited group of 30-40 people, coming from different walks of life, corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, students, free lancers etc. the number has come down to 10-12 people, the actual enthusiasts who are willing to make LABA – a reality, a dream come true.

Take my words, when all this began, we as a team really couldn’t think on how the planning, the execution, the nitty-gritty’s would go about and gradually how and what the outcome would stand in front of us. Though we knew what we wanted to achieve as the end result, while we were lost and worried about rest of the things, Komal and Hiral were the ones who boosted all of us and yes, Yes miracles do happen.  Today, things are falling in place and day by day we are getting closer to the D-Day. Accepting it unashamedly, not all of us in the group are ardent art lovers, but yaa, we all have found a connection with LABA. May be a newly found interest or may be the love for art which was hidden some where deep inside us and now ready to be explored and polished.

Now just like anyone and everyone, even I had this tight-lipped, unblinking look on my face and various questions boggling my mind what LABA is!!??

Frankly, we don’t have to sit, talk and describe the glorified history of India in terms of culture and art. India has been a melting pot of cultures, so naturally art has been an integral part during all the eras India has seen and been through. Many art forms can be traced back to have their roots in India, while many others were brought and adopted and can be seen all across the country.

Let Art Be Alive, is an initiative of young busy professionals from Mumbai to preserve, protect and promote the indigenous and traditional Indian art forms, be it performing arts or fine arts or any form of art which are on the brink of extinction. Not only does it provide a platform to the aforementioned artists to showcase their magnificent skills and the valuable talent which form the essence of rich, diverse and contemporary Indian Art but also help them to become financially strong and stable by increasing the sales of their products of creativity. In the long run, LABA plans to focus on bringing such art forms into the main stream society by encouraging the fellow folks, friends, colleagues and of all the youth and the citizens of this country to learn more and if possible and willing pursue it as an education option.

We personally feel that all this would fetch such artists the long standing recognition which they deserve and add new horizons and colors to the modern Indian society.

While looking three months back at us or for that matter even today, we are not completely aware of the art forms, be it alive or extinct. But yes, we all at LABA are set out on a journey to create awareness about the various fading art forms and the lack of platforms for such artists. We behold this idea and envision setting up an institute that would solely focus on teaching the lay man about the art forms, their importance and the role that they play in everyday life. A centre of art, a culmination of different art forms from across the country, where the artists would display, portray and bring to us their fabulous work and eventually gain fame and recognition all over the globe.

Well the best way to end as of now would be with a mesmerizing quote,

“Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul - and you answer.” - Terri Guillemots

Until next time, Team LABA...