MEN WHO MATTER: Raghava KK – Unstoppable and raring to go

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They’re ambitious, diligent, driven and have found the key to unlock innovation. RITZ Magazine meets these promising men of substance from Karnataka who have made a mark in their respective fields and are making waves not just nationally but also across the globe. They reveal what kept them going and how they carved out a niche for themselves…

BY NAMITA GUPTA

His creative energy knows no bounds and his brush strokes have been defying conventions. Raghava KK shares of his journey that is wrought with passion.

TURNING POINT: My becoming an artist has been a process of illumination rather than a process of knowing exactly what I want. I knew that whatever I had to have, one way or another would make sense with my spirit I’ve had to feed my soul, to keep me moving, to wake up in the morning, feeling like I was living the life that I was meant to live. Becoming an artist was therefore the best way of saying I will be me and make a career out of being myself. I believe that the best way to get into any field is to jump right in and then learn to swim. If I want to do something in my life I will do it immediately and if I don’t have the skills to do it, I will pick those skills up immediately. Art too has been a process of learning on the job.

PURE PASSION: I was named by CNN as one of the 10 most remarkable people (2010), Inducted into the National Geographic Society as an Explorer (2013) for bringing art, science and technology together, Four time TED speaker (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), Co- Chair of the INK Fellows Program (2011-present), Winner of two Kirkus book awards (2011) – the harshest book critics in the world, Artistic Producer of Shanti Samsara, a music album with over 500 Musicians and 40 Grammy award winners, Collaborated with artists including Moroccan master painter Farid Belkahia and musicians Paul Simon and Erykah Badu among others, Authored several chapters for Harvard’s teaching hospital Mass General – on creativity and the brain, Creator in residence at Viacom, New York – (2015 – 2016), Lectured at one of the top art schools in the world. Ecole des Beaux Arts, — NYU Stern School, Copenhagen Business School, International School of Business (India), and many other universities, schools and corporations. I have two brothers – my older brother went to Harvard University and after 38 years of knowing him we are going to collaborate with an art exhibition created by Artificial Intelligence with seven international artists. Karthik and I have curated this event and this is the first time a top tier, mainstream contemporary art gallery will showcase works created by A.I. artists. The gallery Nature Morte in Delhi is organising and hosting the exhibition on August 17. My twin brother Kesava is a technologist and has inspired me to understand data and get excited by it.

CROSSING HURDLES: Some of the challenges I faced were logistical, some skill-based and some of them have been poor communication, but the biggest challenge of all were my own fear and insecurities. I learned to overcome it by accepting myself for who I am. And even if I’m not perfect, I’m not pretending to be someone I’m not.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY: I continue to be a child and I make a living out of it. For me the world is a fascinating place, and every place I go, I play, I love, and I engage. I don’t feel like I lost out on any childhood. I definitely lost some college experiences and traditional childhood experiences, and there’s a part of me that misses that but I’ve had fascinating experiences that have made my life feel fulfilling. It’s never too late to have any experience.

BENGALURU, A STARTUP CITY: What I love about Bengaluru is the openness, the open heartedness and the acceptance of everybody who is trying to get out there. It’s more important to dream and be someone, and that’s why this city has attracted some of the smartest people and created what I believe is going to be the future of the world’s technological boom. Bengaluru has become the home of creativity.

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