Cultural Intersections

Many of these children have won prestigious music competitions, and some have even performed full solo concerts in prominent sabhas. The ensemble members are Aditi Cavale, Aniket Raja PK, Maanasi Gowthaman, Mithil Rao, Pratiksha B Deekshadar, Reethika Rajan, Saikrishna Rajsekar, Saanvi Prasanna, and Tanusri Balakrishnan.

Sumitra Nitin is an accomplished and renowned Carnatic music vocalist and Bharatanatyam dancer with a performing career spanning over four decades. She is also a highly respected teacher of both these art forms at her institution ‘Natyasruti’ in Bengaluru. Sumitra has several acclaimed presentations to her credit in both music and dance featuring the Natyasruti music and dance ensembles. These programmes have been featured at many prestigious organisations.

An erudite speaker, Sumitra has won critical acclaim for her lead role in an English play presented by the Madras Players, a leading theatre group.

Lily Pandeya is a Civil Servant currently serving as Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, with over 22 years of experience in public administration, human resource management, and industrial relations. She oversees International Cultural Relations, the Culture Creative Economy, Public-Private Partnerships, and UNESCO matters related to Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

Lily holds an M. Phil in Public Administration from Punjab University, a Master’s in Public Administration from San Diego State University, and a Master’s in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has attended advanced management programs at institutions like ISB Hyderabad, INSEAD Singapore, and ICLIF Malaysia. Recognized for her academic excellence, Lily has received several awards, including the V.K.N Menon Award and John Fowler Award. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Alpha Alpha honor societies.

Lily is also a regular guest speaker at national and international seminars, including programs by ICLIF, and has co-authored the book Art and Railways – A Bangalore Saga. She enjoys music, haiku poetry, and follows international climate debates.

Salma Fahim is serving as the Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka. She is a career civil servant in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) with 15 years of experience in varied development fields including rural water supply, sanitation, education, and health. She is the recipient of the Award of Excellence for the implementation of the Employment Guarantee Scheme of the Government of India. In her other roles, she has been a member of a select group of bureaucrats who have successfully implemented the World Bank Project on Water Supply aimed at providing sustainable water solutions to 5 million rural population in the state of Karnataka; ensured 100% screening of all pregnant women in Karnataka: around 1.2 million of them were screened for HIV to ensure early detection, and she has implemented the largest start-up support program in the country in the Information Technology and Biotechnology sectors. She is a part of the incoming Edward S Mason Master’s in Public Administration cohort 2020-2021 at Harvard Kennedy School and is a Fulbright Scholar.

Junhi Han, Chief of the Culture Sector, UNESCO New Delhi. She joined the UNESCO Multisiectoral Regional Office for South Asia based in New Delhi in 2018, after having worked for more than 20 years at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Being specialised in World Heritage conservation and management, from Paris she undertook a number of technical missions for the World Heritage Committee to asesss and monitor state of conservation of WH sites, but also developed/implemented/coordinated a number of UNESCO’ s flagship projects for cultural heritage sites, such as Bamiyan, Herat and Jam (Afghanistan), Moenjodaro (Pakistan) and Koguryo Tombs and Mural Paintings (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), Angkor (Cambodia), the Altai Mountains of Siberia, to quote a few. Since 2018, she has been spearheading prorammes of the UNESCO New Delhi Culture Sector for the South Asian countries.  A curator by training, she has made several publications and authored a number of articles in various journals related to heritage. She is a member of ICOMOS.

Sanjoy K. Roy, an entrepreneur of the arts, is Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 25 highly acclaimed performing arts, visual arts and literary festivals across 40 cities including the world’s largest free literary gathering — the annual ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival. Roy, a National Award awardee for the film Shahjahanabad: The Twilight Years, is a founder trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) working to provide support services for street and working children in the inner city of Delhi. In 2011 the White House presented SBT the US President’s Committee of Arts and Humanities Award for an International Organisation.

Priyanka Mary Francis, holds a B.Tech in Applied Electronics & Instrumentation from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (2005). She began her career as a scientist at ISRO, where she worked for two years before joining the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2009. Her first posting was as Assistant Commissioner in Chikkodi in 2011, followed by various roles including Corporation Commissioner of Belgaum and Managing Director of Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation.

Over the years, Priyanka held significant administrative positions such as CEO of the Zilla Panchayat in Chikmagalur and Udupi, and Deputy Commissioner of Udupi and Hassan. From 2019 to 2022, she served as Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka and Commissioner of Panchayat Raj. In 2024, she took on her current role as Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, continuing her impactful work in public administration.

Arundhati Nag is a prominent actor and theatre personality, who has been involved with multilingual theatre in India for over 50 years. She is the founder and Managing Trustee of the Sanket Trust that runs Ranga Shankara, a theatre in Bangalore. Nag has also been involved in several television and film projects and has received both the Karnataka State Film Award (1985) and the National Film Award (2010). She has been presented the Padma Shri (2010) by the President of India for her untiring efforts and tremendous achievements in the Arts, and also conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Theatre Acting (2008) by India’s National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre.

Tanya Abraham is an art Curator and the founder of The Art Outreach Society/TAOS. She worked as a journalist for International and National publications for 15 years after which she shifted to her passion for the arts. Tanya is the author of two books, one which was listed in New York Times in 2023. Her award-winning non-profit organisation is invested in the arts in Kochi since 2016.

Tanya has a masters in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky, USA and is currently awaiting a doctorate in Practice in Curating from the University of Reading, UK. She serves on the FICCI Tourism and Culture Committee representing Kerala.

Tanya has also curated a number of art projects concerning social impact, including those at the Kochi Muziris  Biennale.

Bijoy Ramachandran founded Hundredhands, a widely recognised architectural practice in 2003 with his partner Sunitha Kondur. He currently serves on the faculty of architecture at the British School at Rome and is the Design Chair for the post-graduate program at BMS College of Architecture in Bengaluru.

Ramachandran has a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree from BMS College of Architecture; he has also attended the Glenn Murcutt masterclass in Sydney.

In addition to practicing architecture, he has also produced three documentary films: two on the celebrated Indian architect Sri B.V. Doshi, ‘Doshi’ (2008) and ‘Doshi: The Second Chapter’ (2019); and one on architectural practice in Bangalore, ‘Architecture and the City: A Bangalore Perspective’ (2005).

Sanjeev Pasricha is a renowned figure in experiential design, known for his award-winning work, including “Best Brand Builder of the Year” by the CMO Council Singapore and the “Samman Award” from the Punjab Government for the Chamkaur Museum. He has designed and curated major projects like the Jyotisar Anubhav Kendra museum in Haryana, the sound and light show at Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya in Delhi, and Dastaan-e-Shahadat in Punjab.

His work spans across India, with key projects like a light and sound show in Kutch, Gujarat, and the world’s highest projection mapping show in Leh. He also created a multisensory sound and light show at the Sanchi Stupa, highlighting Lord Buddha and Buddhist relics. Sanjeev’s innovative approach blends technology and cultural heritage, making him a leader in his field.

Radhika’s love for Sufi music was kindled by 17th century Sufi mystic Baba Bulleh Shah’s poetry. Starting her journey with Mumbai Kabir Festival, she has travelled with her songs to Kabir Yatras in Rajasthan, Malwa, Telangana, Delhi and other music festivals. Another Sufi faqeer from Punjab, Shah Hussain’s poetry has inspired her to compose, create music videos, collaborate with theatre artistes from Lahore and handloom artistes from Kuchh, and most recently, curate a musical narrative called ‘Mela Chiraagaan – Madho Lal Hussain’.

After an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, Radhika worked in Unilever and ANZ Grindlays before immersing herself in music.

You can read more about her here.

Neil Mukherjee is a guitarist, award-winning music composer, music producer from Kolkata and Founder member of Kolkata rock band Krosswindz. Trained in both Indian and western systems of music, Neil has over twenty-five years of experience in Bollywood and Tamil film
music industry, and has worked with leading Indian music directors which include Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and AR Rahman. He currently lives and works in Mumbai as a music composer/producer and session guitar player for the advertising and film industry.

You can read more about him here.

Tabla artist Vinayak Netke began at 5, learning from Acharya Jialal Vasant and Suresh Wadkar. He has composed fusion albums, created music for TV/ads including MTV, Polo and Lloyd. His debut film Michael was screened at Toronto, London, Shanghai fests. Rhythm arranger for National Anthem, Vinayak regularly jams with jazz pianists and Balkan bands in India and Europe. He is also a member of global fusion band RRC. He has accompanied Dr. L Subramaniam, Lata Mangeshkar, Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali, Smt Kishori Amonkar, Dr N Rajam, among others. And played for composers Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Vishal Bhardwaj.

Jahnavi Phalkey is a historian of science and technology and Founding Director, Science Gallery Bengaluru. She was awarded the Infosys Prize in Humanities (2023).

Shah Faesal is a 2010 Batch IAS officer of AGMUT Cadre. He is a Fulbright alumnus and a graduate from prestigious Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA. Faesal is currently posted on central deputation in the Creative Economy Division of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Neeraj leads Accenture’s Media & Entertainment industry practice for APAC. He has worked in 19 diverse markets of India, South-East Asia & Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering projects in the space of Business Strategy, Revenue Acceleration and New Product design, build and operate for Telecom, Media and Digital Platform companies.

His passion aligns well with his profession. Beyond office, he is keen on learning new languages, writing poetry and composing music. He is a GIMA award winning lyricist, currently discovering the craft of Screenwriting.

Meru Gokhale is a seasoned publishing professional with two decades of experience in the literary world. Former Publisher of The Penguin Press Group in India, Gokhale has worked with writers such as Amitav Ghosh, Ramachandra Guha, Jhumpa Lahiri, Salman Rushdie and Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, among many others. She is the Founder of Editrix.ai, the world’s most powerful book editing platform.

Asad Lalljee is SVP, Essar Group, CEO of Avid Learning, a public programming initiative and creative platform under the Essar Group, and Curator, Royal Opera House, Mumbai. Prior to relocating to India, Asad worked for 14 years as one of the ‘Mad Men’ advertising executives on New York’s Madison Avenue.

Asad has transformed Avid Learning into India’s leading cultural hub through international collaborations and partnering with the biggest art platforms in the country. As a distinguished member of FICCI Art and Culture Committee since 2018l, he has convened multi stakeholder conferences in Mumbai and Bengaluru to democratise the arts. His is a story of drive, intent and fearlessness.

Since the restoration of the Royal Opera House, Asad’a curatorial programming has re-established its reputation as the city’s cultural crown jewel. He is also serving on the Kala Ghoda Association’s Executive Committee and the advisory board of the Mumbai Urban Art Festival for 2022-23. In the midst of the pandemic (April 2020), Asad pivoted from AVID to AVID ONLINE, presenting 240 programs in a year. An early technology trend adopter, he takes a special interest in new media curating programs around NFTs and the cyberfuture. 

Asad holds a B.A. in Economics from St. Xavier’s College (Mumbai) and an M.A. in Global Marketing Communications from Emerson College (Boston).

Janaka Pushpanathan currently leads British Council’s work in South India, and she has over 20 years of experience in the Arts, Education & Enterprise sectors. Prior to this, she has co-founded education, learning & development, and Ed tech start-ups, which have won the Red Herring Top 100 and the NASSCOM Top 50 awards in the innovation category. 

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore and Project Zero at Harvard University, Janaka is among the top 100 most influential in building UK-India relations and she’s part of the India Inc. list, which is the first ever all women’s power list to celebrate the immense contribution of women from all walks of life driving a glorious future relationship between UK and India. Janaka was the in -post UK lead for the G20 Education track under India’s presidency and is working closely with XHMG departments and MoE (Ministry of Education), Govt of India, on further strengthening bilateral connections between UK and India, in education, research, innovation and skills.

Janaka is a STEM major and is passionate about the arts, equality, girls’ education and the environment and is on the advisory board of women led non-profits, early to mid-stage education start-ups, and the State of Tamil Nadu’s skills and education sectors. Janaka is also a member of the Government formed Task Force for Internationalisation of Higher Education, for the State of Karnataka.

In her free time, Janaka is re-learning Indian classical music and is working towards her goal to sight 50 tigers in the wild, in India, by 2030.

Vikram is a passionate educator who has had previous successful careers in Technology at Deutsche Bank and Finance as a Portfolio Trader at Sanford Bernstein in New York. 

 In Education, his areas of interest are Educational Equity, Holistic Integration of the Arts into School Education & School to Work transition. Vikram most recently was a key member of the Education Task force in Delhi which is transforming Delhi’s government schools. His past stints include leadership positions at Dream a Dream, Teach for India and Parikrma Humanity Foundation. 

 He holds a Bachelors in Electronic Engineering from the University of Mumbai and has a Masters in Computer Science from New York University. For his education career choice, he got himself a B Ed. Degree at age 38 from Christ University. Vikram is an avid film and theatre buff.

Vikram Bhat is presently serving as the Director at the Bangalore International Centre.

A Media professional who has worked in Film & Television for over 3 decades, Puneeta produced and directed several Television shows including the iconic program “SHAKTI” on Zee TV, that focused on giving a Voice to disempowered women across the country. Subsequently her interest in Expressive Arts led her to conduct workshops with young people in schools, using Theatre & the Arts as tools for self-exploration and transformation. 

As Founder & Managing Trustee of The Yuva Ekta Foundation, her vision of Social Justice and Equity translated into the creation of several Expressive Arts’ platforms, through which under- privileged youth share life experiences with their more fortunate peers and learn from each another. From street plays to stage productions – Puneeta has been involved in the entire gamut of Theatre production, from scripting and directing to producing original plays, based on topical social issues.  The Foundation has performed their plays in Glasgow during the Tin Forest International Youth Festival (2014) and the Home Away Festival (2017), at the invitation of the National Theatre of Scotland.

For over a decade now, Puneeta has been deeply involved in working on reformative practices with young Offenders, technically called “Children in Conflict with Law”, at various Government Remand Homes in Delhi. Under the project “Threads of Humanity” she hopes to weave a network of partners who would collaborate with her, in helping rehabilitate and reintegrate these boys into mainstream society. Puneeta see young people as potential Agents of positive Social Change & dreams of setting up a Global Youth Citizenship Network, spanning across the planet.

Shilpa Vijayakrishnan is Head of Education & Outreach at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru. She has conceptualised and led the education function at MAP since its inception, during the course of which she has curated exhibitions specially designed for younger audiences, as well as designed and delivered programmes for various other audience groups.

Former editor of the Tasveer Journal, she has also written for its eponymous print edition Tasveer Journal, as well as the publications Maharanis: Royal Women of India, Gardens of the Mind: Swapak Nayak and Gilles Bensimon and Figures in Time: Bourne & Shepherd. She holds a postgraduate degree in Arts & Aesthetics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU, Delhi) and has curated online narratives for MAP on the Google Arts & Culture platform on a range of subjects including Women in Hindi Cinema and the Pichwai painting tradition, among others.

Sadhana Rao is a research-led writer and curator in the Arts & Culture spaces. She has written on Arts, Film festivals, Music, Crafts, Travel, Literature, & Socio-Economics for leading publications. As a curator, Sadhana works with artists and conservatories across genres to weave narrative-backed lecture demonstrations and performances. Amalgamating pedagogy, artistic diversity and inclusivity, her endeavours find home among myriad platforms, from academic conclaves to the community at large. 

Building on the plinth of her research and writing experience, Sadhana has been a Contributor, Curator, Speaker and Moderator for music, literature, art and film segments at festivals and platforms including Mahindra Kabira Festival, Cannes Film Festival, AVID Learning, Royal Opera House Mumbai, Think Fest, Bangalore Literature Festival, Bangalore Poetry Festival, Bangalore International Centre, Jaipur Literature Festival, FICCI – Creative Industries as well as Corporate summits. With her sustained interest in Arts’ pedagogies, she founded Art Links Learning to create age-appropriate curriculum for imparting Music and Arts Intelligence. A Masters in Social Work from Delhi University, she honed her research, consulting and execution skills at the Administrative Staff College of India.

Living in Bangalore she continues to be a student of the Arts.

Pavithra is The Managing trustee of Vimor Handloom Foundation established in 2004 and Chief Curator at Vimor Museum of living textiles the only Living textile museum in India. She has been doing livelihood skill education in weaving hand embroidery for unemployed rural women. She is part of both the Central and State Ministry of textiles, besides participating in many international textile events Awarded by Ashoka Innovators for Public and many other recognitions.

Conserving textile Heritage by Empowering Weavers Is Pavithra’s mission. Her work over 50 years has been primarily handloom design development, mentoring weavers, documenting motifs, techniques, oral history and have been creating 5 million-plus employment days since 1974 based on Core values of Integrity, Ethics and WIN for All. The second generation of weavers is being guided by her.