Welcome to the opening of the Museum of Art & Photography's Digital Museum

Abhishek Poddar is a businessman and a prominent collector and patron of the arts in India. He is involved in various family group companies with diverse interests ranging from trading and export to tea, industrial explosives, travel and retail. Poddar also serves on the advisory committees of several cultural institutions including the Deccan Heritage Foundation and FIND (Foundation Inde-Europe de Nouveaux Dialogues or the India-Europe Foundation for New Dialogues) headquartered in Rome.

Aprameya Radhakrishna is a Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Board Member at Vokal (Communication software). Prior to this, he co-founded and served as Director of Serendipity Infolabs. Before starting TaxiForSure, he worked as the Head of Business Development with Jones Lang LaSalle – India (JLL) for Project and Development Services for close to three years. He has also worked with Infosys as a Software Engineer for three years. Aprameya completed his graduation from National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka. Post working with Infosys for three years he completed his MBA from Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

Arundhati Nag is a prominent polyglot actor and theatre personality, who has been involved with multilingual theatre in India for over 25 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.

The Attakkalari Dance Company performs in India and internationally. The Company's productions are at the forefront of the contemporary Indian dance scene and often incorporate cutting-edge digital arts, imaginative lighting and innovative music. Attakkalari’s highly successful, full length, multimedia dance productions, choreographed by its Artistic Director, Jayachandran Palazhy, have received much acclaim and have been performed at prestigious festivals all across the world.

Professor B N Goswamy, India’s leading and much-honoured art historian, is currently Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. His work covers a wide range and is regarded, especially in the area of Indian painting, as having influenced much thinking. He has taught as Visiting Professor at different universities in Europe and the US. He has also written extensively. Among his most widely followed works have been: Pahari Painting: The Family as the Basis of Style (Mumbai, 1968); The Essence of Indian Art (San Francisco, 1986); Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India (with E. Fischer, Zurich, 1992); Nainsukh of Guler: A great Indian Painter from a small Hill State, (Zurich, 1997); Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting (with C. Smith, San Diego, 2005); and The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 101 Great Works (2014).

Deepika received her M.B.B.S. degree from Grant Medical College and the Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals before pursuing her passion for the arts. An independent writer on contemporary art and the city since 2009, she has a post graduate diploma in Indian Aesthetics from Jnanapravaha in 2011. She was a selector for the International Competition section for the Mumbai Film Fest (MAMI) between 2012-2014 and a Founder Trustee at the Mumbai Art Room, a not-for-profit space in contemporary art. Currently, she heads the Arts & Culture portfolio at Tata Trusts working on community and sector impact in conservation, art education and the performing arts and serves as the Trusts representative on the Board of Trustees at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya from 2015.

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written a number of books related to Hindu mythology, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, a novel, The Pregnant King, and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010). His TV shows include Business Sutra on CNBC-TV18 and Devlok on Epic TV. He consults organisations on culture, diversity and leadership and also consults various television channels and filmmakers on storytelling.

Dharavi Rocks is a joint educational project between Acorn Foundation, an NGO working for the welfare of slum children and waste collectors and ragpickers, and blueFROG. The primary mission of Dharavi Rocks is to give slum kids a voice by initiating them into music, bringing positive and happy creative experiences into their lives, and creating a bond between communities. The project also aims to raise awareness about the waste collector community and their key role in society as recycling agents. Since April 2010, the project has been responsible for organising many music workshops and performances with Indian and foreign musicians, in The Maharashtra Nature Park in Dharavi and at the blueFROG club in Mumbai.

Dharavi Rocks is a joint educational project between Acorn Foundation, an NGO working for the welfare of slum children and waste collectors and ragpickers, and blueFROG. The primary mission of Dharavi Rocks is to give slum kids a voice by initiating them into music, bringing positive and happy creative experiences into their lives, and creating a bond between communities. The project also aims to raise awareness about the waste collector community and their key role in society as recycling agents. Since April 2010, the project has been responsible for organising many music workshops and performances with Indian and foreign musicians, in The Maharashtra Nature Park in Dharavi and at the blueFROG club in Mumbai.

Jitish Kallat is a contemporary Indian painter, sculptor, photographer, and installation artist, best known for work that celebrates the city of Mumbai. Working in a multimedia approach to subject matter, his works range from esoteric naturescapes to political critiques of the socio-economic divide in his home country. Kallat often utilizes popular Indian advertising aesthetics that he incorporates throughout his practice. Born on July 14, 1974 in Mumbai, India, Kallat attended the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art in Mumbai where he graduated with a BFA in 1996. He had his first major exhibition in the United States in 2010 at the Art Institute of Chicago with a large installation titled Public Notice 3. Today, Kallat’s works are in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Singapore Art Museum, among others.

Kamini Sawhney is the director of the Museum of Art and Photography. Before this, she headed the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, the modern and contemporary wing of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum). In addition to her role as curator, Kamini played an active part in initiating collaborations and programming at the Museum. She was the Chief Project Coordinator for the landmark exhibition India and The World: A History in Nine Stories, presented in 2017-18 by the CSMVS in collaboration with the British Museum and the National Museum, New Delhi. Since 2011, she has helped bring to the public realm a series of exhibitions structured around the collection including a special focus on women artists – Voicing a Presence. She was awarded the first Brook Fellowship at the Tate Modern in 2014. She has also been a journalist and television anchor with NDTV where she was bureau chief, Mumbai covering political and cultural events.

Kavita Seth is an Indian singer, who is most known as a playback singer in Bollywood. She is also a well-known performer of Ghazals and Sufi music, and leads a Sufi musical group, Karwaan Group. A disciple of Ustad Ahmed Ali Khan, she draws inspiration from the works of Sufi poets and singers. She was won several accolades for her playback singing, including the Filmfare award.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon Limited. She was awarded the ‘Othmer Gold Medal’ by the U.S.-based Chemical Heritage Foundation, for her outstanding contributions to the progress of science and chemistry in 2014, and the coveted ‘2014 Global Economy Prize for Business’ by Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy. She is a member of the Board of Governors at the Indian School of Business, and also the first woman to head the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. She has also been conferred the Padma Shri (1989) and Padma Bhushan (2005), presented to her by the President of India for her innovative efforts in Industrial Biotechnology. Mrs Mazumdar-Shaw has featured in TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She has also been on the Forbes’ list of the most powerful women and ‘The Financial Times Top 50 Women in Business’ list.

Lillete Dubey is an Indian film actress who has gained popularity for her huge number of supporting yet significant roles in several Bollywood films. She is also a well-known face among the television audiences and is a fine theater artist. She gained recognition for her role in the movie Kal Ho Na Ho, whereas her other notable performances were seen in films such as Bawandar (2000), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), Lakshya (2004), and Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005). She has also appeared in several Hollywood films and performed in numerous plays nationally and internationally. Currently, Dubey is writing her memoir which will chronicle her journey of over four decades in theatre and cinema.

A graduate of Commerce, Journalism and Choreography, Madhu Nataraj trained in Kathak under the tutelage of her mother, the legendary Guru - Dr Maya Rao and with Guru Chitra Venugopal and later studied Contemporary dance in New York. In 1995, Nataraj set up the STEM (Space.Time.Energy. Movement) Dance Kampni which is the performing wing of Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. Nataraj believes in the cross illumination between various fields, fueling her vision for the Kampni to inhabit the public domain through the potent medium of Dance. With over 200 choreographies to her credit, Nataraj is a panelist at important design, cultural, philanthropic, corporate and academic organizations and has performed in and traveled to over 50 countries. She also heads India’s premier dance education centre- The Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography- founded by Dr Maya Rao and Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay (Under the aegis of UNESCO).

Madhura Wairkar is the Senior Manager - Collections and Exhibitions at the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore. A researcher, manager, and a curator, she is passionate about uncovering objects' histories and making them accessible to the public. Madhura holds a bachelor's degree in Heritage Management from Kishinchand Chellaram College, Mumbai, a master's degree in Textile Conservation from the University of Southampton, UK, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Indian Aesthetics from Jnanapravaha, Mumbai. She has been trained at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the National Museums of Scotland, UK. Madhura was associated with the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, for several years, and was responsible for their collection and research. She has also been a visiting faculty in prominent architecture colleges in the city, as well as, consulted corporates on art-related research projects. Before joining the MAP team, Madhura managed the art collection and exhibitions at the Piramal Museum of Art, Mumbai.

Malavika Sarukkai is a globally acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer specialising in Bharatanatyam. She has contributed a significant and large body of work in solo and group choreographies, making her mark as one who imaginatively reworks tradition. Committed to an internalized creative dance process, her choreographies embody originality, intelligence, mastery of technique and a vitalized movement vocabulary, to inventively relate the world of dance to the world around us.She has performed at many places in India and abroad, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at Chicago.

Maqbool Fida Husain, known as M.F. Husain, was one of India’s most eminent artists. Born in Pandharpur, the self-taught artist began his career painting cinema posters and hoardings. As a member of the Progressive Artists’ Group, launched in 1947, he heralded a new freedom for Indian art in the post-Independence decades. With his secular imagery, Husain sought to capture the essence of the nation. His cubist, distorted, and linear pictorial vocabulary was visibly inspired by Pablo Picasso, the modernist master in the West; yet, his subjects were inherently Indian. He painted a diverse range of subjects and themes throughout his artistic career, from Mother Teresa, horses, Hindu deities to the British Raj. The artist was awarded the Padma Shri in 1966, the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1991 by the Indian government. Husain spent the later part of his years in exile in London and Dubai, and accepted the citizenship of Qatar, having fled from India following obscenity cases and death threats filed against him. The artist passed away in London in 2011.

Nathaniel Gaskell is a curator, writer and associate director of the Museum of Art & Photography, Bangalore, and the former director of the Tasveer Gallery. He is the author of Photography in India: A Visual History from the 1850s to the Present (Prestel), and editor of several other books on photography in Asia, including, William Dalrymple: The Historian’s Eye, Derry Moore: In the Shadow of the Raj, Karan Kapoor: Time & Tide and Hikari: Contemporary Photography from Japan. He received his BA in Fine Art from the Arts University College, Bournemouth and an MA in Cultural Studies from the London Consortium. He lives between Bangalore and Singapore.

Nitin Rakesh, an Indian-American businessman, is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Mphasis. Prior to that, Rakesh was Syntel's CEO and President, as well as CEO and Managing Director of Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company Ltd., and as Chief Executive of State Street Syntel Services, a joint venture between Syntel and State Street Bank. Under Nitin’s leadership, Mphasis set a record of highest deal wins in the history of the company, thus re-defining benchmarks and growing above industry rate. Recently, Nitin won the ‘2019 American Business Awards & International Business Awards – Gold Stevie’ under the ‘Tech Innovator of the Year – Services’ category. Nitin is also an active member of various institutions globally, such as US – India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) driving financial services council and business relations between US and India.

Puneet Dalmia has been the driving force behind the exponential growth witnessed by the Dalmia Bharat Group since he took over the reins in 2007. He has transformed the organisation and built a professional team that led it on the path of accelerated growth while maintaining the core values of the Group. Dalmia holds a B.Tech degree from IIT-Delhi and is a gold-medalist MBA from IIM-Bangalore. He has a keen interest in education and serves as a Founder and Trustee of Ashoka University and is also a board member of the Central Square Foundation (CSF).

Raghu Rai has been a photographer with Magnum Photos, the world's most prestigious photographic cooperative, since 1977, when he was nominated by his mentor, the legendary photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson. His work has appeared in international publications such as Time, The New York Times, Sunday Times, National Geographic, GEO, The New Yorker and others. For the last thirty years, he has been exhibiting in major cities throughout the world and has won numerous awards. Twenty five of his photographs are in the permanent collection of the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. Rai was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, one of the country’s highest civilian awards. He has also appeared on the jury for the World Press Photo Contest three times. He has published more than thirty books of his photographs.

Creator of the concept of MOGO® or ‘musical logo’, Rajeev Raja is one of India's finest jazz and fusion flautists. His company BrandMusiq, brings the science of brands and the art of music together, creating tremendous value for clients. Having previously held the position of the National Creative Director of DDB Mudra, Rajeev brings on board over 25 years of experience in branding on the one hand, and music on the other. In his music, he draws on influences from Carnatic Music, Jazz and Jazz-Rock, besides meaningful rock and pop from Jethrotull to Rolling Stones to Beatles.

Rajiv Mody, the Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of Sasken Technologies Ltd., founded the company in 1989, at San Jose along with two other co-founders. The company was set up in the classical tradition of Silicon Valley startups; in a garage in Fremont, California. Rajiv, then, returned to India to expand company operations in 1991. Under his able leadership, over the last three decades, Sasken has grown to be a powerhouse in providing Product Engineering and Digital Transformation services. Over the years, Sasken has steadily expanded its portfolio of solutions to cover the entire product development life-cycle for Automotive, Industrials, Communication & Devices, Semiconductors, and Digital Enterprise segments. Rajiv served as an Executive Council Member of NASSCOM (2001-2008) and is currently part of the Harvard Business School South Asia Advisory Board.

With over two decades of playwriting experience behind him, Ram Ganesh Kamatham’s work has entertained and provoked audiences worldwide with startlingly contemporary themes, bold dramaturgical experimentation and the steadfast pursuit of dramatic truth. His hit comedies include Square Root of Minus One (2002), Dancing on Glass (2004), and Project S.T.R.I.P. (2008). He is a two-time winner of the Sultan Padamsee Playwriting Award for Ultimate Kurukshetra (2011) and his ground-breaking work Undaunted (2020). His genre-defying work includes Creeper (2007) and the site-specific aerial-performance piece Mall Wall (2014). He has written for young people with Beyond the Bubble (2016) and about young people in the cult-classic Crab (2006).

Ram’s practice-led research in the arts has been awarded multiple fellowships and grants, including the Robert Bosch Art Grant (2010), the Asif Currimbhoy Playwriting Fellowship (2009) at Sangam House and the Sarai-CSDS Independent Research Fellowship (2007). He has won the Charles Wallace India Trust Award as an artist and as a researcher in 2007 & 2014, and was a grantee of the India Foundation for the Arts in 2014 & 2019.

He has pioneered the use of ethnographic research methods in playwriting, and has interdisciplinary academic training in the anthropology of media, international relations and strategic studies. His work is often set against an urban backdrop, and his characters and dialogue reflect the unique cosmopolitanism found within Indian cities.

Ram’s early playwriting training was through multiple residencies with the Royal Court Theatre, London. He has attended workshops with Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Martin Crimp among others, which proved transformative and shaped his later playwriting chops. Three systems form the basis of Ram’s physical vocabulary: climbing - with basics from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarakashi, the Japanese system of Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu where he is a 4th Dan black belt holder, and Kalaripayattu learned from the Hindustan Kalari Sangam, Kozhikode.

Dr. Ranjan Pai is the Chairman of the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), the corporate holding entity of the Group that focuses on education, healthcare and research. A medical graduate from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Dr. Pai completed his fellowship in Hospital Administration in the United States. He began his career as the Managing Director of the Melaka Manipal Medical College in Malaysia, which he conceived as a world-class international medical college, further strengthening the Group’s global footprint. Under his guidance and leadership, MEMG started ‘Stempeutics’, a stem cell therapeutics company, which is involved in developing therapeutics from both embryonic as well as adult stem cells. Dr. Pai’s vision and dynamic entrepreneurial skills, coupled with a strong focus on innovation and implementation, have enabled the MEMG to become a major global player in the areas of education, healthcare and research.

Born in Bangalore, the acclaimed contemporary artist Rekha Rodwittiya trained at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda in 1981, and completed her M.A. in painting with an Inlaks Scholarship from the Royal College of Art, London in 1984. She has established a strong, politically vigilant feminist practice that sanctioned her representation of the female figure in a non-voyeuristic manner. The female figures in her work from the 1980s and early 1990s were often tormented and anguished, negotiating antagonistic surroundings. In her later works, however, she celebrated the female form by presenting it in domestic, intimate situations, very often omitting masculine figures and almost always soaked in bright, bold tones. The artist primarily expresses herself in the medium of painting, but her vast oeuvre also includes digital works and sculptural installations.

Ritu Kumar is one of India's foremost designers, who has developed a unique style combining the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship with contemporary innovations. She began her work many years ago in a small village near Calcutta with just four hand-block printers and a couple of tables. Today, her brand is one of the largest and most well-respected designer wear brand in India. She has pioneered the term ‘fashion' in the Indian context and more importantly has demonstrated that hand-made products can be as profitable and even more glamorous than those made by machine. Her brand sources the finest fabrics and craftsmanship from across the country thereby reviving great textile skills and providing employment to hundreds of artisans. In 1999, Kumar published Costumes and Textiles of Royal India which chronicles the history of textiles and art design in India. She has also been awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 from the Indian Government.

Shabana Azmi is an internationally celebrated Indian film actress who believes art should be used as an instrument for social change. Her entry into films marked the way for the Parallel Cinema Movement with Shyam Benegal’s Ankur in 1974. She has won five National Awards for Best Actress and five International Awards for Best Actress. Azmi is also highly respected as a social activist and tireless campaigner for the rights of women, slum dwellers and the underprivileged. A former UN Goodwill Ambassador for Population and Development, she has been nominated as a Global Leadership Ambassador for Women in a public service project initiated by Hillary Clinton. Azmi was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India in 1997. She is a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.She was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Prize at the House of Lords in 2006.

Sharanya Ramprakash is a theatre maker whose work experiments with language, tradition and gender. She writes, acts, directs and collaborates with a range of forms, communities and theatre makers across local, national and international locations. Her latest work includes ‘Akshayambara’ a critical exploration of masculinity in Yakshagana. ‘I am Not Here’ a devised dance drama that examines female censorship. ‘Mythology Upon the Table’, a devised collaboration with Asian artists produced in Taiwan. Her latest Kannada play, ‘Nava’, in collaboration with 9 transwomen is in production. Sharanya is an INLAKS scholar and Member of Lincoln Centre Directors Lab. She is one of the founders of Theatre collective, Dramanon, Bengaluru which produces new writing and nurtures emerging voices.

Shilpa Vijayakrishnan has led the Education & Outreach Department at MAP since its conception, during the course of which she has curated over five exhibitions specially designed for younger audiences, as well as conceptualised and facilitated a range of programmes for schools, children and adults. Former editor of the Tasveer Journal, her articles have been published in publications including the eponymous print edition of the Tasveer Journal, 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 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.

Som Mittal is a prominent international figure in the field of Information Technology and recipient of a lifetime achievement award for outstanding dedication to the growth of the Global ICT industry by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). He has, in the past, also been awarded the Rotary International Business Leader of the Year. Mittal has had more than three decades of experience in the IT and automotive sector, that has included stints in several multinationals such as Hewlett Packard and Wipro. Formerly Chairman and President of Nasscom, he is now on several Boards of companies, educational institutions and social organisations.

Sudha Murthy is an Indian engineering teacher and author in Kannada and English. She began her professional career as a computer scientist and engineer. She is the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a member of public health care initiatives of the Gates Foundation. She has founded several orphanages, participated in rural development efforts, supported the movement to provide all Karnataka government schools with computer and library facilities, and established 'The Murthy Classical Library of India' at Harvard University. Murthy initiated a bold move to introduce computer and library facilities in all schools in Karnataka & taught computer science. She is a columnist for English and Kannada dailies with more than 30 books and 200 titles to her credit – including novels, non-fiction, travelogues, technical books, and memoirs. Her books have been translated into all major Indian languages. She has been honored with awards for her philanthropic and literary efforts. She has also received the Padma Shri Award from the Government of India as well as seven honorary doctorates from universities in India.

William Dalrymple is a British historian, writer, curator as well as prominent broadcaster and critic. His books have won numerous awards including the Duff Cooper and the Wolfson Prize, and he has been 4 times longlisted and once shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. Aside from being a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, he is also one of the co-founders and co-directors of the annual Jaipur Literature Festival.

Ashu Khullar is CEO, Citi India and Citi Cluster Head for South Asia since the year 2019. Ashu is responsible for all of Citi’s businesses in India and has oversight of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Ashu started his journey with Citi India in 1988 and since then, has worked across a number of management roles across Citi. He was last Head of Citi’s Capital Markets Origination (CMO) business for Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. His last role in London was as Co-Head of Citi’s Corporate Banking business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), serving 2,500 corporate, financial institution and public sector clients. Ashu is a member of the Managing Committee at the Indian Banks Association (IBA) and National Executive Committee at Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He is also on the Global Board of Directors at US India Business Council (USIBC).

Shubhasree Purkayastha is the Education Officer at the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore. Prior to joining MAP, Shubhasree was a Curatorial and Research Assistant at Sarmaya Arts Foundation, Mumbai, Archive Associate at the Alkazi Foundation, New Delhi and was a part of the Outreach and Education team at National Museum, New Delhi. Shubhasree has also been awarded the Archival and Museum Research Fellowship by the India Foundation For The Arts (Bangalore) to curate an exhibition around the Pre-Ahom collection of the State Museum, Guwahati. Shubhasree as an MPhil in Arts and Aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, an MA in Art History from National Museum Institute, New Delhi and a BA in History from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi.

Javed Akhtar is a noted script writer, lyricist and poet who belongs to a family lineage that can be traced back to seven generations of writers. The highly-respected Urdu poet Majaz was his mother’s brother and the work of Muzter Khairabadi, his grandfather, is looked upon as a milestone in Urdu poetry. A respected social commentator and activist, Akhtar is a former Member of Parliament. He was the leading force behind the Copyright Amendment bill that restores dignity to lyrics and music composers. He is the recipient of five National Awards for Best Lyricist, 15 Filmfare Awards for Best Script Writer and Best Lyricist, a Sahitya Akademi Award, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.

Rishad Premji is an Indian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist who is the chairman of Wipro Limited. He was until recently the Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for shaping Wipro's strategy to drive sustained and profitable growth. As the Chief Strategy Officer, he led Wipro’s M&A Strategy and conceptualized Wipro Ventures – a $100 million fund to invest in start-ups developing technologies and solutions that will complement Wipro's businesses with next-generation services and products. Rishad is on the Board of the Azim Premji Foundation, one of the largest not-for-profit initiatives in India. The Foundation, which is focused on improving public school education, works with over 350,000 government schools across seven states in India. Separately, he is also on the Board of Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, which provides grants to organizations that contribute to social change. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University in the US. In 2014, he was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for his outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments, and commitment to society.

Nandita Das has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different languages. Her directorial debut in 2008 was Firaaq. She was on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival twice, among others. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work and is a strong advocate for social justice and human rights. She was conferred the ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ by the French Government. Nandita was the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society and wrote a monthly column for 8 years in the Indian magazine, The Week. Manto, Nandita’s second directorial film premiered in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival and travelled to many others around the world. It can be watched on Netflix. Her first book ‘Manto & I’ chronicles her 6-year long journey of making the film. It is available in stores and online.

Vaishnavi Kambadur is an Assistant Curator at the Museum of Art & Photography, Bengaluru. She conducts research related to the craft collection, permanent exhibitions and special exhibitions. Previously, she held internships at Christie’s New York, and teaching positions at The New School. Her most recent project includes a virtual exhibition No Two Motifs are Alike which explores the cultural history of textiles traded from the Indian subcontinent. Kambadur holds a MA in Fashion Studies from Parsons School of Design, New York and a Bachelor’s degree in Knitwear Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi.

Jayachandran Palazhy is a change-maker and a visionary leader whose work has impacted the development of contemporary dance in India through many of his strategic interventions and initiatives. He is an internationally sought after dancer, choreographer, teacher and the Artistic Director of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bengaluru. He has trained in Contemporary Dance, Ballet, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Indian folk dance forms, Kalaripayattu, Tai Chi, Capoeira and African Dance forms. A gifted and innovative choreographer, Jayachandran’s collaborations with international artists have resulted in some very exciting multimedia dance productions such as City Maps, Beyond the Walls for Men, Scanned V, TransAvatar, Purushartha, Chronotopia, MeiDhwani, AadhaaraChakra - a Dancelogue and Bhinna Vinyasa, which have received widespread critical acclaim, and toured extensively within India and internationally. During COVID pandemic he has initiated a new digital arts centre - Attakkalari Culture Port - promoting hybrid performances, events, education and training programmes as well as discourses.

Mallika Prasad is a film, television and theatre personality. She is well known for her television roles in the Kannada mega-serials Naga Kannike, Megha Mayuri, and Gupta Gamini. She essayed the role of the legendary queen of Malwa, Ahilyabai Holkar, in the 2002 historical film, and played the lead role in the 1999 national award-winning film based on the Kannada classic Kanooru Heggadathi, directed by Grirish Karnad. Her engagement with numerous social themes including rain-water harvesting, women’s self-help groups and Carnatic musical instruments found expression through documentary films. She taught spoken English to school children all over India via ISRO’s EDUSAT programme. Mallika is a prominent part of Bangalore’s cultural landscape, having been part of the team that set up the handloom retail store Desi, as well as the Centre for Film and Drama. As a thespian and director, she won the META awards in three categories for her production of the Irish play Translations, and founded the Actors Ensemble India Forum (AEIF). Much of her work at AEIF has been about the urban transformation of Bangalore. As a voice coach, she designed a three-year voice training curriculum for Intercultural Theatre Institute (now ITI, formerly TTRP), and was Artist-in residence at the LASALLE School for the Arts in Singapore.

Guru Bannanje Sanjeeva Suvarna is a Yakshagana Guru, Dancer, Director, Choreographer and Principal of the Yakshagana Kendra, Udupi. A voice of authority on Yakshagana’s Badagutittu tradition, he is a rare “Dasavatari” (one who is proficient in every aspect of Yakshagana). He has trained for 51 years under 21 Gurus, toured 27 countries, directed more than 600 prasangas and trained over 4000 students in the traditional Yakshagana in Udupi, Indrali where he lives with his wife, Veda and two sons, Shishira and Shantanu.