Avid Learning is Essar's cultural arm and India's leading arts and cultural programming platform. Founded in 2009, under the esteemed leadership of Mrs. Madhu Ruia as Founder & Chairperson, Avid Learning has presented more than 1900 multiverse and hybrid programs, domestically and internationally. Together with its online platform – AVID Online launched in 2020 – Avid Learning has reached more than 2 million interested learners, globally.
Our
thoughtfully curated and diverse programs embrace the spirit of collaboration
to bring together the best of Indian and international writers, artists,
intellectuals, cultural experts, policymakers, and industry leaders across
Visual Art, Literature, Culture and Heritage, Education, Design &
Technology and the Performing Arts through engaging and dynamic formats like
panel discussions, workshops & master classes, roundtables, lecture
demonstrations, festival platforms, symposiums & conferences, multidisciplinary
performances, and walkthroughs. Avid Learning workshops are now ISO 29993:2017 certified — an international standard for non-formal education and training services.
We have also made our mark internationally, with events and
collaborations in Dubai and New York. We regularly collaborate and partner with
institutions, organizations, and initiatives like the National Gallery of
Modern Art (NGMA), (CSMVS) Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI), one of the apex bodies that impact cultural policy, and the
creative sector as a whole.
Under the curatorial leadership of our CEO, Asad Lalljee, Avid Learning has been at the programming helm of the Royal Opera House, Mumbai - India's only surviving Opera House since it
was reopened in 2016. Avid Learning also regularly collaborates and partners
with the diplomatic core in India, NGOs, innovative initiatives, and leading
institutions like the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and many more.
We believe in the importance of arts for social change and we regularly offer our support and platforms for Social Advocacy. In April 2020, we launched AVID Online, an online further learning campaign on our social media platforms for our followers to engage with a range of varied topics across the breadth of the arts. Our eclectic faculty of experts, thought leaders, practitioners, and innovators continue to share their learnings, expertise, and knowledge on our social media platforms with tailored content featured weekly for AVID’s online community and beyond.
In collaboration with long-term and new partners, we have since dimensionalized the campaign by re-introducing our existing offline formats and IPs and enhancing them for digital engagement. We have taken our content live with engaging masterclasses and virtual panel discussions and also built robust tangential campaigns and series in support of worthy causes and highlighting topical issues.
AVID continues to give truth to its belief that #LearningNeverStops!
Avid Learning strives to enrich audiences and create unique learning experiences by curating insightful and engaging events that bring together the best of the arts and culture in Mumbai and beyond.
Avid Learning began with an aim to make the arts and culture more accessible and attractive to everyone and provide an unparalleled platform and opportunity for creative changemakers to showcase their talent.
Avid Learning prides itself on achieving excellence, constant learning, teamwork and delivering the best in all its endeavours while always being environmentally conscious.
Mrs. Madhu Ruia, wife of Mr. Ravi Ruia (Vice Chairman of the Essar Group), is a passionate advocate of lifelong learning and the Founder & Chairperson of Avid Learning. Established in 2009, the platform was created to provide opportunities for learners to engage with leading voices across arts, culture, humanities, and emerging fields. Over the years, Mrs. Ruia has also been a strong proponent of FICCI’s Cultural Continuum initiative, supporting and promoting its efforts through the Essar Group and Avid Learning and contributing to the larger dialogue around India’s cultural and creative ecosystem. Her commitment to education led her to pursue courses at The New School, New York, and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS), where she subsequently joined the Board and now holds an honorary position. An accomplished sitar exponent, self-taught artist, and sculptor, Mrs. Ruia has received a prestigious award from the Lalit Kala Academy. She is also a founding member of the Sahachari Foundation, supporting cultural initiatives and emerging creative talent through the Design One exhibitions in Mumbai and Delhi while raising funds for deserving NGOs. Driven by her pioneering vision to foster cross-cultural dialogue and promote diverse artists, Mrs. Ruia expanded her cultural footprint by establishing Avid Learning Middle East (ME). In May 2026, she opened the dedicated Avid Learning Centre for Culture and Creative Expressions at Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai, anchoring a permanent space for cultural exchange and lifelong learning in the region. Under her leadership, Avid Learning ME has actively integrated into the region's premier cultural calendar. The platform champions artists and creative minds through significant participations in major regional forums—including Art Dubai, Dubai Design Week, Sikka Art & Design Festival, Quoz Arts Fest, and COP28—establishing a vital creative bridge between India and the UAE.
Read more
Asad Lalljee is SVP, Essar Group, CEO of Avid Learning, a public programming initiative and creative platform under the Essar Group, and Curator of the Royal Opera House, Mumbai. Asad brings several years of advertising, publishing, marketing, and business development experience, both in international and domestic markets. Prior to relocating to India, Asad worked for 14 years as one of the ‘Mad Men’ advertising executives on New York's Madison Avenue. He was with McCann-Erickson, and earlier with Hill Holiday, a subsidiary of advertising giant IPG. Under Asad’s leadership, Avid Learning has distinguished itself with a wide variety of arts and cultural programming and is currently India’s leading cultural hub. AVID has grown its curatorial practice by leveraging international cultural collaborations through the diplomatic core and partnering with the existing ecosystem by creating opportunities at some of the country’s largest cultural platforms including Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), The Serendipity Arts Festival and The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. In 2022, Asad was co-opted as a member of the Kala Ghoda Association’s Executive Committee. He has been appointed as a member of the advisory board of the Mumbai Urban Art Festival for the year 2022-2023. In 2016, Asad was appointed curator of the newly restored Royal Opera House, Mumbai for which he has successfully designed an avant-garde series of programs. With Asad’s guidance, the Royal Opera House, Mumbai has re-established itself as a performance space of international quality, a cultural venue par excellence, and a prime example of restored and renewed city heritage. In 2018, Asad was inducted into the prestigious FICCI Art and Culture Committee as a distinguished member. FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organization in Indian business with a glorious history of nine decades. Asad has co-convened foray conferences for FICCI’s Smart Cities, Art Cities IP in Mumbai, and Bengaluru. In April 2020, he launched AVID ONLINE as a response to the pandemic and successfully presented 240 programs by March 2021. His curatorial choices demonstrate his passion for technology and new media. After introducing the Mumbai audience to the world of NFTs, Asad took Avid Learning to New York, where he kicked off Engendered, New York’s three-week-long exhibition by moderating a panel discussion on ‘State of the Contemporary: NFTs and the Global South.’ It was followed by moderating the opening session of Jaipur Literature Festival’s, New York edition: ‘Digital Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and the Cyber Future.’ Asad’s creative strategy has led to AVID developing a robust social media presence transforming it into an integral channel for learning. 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).
Read more
