AVID LEARNING — YEAR IN REVIEW 2025
2025 was a year of motion, across cities, disciplines, and conversations. What remained constant was our belief in culture as a public good and learning as a collective act. Whether convening national conversations on the creative economy, launching bold new IPs in Mumbai, deepening our engagement with artificial intelligence, or expanding our footprint in the Middle East, 2025 reaffirmed our role as a platform for dialogue and discovery.
As we reflect on a year rich with ideas, voices, and experiences, we thank our audiences, collaborators, partners, and supporters for travelling this journey with us. Here’s a look back at how 2025 unfolded, and a glimpse at what awaits.
CULTURAL FESTIVALS AS PLATFORMS: FROM ARCHITECTURE AND CINEMA TO LITERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT
This year, Avid Learning strengthened its presence across leading cultural festivals, presenting interdisciplinary sessions spanning architecture, cinema, literature, design, and the environment. We introduced new international collaborations, spotlighted diverse artistic voices, and advanced conversations on sustainability, storytelling, and contemporary creative practice. Our specially curated sessions at each festival brought thoughtfully crafted perspectives to diverse audiences, reinforcing our role as a catalyst for cross-disciplinary exchange. Founder of Avid Learning, Mrs. Madhu Ruia, and CEO, Asad Lalljee, also participated in and moderated multiple sessions across these platforms, ensuring strong representation and helping shape meaningful, future-focused conversations within the creative ecosystem.
Logos : Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF), New York, brought to Mumbai by STIR, Jaipur Literature Festival, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest, ART MUMBAI, Waterfront Indie Film Festival, All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) Godrej Design Lab’s Conscious Collective Serendipity Arts Festival’s 10th anniversary edition, Art Dubai, Indiaspora.
SHAPING CULTURAL POLICY: 8 YEARS OF ADVOCATING FOR INDIA'S CREATIVE ECONOMY
For 8+ years, Avid Learning has remained committed to strengthening India’s cultural and creative economy. In 2025, we co-convened and contributed to major national conclaves across New Delhi, Kozhikode, Gwalior, and Mumbai, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, cultural practitioners, and academics to champion culture as a pillar of national development. The sixth edition of the FICCI Mumbai Chapter, hosted at Essar House, further underscored our role in driving the city’s creative momentum. Across these cities, the dialogues generated insights and recommendations that will be presented to the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, through a consolidated white paper.
BEYOND THE PAGES: LITERATURE IN THE LIMELIGHT
Literature remained at the heart of Avid Learning’s programming in 2025, bringing some of the most influential voices of our time into direct conversation with Mumbai audiences. Highlights included special evenings with Amitav Ghosh and Gulzar saab, along with an engaging session with global children’s author David Walliams. The year also featured key book launches, including Tangerine by Namita Devidayal, Sanjoy K. Roy’s There’s a Ghost in My Room, and Sidharth Bhatia’s Mumbai: A Million Islands. We closed the year by commemorating a decade of the Murty Classical Library of India.
CULTURAL DIPLOMACY IN ACTION: BRINGING THE BEST OF GLOBAL ARTISTS TO MUMBAI
Avid Learning strengthened its cultural diplomacy through impactful collaborations with international partners. Neapolis 2500, an energetic celebration of Naples’ heritage, was presented with the Consulate General of Italy and Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Reflet, a dynamic multidisciplinary performance, was staged with Alliance Française Bombay, supported by the Embassy of France, Institut Français, and Alliance Française India. The Royal Opera House also welcomed exceptional global artists, including Steve Barakatt, Charu Suri, and Singularity (Mark Hartsuch and Nastya Saraswati), who collectively broadened Mumbai’s musical horizons.
SUSTAINABILITY NOW: WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART IN THE CLIMATE CONVERSATION
One of our flagship series entered a new phase this year with a landmark partnership with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. Together, we launched accessible, interdisciplinary programmes that connected scientific inquiry with art, design, policy, and lived experiences, with two sessions on biodiversity, climate change, and changing marine ecosystems. We also extended our association with the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) through a special World Water Day edition of The Shape of Water. The series continues to be a shared platform for artists, researchers, technologists, environmentalists, and policymakers to spark more conscious and collaborative futures.
NEW SERIES - ICONS OF BOMBAY: DECODING THE DNA OF THE CITY THROUGH ITS EVERYDAY MARKERS
We launched Icons of Bombay, a brand-new IP and the latest chapter in our flagship series Uncovering Urban Legacies. This new edition shifts the lens to the everyday markers that define the city’s character, asking once again the essential question: What makes Mumbai… Mumbai? Across five engaging episodes, we delved into the stories behind some of the city’s most beloved icons.
NEW SERIES - MOTIFS, MATERIALS, AND MAKERS: HOW ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TELL MUMBAI'S LAYERED STORIES
Another new IP, Motifs, Materials, and Makers, is an architectural and design series inspired by the idea that Mumbai tells vivid stories through its built environment. Through three episodes, the series re-examined the design traditions that have shaped the city’s distinctive architectural identity to give form to its layered histories.
LIVE AT THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE: A YEAR OF POWERFUL PERFORMANCES
We curated yet another unforgettable season of live performances at the Opera House, bringing together classical mastery, contemporary exploration, and cultural storytelling on the iconic stage.
AVID LEARNING MIDDLE EAST
This year, Avid Learning M.E. strengthened its presence across the region with standout engagements at Art Dubai and the Indiaspora Forum for Good, bringing together leading artists, curators, and cultural changemakers. We increased our active participation in Dubai’s major neighbourhood festivals and presented a wide range of workshops and public sessions. Our climate-conscious programming included workshops on natural pigments, composting, bio-enzymes, smart energy systems, and sustainable urban innovation. We are also proud to announce that Avid Learning M.E. is now KHDA-approved, a significant step in expanding our educational impact and creative learning across the UAE.
UPCOMING ATTRACTIONS – A SNEAK PEEK INTO 2026
2026 will begin with a key collaboration with Mumbai Climate Week, featuring climate-focused programs that further strengthen our resolve for sustainability. We will also see the return of Jnanpith Award winner Amitav Ghosh to the Royal Opera House, Mumbai, for the launch of Ghost-Eye. We will continue our partnership with ADFF: STIR, themed Mumbai Transcripts for its second edition, and in mid-January, we will once again collaborate with the Jaipur Literature Festival.
We will continue to bring you the finest international and local artistic voices, complemented by a robust lineup of thoughtfully curated programming across both new and ongoing series.
We look forward to an inspiring year ahead,and as always, #LearningNeverStops.
