Smart Cities, Art Cities: Exploring Creative Opportunities

Abhay Mangaldas is the founder and director of The House of MG that manages a cluster of four Heritage Hotel and B & B experiences in revitalised structures ranging from 110 to 300 years old in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Ahmedabad. He is the Managing Trustee of Shreyas Foundation, an educational institution for children and the Convener in Ahmedabad for INTACH.He spent the last two decades restoring and revitalising tangible and intangible heritage in Ahmedabad. He manages a few museums and galleries that showcase traditional Indian textiles and other crafts from across India and from Gujarat in particular. He is shortly opening a new gallery for jewelry and silver objects from his family collection and one for contemporary art made using technology (with some of India’s leading contemporary artists). As Convener for INTACH, he has signed MOU's with the local civic body to create a Model Heritage Street in Ahmedabad's Walled City and Smart QR coded and 'call back' signage for all heritage monuments. As Managing Trustee of Shreyas, he has initiated the plantation of 20,000 trees in last two years using the Miyawaki Method making it the greenest 28-acre campus in Ahmedabad that includes recharge wells that ensure that no rain-water flows out into the drain. His ongoing project is to make prefabricated 'Green' buildings that are specially designed for fragile landscapes. Abhay holds a MSc degree in Mass Communication from Boston University, USA with a Computer Animation Major. He lives and works in Ahmedabad.

Asad Lalljee is SVP Essar Group and CEO of Avid Learning, a public programming initiative and creative platform under the Essar Group. 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 has distinguished itself with a wide variety of arts and cultural programming and is currently at the forefront of India’s 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 and region’s largest cultural platforms including JLF, The Serendipity Arts Festival and The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Asad co-curated the Literature Section at Kala Ghoda for two years. Asad’s career also demonstrates his passion for technology and new media. Under his leadership AVID has a robust social media presence and uses social media as an integral channel for learning. In 2016, Asad was appointed curator of the newly restored Royal Opera House, Mumbai for which he has successfully designed a robust program. Under 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 of Indian business with a glorious history of nine decades. FICCI cuts across 72 different sectors and has started working for the cause of the Indian Art and Culture Industry since 2015. 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).

Abhishek Poddar is a collector and patron of the arts. He is the founder of the Museum of Art & Photography in Bengaluru, and also serves on the advisory committees of several other cultural institutions including the Deccan Heritage Foundation and FIND (Foundation Inde-Europe de Nouveaux Dialogues or the India-Europe Foundation for New Dialogues), and as part of the Lincoln Center Global Council, USA. Poddar is married to Radhika Sanghi, founder of the design and lifestyle store Cinnamon.

Aditya Arya is an eminent commercial and travel photographer. Over the last few years, he has honed his skills and knowledge on preservation, restoration and archiving particularly through the documentation of historic photographic works from the Kulwant Roy Collection of the pre and post Independence era. He has played a pivotal role in the establishment of India Photo Archive Foundation and the Neel Dongre Awards/Grants for Excellence in Photography. He divides his time between his photography archive and Museo Camera - the only Photography and Camera Museum in India. With more than 1000 rare and iconic cameras and other equipment, this museum traces the history of photography from the 1870s to the Digital Era. He has been on the Jury of the National Art Exhibition 2014 organized by Lalit Kala Akademi among others. He has also curated several shows of archival and contemporary visual works, both nationally and internationally. He is a guest faculty at Sri Aurobindo Centre of Art and Communication, and also previously at the Jamia Millia Islamia University’s Institute of Mass Communication. He was a mentor at Habitat Photosphere, Director at the Academy for Photographic Excellence (APEX), and a Guest Fellow and Curator at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla.

Dr. Bertrand de Hartingh grew up in Canada and Europe. He studied at France’s most prestigious University (ENS Ulm, alma mater of many Nobel, Fields and Goncourt laureates). He obtained his Ph.D. from Paris Sorbonne University with the highest honors. He hails from a distinguished family; his mother was amongst the very first women Ambassadors of France. Dr. de Hartingh began his diplomatic career in 1990 with a first posting in Vietnam. He stayed in the country for 12 years, first at the French Embassy as Attaché for Cultural Affairs, then as a scholar of the French School for Asian Studies, and thereafter as a consultant in the field of good governance and cultural exchanges. In addition to his own research, he developed many joint French-Vietnamese research programmes. Counted amongst the first specialists of Modern Vietnamese history, he published, spoke and intervened widely on the subject in many different countries, including at the University of Tokyo and on the National Geographic Channel. His contribution to the Vietnamese War legacy brought him special recognition from the Kentucky State Government (he is one of the very few French citizens who was made Honorary Colonel by the State Government). In 1998, Dr de Hartingh took the first exhibition on Vietnamese art from the XXth Century to Europe in collaboration with the European Union. He was also the Chairman of the French Lycée in Hanoi from 1997 to 2001. Dr. de Hartingh was posted in Russia starting 2001, where he curated France’s participation at the 300th commemoration of Saint-Petersburg. He was the youngest ever Cultural Counsellor nominated to the Embassy of France in Moscow thanks to his endeavours in framing new cultural and academic partnerships between North-West Russia and France. Moving back to France, he became Advisor to two successive Director Generals of the Ministry’s Cooperation and Development Department, at a time when the Ministry was putting into place the new law for the State Budget. Amongst other roles, he specifically conceived of a novel way to manage the large budget of the department. His time in Paris was followed by two four-year stints, first in Mexico, then in Indonesia, as head of the Cooperation and Cultural Services. There he launched many innovative programmes including Night of the Stars in Mexico, curated many exhibitions including the biggest exhibition of the ‘world’s greatest living artist’, Pierre Soulages and created many new structures such as the French Institute in Indonesia, always keeping in mind that a good cooperation should strengthen its partners. Researcher, writer and diplomat, Dr de Hartingh has lived and worked in many American, European and Asian countries and at various institutions: French Foreign Service, British DFID, World Bank…. He is also an art curator and has co-published on art. He has an eclectic collection, especially from Vietnam. He fluently speaks 7 languages. Dr. de Hartingh first came to India in January 2016 as part of the French presidential delegation. He was subsequently posted in New Delhi in February 2016 as Counsellor for Education, Science and Culture at Embassy of France and Country Director of the French Institute in India. He was Chief Curator of Bonjour India 2017-2018, an Indo-French platform for Innovation & Creativity that transpired in 33 Indian cities across four months and over 100 projects. Dr. de Hartingh is married to Trinh Huong Lan, a theatre-artist from the National Theatre of Vietnam as well as an art critic and design professional. They have two children.

Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey is the Founding Director of Science Gallery Bengaluru. A historian of science and filmmaker, she is the author of Atomic State: Big Science in Twentieth Century India and director-producer of the documentary Cyclotron.

Kamini Sawhney has recently joined the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bangalore as its Director. MAP is an upcoming museum that is set to open its door to the public in the latter end of 2020. Designed as a 44,000 square foot facility in the heart of the city, it will be spread across five floors and will house multiple galleries, an auditorium, a research library, a conservation lab, classrooms, a museum store and cafe. She was previously the head of the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation – one of the best private collections of Modern Indian Art put together over four decades by its founder Jehangir Nicholson. The collection is now on long term loan to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum) and the Jehangir Nicholson gallery functions as the modern art wing of the Museum. In addition to her role as curator, Kamini was the Chief Project Coordinator for the landmark exhibition – India and The World presented in 2017-18 by the CSMVS in collaboration with the British Museum and the National Museum, New Delhi. Bringing institutions together in collaborative projects has been of one her special skills enabling audiences in Mumbai the opportunity to enjoy several exhibitions that have resulted from collaborations with Tate, London, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, the KNMA, New Delhi and TIFR, Mumbai. Kamini was selected for the Brooks fellowship at Tate Modern, London in 2014 in collaboration with the Delfina Foundation. In her earlier role as journalist and television anchor, Kamini was the Bureau Chief of NDTV, Mumbai where she reported on her whole range of events both political and cultural. Prior to this her first television stint was with the government’s broad casting wing, Doordarshan News. She has reported from all over India as well as internationally, covering news from Brazil, Australia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia.

A visionary, entrepreneur, business leader, orator, former venture capitalist and curator of INKtalks, Lakshmi Pratury founded INK in 2010, with a certain urgency to tell India’s untold stories. She believes in the power of community to nurture leaders from diverse disciplines and create impact. The ripple-effect of transformation created by INK and its supporting ecosystem have been massive. Not only has INK given voice to unheard stories of game-changers, but has also helped develop them into inspiring leaders. In 2009, Lakshmi co-hosted TEDIndia in Mysore alongside Chris Anderson, the curator of the TED conference. From there on, she has constantly worked to find and create role-models. Anti-trafficking activist Sunitha Krishnan, internationally-known for her fight against commercial sexual exploitation of girls, was brought to speak at TED India 2009 by Lakshmi. She has also been instrumental in bringing influential organisations like Google, Tata Trust, Mytrah Energy on board to support the INK Fellows Program. Through this network, entrepreneurs from diverse disciplines have been able to raise grants and investments, get assignments worth over $5M from stalwarts like Ratan Tata, Google’s Rajan Anandan, GenPact’s Pramod Bhasin, Venture Capitalist Vani Kola, and others. Every year since 2010, Lakshmi has also curated and hosted the annual INK Conference which brings together some of the world’s biggest visionaries. like filmmaker James Cameron, CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, Telangana’s Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao, musician Usha Uthup, designer Philippe Starck, first female private space explorer Anousheh Ansari, Nobel Laureates Sydney Brenner and Kailash Satyarthi, to name a few. This conference has been instrumental in spurring major collaborations between companies, community leaders and cultural icons. Lakshmi has also served twice as director and co-host of the SingularityU India Summit, which was held over two consecutive years in Mumbai. She has tremendous stage presence, built over years of practice, speaking at conferences such as TED, DLD, WIRED and C2MTL, in addition to hosting eight major INK events in Asia. Lakshmi has published articles in the San Jose Mercury, San Francisco Chronicle, Mint, interviewed celebrities, contributed to radio shows, including National Public Radio, and acted in local (US) theatre. Prior to INK, Lakshmi spent over two decades in the US, in leading roles in technology (Intel), venture capital (Global Catalyst Partners), and non-profit organizations (American India Foundation). She holds MBAs from Portland State University and the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, attended IIT Mumbai, and was a gold medalist in undergraduate mathematics at Osmania University, Hyderabad. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including being named “Inspirational Icon” at the Audi Ritz Icon Awards in 2015, and was also featured in the Forbes’ list of “Women to Watch in Asia”. Lakshmi currently splits her time between Bangalore, India and San Francisco, USA.

Lynne Fernandez is a trained Psychologist and spent the first years of her professional life working with seriously disturbed young adults, at a facility in Bangalore, India. The next phase of her life saw her work as a successful Tour Director with a high- end Travel company, which allowed her to travel extensively across India and Nepal, during which she would lecture on Indian culture and wildlife. She has worked as an actress and light designer with many notable directors including Barry John, Joy Michael, Ranjit Kapoor, and Lillete Dubey, and was amongst the first practicing light designers (and perhaps the first woman Lighting Directors) in India. Her theatre work has been presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the West End and off-Broadway. Lynne came to Nrityagram in 1993 as Production and Technical consultant to the newly founded Ensemble. She stayed on as Technical Director and in 1997 was appointed Managing Trustee of the Odissi Dance Centre Trust which oversees Nrityagram Village, School and Ensemble. As Lighting Director of Nrityagram, Lynne has lit the Ensemble on stages across India (from NCPA, Mumbai to Konarak, Orissa, Music Academy, Chennai to the Purana Qila, Delhi) and the globe, including The Joyce Theatre, New York, Sydney Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, London, The Esplanade, Singapore, and others. As Managing Trustee, she is responsible for administration, fund-raising and project development. Her recent projects include Kula, a residence where arts practitioners can live and create new work, and a Performing Arts Centre comprising a theatre, exhibition space and rehearsal studios. She has also overseen the emergence of the Nrityagram Ensemble on to the international arena.

Manasi Prasad is a musician, a museum director, an MBA and a mother. She is an acclaimed Indian classical vocalist and the Museum Director of the Indian Music Experience - India's first hi-tech music museum. Manasi has learnt Carnatic classical music from renowned gurus such as RK Padmanabha in Bangalore and Sriram Parasuram in Chennai. She started performing concerts at the age of 9 and since then has performed widely across India and in 6 continents around the world! Manasi is a recipient of several awards in music, including the prestigious Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Govt. of India. Manasi is an engineering graduate, and went on to do her MBA from IIM Bangalore, where she won the Aditya Birla Scholarship. She has been awarded a Fellowship by the TED Organization, and has been recognized as one of the 35 'Indians of Tomorrow' by the India Today publications.

Meena Vari is the Dean at the School of Media Arts and Sciences and Dean of Contemporary Art and Curatorial Practice at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology (http://srishti.ac.in/). She coordinates activities of the Center for Experimental Media &Arts (CEMA) and works closely with artists to develop the practice of Contemporary arts in Srishti and outside. Since 2004, she has been curating an annual international project called ‘Srishti Festival of Ideas and Performance’ by inviting Contemporary artists from around the world. She is interested in curatorial practice as a form of cultural place-making, experience, cognition and knowledge making. Meena has a degree in Political Science and Education from New Delhi, which spurred on her career in curation and Arts Management. She is a Chevening scholar on the Clore Leadership in the Arts Programme, UK (2013- 2014). She received Fulbright Scholarship for a course in Arts and Culture Management from the University of New Orleans (2001-2002), USA. She has collaborated with International art and Design Universities as well as arts organizations like TATE UK, Kochi Biennale Foundation, Chennai Photo Biennale, Ars Electronica- Linz,, and Center for Research in Sound Art Practice London, Transmediale Berlin and more. As an Independent curator, she is an advisor and consultant for some private art organisations and also curated contemporary art from India in national and international venues, most recent one was at Srishti Outpost – as collateral Site at the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2016, National Gallery for Modern Art, Mumbai 2017, Indira Gandhi Center for Contemporary Arts in 2018.

Sanjoy K. Roy an entrepreneur of the arts, is the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 25 highly acclaimed performing arts, visual arts and literary festivals across 40 cities in countries such as Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA, including the world’s largest free literary gathering — the annual ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival. Roy has received the National Award for Excellence and Best Director for the film Shahjahanabad: The Twilight Years. He 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 where over 55,000 children have benefited from education, training and residential services. In 2011, the White House presented SBT the US President’s Committee of Arts and Humanities Award for an International Organisation. Roy works closely with various industry bodies on important policy issues within the cultural space in India and is a senior office bearer on several committees working on policy infrastructure for the creative industries - he is Co-chair of the Art and Culture Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and President of Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA).

Ritu Khoda founded Art1st in 2009 with a vision to create spaces and programmes that make the visual arts more accessible, action-oriented and relevant for various audiences. She has published several award-winning art books for children and produced critically acclaimed films. She works with renowned artists and psychologists to develop programmes for children, teachers, educators and lovers of art. Ritu holds a master’s degree in business administration from IIM Kolkata and a B.A. (Hons.) in Psychology from Lady Sri Ram College, New Delhi. She worked at India’s prominent advertising agency, JWT for several years, before she finally quit to pursue her dream.

Sadhana Rao is a research-led writer and curator in the Arts & Culture area. She has written on Travel, Socio-Economics, Literature, Film festivals & Music for leading newspapers and journals such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, Deccan Chronicle, Tehelka, Shruti etc. As a curator of Music & Arts Intelligence segments at conferences, she has worked across music genres from Western Classical ensembles to Hindustani & Carnatic Classical performers to weave narrative backed lecture demonstrations that explain fundamental elements of music. She has curated Music & Arts segments at Think Fest, EO Summits, Corporate Annual Offsites etc. She continues her volunteering at SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth), where since her days at Miranda House and Delhi School of Social Work she has participated in a number of programs that have taken Gurus and Masters in the Arts to schools and colleges. As a passionate believer in the concept that art knows no hierarchies, as a Music & Arts Education entrepreneur, she co-Founded Art Links Learning, which over the years developed its own pedagogy and delivery methodology leveraging the alchemy of Teachers and Technology to drive specific Learning Outcomes that suit age and context appropriate Music & Arts intelligence. She built a three-day Academic conclave “Universe of Sound” covering Melody, Rhythm & Harmony where music pedagogy was shared in performances featuring India’s most followed artists in Music & Dance. 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.

Shinie Antony has written short-story books Barefoot and Pregnant, The Orphanage For Words, and novels When Mira Went Forth and Multiplied, A Kingdom for his Love. She has compiled the anthologies Why We Don’t Talk, An Unsuitable Woman and Boo. Co-founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival and director of the Bengaluru Poetry Festival, her story A Dog’s Death won the Commonwealth Short Story Asia prize in 2003. The Girl Who Couldn’t Love, published by Speaking Tiger, is her latest novel.

V. Ravichandar is Chairman, Feedback Consulting and Hon. Consul, Republic of Slovenia in Bangalore. Ravichandar was a member of the Expert Committee on BBMP Restructuring exercise. He set up a City Connect platform for Corporates, Civil Society and Government to work together in 5 cities. Tender SURE in Bangalore, streets built around pedestrians, was a City Connect initiative. Ravichandar has been active on urban issues in India on a pro bono basis since 2000 when he was a member of BATF and instrumental in designing SAS property tax system. Ravichandar is Hon. Director of Bangalore International Centre and is part of the core team for the annual Bangalore Literature Festival. He is involved in multiple social initiatives in K-12 education for the underprivileged, Takshashila Institution, Attakkalari, etc. Ravichandar has a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad with over 38-years industry experience.