Cultural Continuum: Mapping India’s Culture & Creative Sectors

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. 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.

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 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.

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.

Lily Pandeya is a Civil Servant, serving as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. She comes with a professional experience of over 22 years in various aspects of public administration, human resource management, man power planning and industrial relations. She has worked extensively in the field as well as at the policy making level in the Ministries. In her current assignment, she is looking after International Cultural Relations (ICR), Culture Creative Economy, Public Private Partnership and UNESCO matters related with Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). In her previous tenure she was responsible for setting up of the first of its kind, National Rail & Transportation University under the aegis of Ministry of Railways.  In her career, Lily has attended several seminars and training programs including Advanced Professional Program in Public Administration from Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi; Strategic Management Program, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad; Advance Management Program at INSEAD, Singapore; Advance Management Program at The ICLIF Leadership and Governance Centre, Kuala Lumpur; and, Management Development Program in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behaviour at Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI), India. Lily holds an M. Phil in Public Administration from the Punjab University, India; Master of Public Administration from San Diego State University (SDSU), California, USA; and, Master of Arts in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Lily has been recognized by the California State Assembly as distinguished alumni for community and civic engagement. She received V.K.N Menon award for academic excellence from IIPA and John Fowler Award Scholarship from SDSU. She also received Directors’ Gold Medal at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, and Ratan Lal trophy for best probationer at National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara among other awards and recognitions. Lily has been a regular guest speaker in several national and international seminars and conferences. She has been a guest faculty in ICLIF, Malyasia’s flagship program ‘Women of the World – Be the Change’; hosted the 1st HR Roundtable of Indian Railways; and, has been a regular speaker and panellist in several seminars, conclaves and talks organized by various PSUs and institutions like National Institute of Personnel Management and Indian Society for Training and Development among others.  She is life member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Alpha Alpha US National Honor Societies as well as Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transportation .Lily has co-authored a Coffee Table Book titled ‘Art and Railways – A Bangalore Saga’ published by National Rail Museum, India in 2014. She enjoys music, haiku poetry and  follows international climate debates.

Mrs. Madhu Ruia has been integrally involved in the Essar Group's CSR initiatives which include educational and environmental projects. Being a trained sitarist, and an exponent of Sanskrit literature she is an advocate of the Arts and Culture and a believer in continuous learning. To bring both these passions together, she started Avid Learning, a unique initiative which not only serves as the cultural philanthropy arm of the Essar Group but has grown into a premium cultural platform.

Abha Narain Lambah’s architectural practice covers a range of monuments across India from 15th century temples in Hampi and Ladakh, to colonial buildings in Mumbai and New Delhi, palaces and forts in Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, to ancient archaeological sites in Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Gujarat. She has been advisor to museums such as Indian Museum Kolkata, Prince of Wales Museum Mumbai, Chowmahalla Palace Hyderabad, Lal Bagh Palace Indore and Jaivilas Museum Gwalior. She has also been involved with many urban projects and is active with various citizen’s groups. He practice has been on the Architectural Digest List and AD 100 List and has won 13 UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards

BRINDA MILLER studied at Sir. J.J School of Arts, Mumbai (Textile Design) and at Parsons School of Design, New York (Drawing and Painting). Brinda is a mixed- media artist and has showcased her work through several important art exhibitions. Brinda has also been Hon. Festival Director of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, almost since its inception- KGAF will celebrate its 24th edition in 2024. As Hon. Chairperson of Kala Ghoda Association, she also looks into the restoration of the monuments in this famous heritage Art District of Mumbai. Her concern for Architectural heritage and the environment has led her to actively participate in several art projects in public spaces. Brinda has been on the Advisory Committee of National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. Currently she is Hon. Consultant at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum), Mumbai. She is also on the Advisory board of the CSMVS Children’s Museum.

Meenakshi Shedde is a film curator, arts professional, critic, journalist and consultant, shaping global perceptions of Indian, South Asian cinema since 40 years, based in Mumbai. She was Jury Member, Cannes Film Festival’s Semaine de la Critique 2023. She has been on the jury of 25 film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin and Venice. She was Golden Globe Awards International Voter 2022-23 and is Member, Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA, Australia). A world cinema programmer, she has specialised in Indian, South Asian cinema since 26 years, and has worked with the Berlin Film Festival, TIFF Toronto, British Film Institute, Cinematheque Francaise, Locarno, Busan, Dubai, Jio Mami Mumbai, IFFI-Goa and IFF Kerala film festivals. She has been Script Mentor/Consultant to labs, funds worldwide, including Sundance Institute and Hubert Bals Fund. As filmmaker, she has worked on 15 films, documentaries, series. A journalist, lecturer working worldwide, she has also written for/edited 21 books.

Datta Dave is a Partner at Tulsea, a premier strategic talent and content management firm, representing and advising India’s foremost content creators. Tulsea’s clientele spans multiple platforms, including motion pictures, television, new media, and publishing, with a commitment to nurturing emerging talent poised to become the next generation of preeminent storytellers. Tulsea’s advisory and talent management strategy emphasizes equitable benefits for all stakeholders across the value chain. Datta collaborates with both individual talents and corporate clients from a strategic vantage point. He leverages his profound connections within the Indian and global entertainment industries to guide numerous media and entertainment companies through various growth stages. Before founding Tulsea, Datta served as the business manager for the renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. His career also includes roles as a management and sales strategy consultant for several domestic and international corporations. Datta holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics-Accounting from Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles, California.

Deepti DCunha is a Mumbai-based Film Programmer specialising in contemporary Indian cinema. She is the Artistic Director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She has been the sole features curator and programmer for ‘Viewing Room’ section and the ‘Work-in-Progress Lab’ for NFDC Film Bazaar (2011-2022). She has worked at Indian and international Film Festivals for the past 15 years as South Asia Consultant. These include Venice, Rome, Locarno, Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, Pingyao and other Chinese festivals. Her earlier assignments include programming for the Indian Selection at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (2015-2019), the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF), the International Children's Film Festival of India (ICFFI) and Osian's Cinefan Film Festival. She has been on juries of festivals in India, Russia and China. She is deeply committed towards independent Indian and South Asian cinema; a passion that keeps her driven to scout for new films and fresh talent from all across the country and region.  

Sahil Arora is the founder and curator of Method, an art space that is focused on presenting the works of young artists across different mediums. After a short sting in banking, Sahil has been an entrepreneur for over 10 years.

Ruchira Das is an arts leader with 25 years of experience in working on projects in India and internationally. In Sep 2023 she joined British Council as Director Arts, India. Prior to that she worked as Artistic Director at Arthshila where she oversaw programming of multi arts centres in locations across India. In 2013, she founded ThinkArts to facilitate high quality, transformative arts events for children and young people. She has also been a tutor of Strategic Planning & Financial Management in short courses organised by ARThink South Asia, where she served as the Deputy Director.

Sabbas Joseph brings on board strategic inputs and communication expertise, stemming from his years of being a journalist and his experience of founding and managing Wizcraft. Sabbas founded Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. in 1988 and serves as its Executive Director. He has been actively involved with the media from the beginning of his career. Sabbas has spearheaded and managed several mega corporate events for the company, and lent his strategic foresight for some of the company’s biggest brand launches and events. He heads the Sales and Marketing Team as well as the Corporate and Brand Activation business. He is also a faculty member and guest lecturer at leading communication institutes and an active member of the entertainment committees of CII, FICCI and Event Management Association (EEMA) of India. He was elected as president of EEMA at EEMAGINE 2014, EEMA’s Annual Convention.  

Sanjeev Pasricha is the Grp. CEO of C.S. Direkt Group of Companies which includes C.S. Direkt Events & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd, Destination Direkt, Design Matrix and Vision Direkt. his passion for helping brands create experiences through Experiential & Performance Marketing and switched lanes. Headquartered in New Delhi with offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, CS Direkt and its affiliate organizations have a strong network of associates and a national presence in over 55 cities in India. They have a global footprint in over 17 countries and 23 cities worldwide, where we have executed events. As one of the most established experience management companies in India, CS Direkt is now a market-leader in design and delivery. From Events, Brand Launches Large Format ,Conferences, Activations and international shows, the variety of projects that are being executed, are unique in more ways than one.

Trishla Talera is a cultural producer, curator, creator and founder, director of TIFA by Evolving Culture Foundation, a platform for Creativity and Culture in India. She advocates and supports deeply innovative practices through mentorship, residencies and festivals. In the last decade, her foundation has grown into a dynamic cultural hub in Asia and beyond. She is recognized in the Top 20 women running the Indian art scene by Art Gorgeous. Trishla has been a cultural ambassador to France, Switzerland, Taiwan amongst others. She has presented India's creative and cultural prowess at national forums, like FICCI and CII and international platforms, like in transcultural exchange Conference, Boston and Sessions Residency, Berlin

Smriti Rajgarhia is Director of the Serendipity Arts Foundation and the Serendipity Arts Festival. Trained as an architect with a Masters in Design, Smriti began her career in the arts fourteen years ago working with a private archive in New Delhi, where she eventually created a museum space and archive for the collection. During this stint, her interest expanded into bringing art to the public and contextualizing art within the region through arts education and awareness. Smriti has also curated exhibitions on subjects that reflect the history and relevance of archives. Currently, Smriti is leading the Foundation and working on the Serendipity Arts Festival to bring her passion for art and design to the forefront by creating unique opportunities for creative individuals. With these two platforms, she endeavors to explore newer forms of representation and re-contextualize the kind of programming institutions need to engage with to widen the demographic of the audience for the arts in India. Her personal interest also lies in adapting urban spaces to presentation of the arts, reclaiming the urban and questioning the impact of art and cultural interventions for a city/state/country.

Jamshed Mistry Experienced Counsel with a demonstrated history of working in the law practice industry. Skilled in various type of Litigation, International Law, Media and Entertainment law, Medico Legal, Social and Public Interest causes, Service laws etc. Has qualified from the University of Mumbai - Bachelor of commerce (H. R. College of Commerce & Economics); Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) (Government Law College) & P.G. Diploma in Labour Laws and Labour Welfare (Dr. Ambedkar College of Law). Founder of the internationallegalalliance.com (virtual global network of lawyers). Member of the Bombay Bar Association, the Intellectual Property Rights Practitioners Association, Maximum Lawyer group and Associate member of the Canadian Bar Association (British Columbia branch). Advisory Board member of the South Asian Fashion Week (Vancouver); Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival. Life member of the following institutions – World Zoroastrian Chamber Commence, International Centre Goa, the Ripon Club, St. Mary’s (ISC) High School Alumni Association. Member of the Indo Canadian Business Chamber, and the Lions Club of Byculla. District Chairman – Legal Issues – Lions Club International District. 3231A1 (2021-22). Hon. Board member – Asian Chamber Of Hospitality Industry; United Forum for Legal Studies. Advisory Board member of ADAPT (Formerly Spastics Society of India). Member of College Development Committee of Pravin Gandhi Law College, Mumbai. Melvin Jones Fellow – Lions Club International and Paul Harris Fellow – Rotary International. Hon. Managing Committee member – Bombay Parsee Association. Hon. Legal Advisor – OCA Foundation.

Divya Bhatia is an independent and versatile arts professional, Divya Bhatia is committed to fostering excellence in the performing arts. Since 2008, he is Festival Director and Producer of Jodhpur RIFF, India's leading international roots music festival and leads A & R at Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur. He independently produces and tours theatre and music projects in India and abroad; is director/producer of the Rajasthani music trio SAZ; is an Applied Theatre practitioner and is visiting faculty and research partner at RCSSD (UK); is an actor. Previously, he has been tutor for ARThink South Asia and the South Asia Festivals and Culture Academy; jury member of the Aga Khan Music Awards, WOMEX, Boska Komedia and Adelaide Fringe Festival; consultant to G5A; artistic director of Aadyam; festival director of Prithvi Theatre Festival and the Jaipur Heritage International Festival. 

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.

Ashutosh Phatak is a multi-instrumentalist performer and producer. With over 15 contemporary music albums in the last two decades to his name, he is a much-in demand composer in the advertising and films circles. He has composed music for over 4,000 television commercials and soundtrack for over 10 feature films, including critically acclaimed films like Tamanna (1997), Bombay Boys (1998), White Noise(2004) and acclaimed documentary, Fire in the Blood (2013). A popular figure on the live music scene in India plus a regular at the festival circuit, Ashu has also performed at the Mahindra Blues Festival, Sulafest, NH7 festival, Sunburn as well as international festivals such as South by South West (SXSW) to mention a few. He continues to perform with, and produce, multiple bands across India. Ashu has been at the forefront of the change that has swept across the music landscape in India in the past eight years. He was one of the founding partners of BlueFrog, a brand that single-handedly changed the face of the live independent music scene in India. In 2013, Ashu co-founded the True School of Music, India’s first comprehensive institute of contemporary music. True School: Learn to Sing is a vocal learning app that he conceptualized and developed. Currently he is also a faculty member at True School of Music where he teaches Music in Advertising. In 2017, Ashu co-founded ‘The Quarter’ a unique concept consisting of 4 distinct venues, a live music club, cocktail bar, restaurant and café nestled in Mumbai’s heritage Royal Opera House. Programming includes the best of Jazz, Indie, Folk, World etc. and specially curated one of a kind collaborations.