Imagine you are journeying along a road and you reach a point where four roads meet. There is a tree which spreads its roots out and gives you shade. You stop under this tree and sit awhile and serendipitously find other people gathering as well. And then, you find yourself engaged in deep life-changing conversations with these newcomers about journeys you could never have dreamt of. Our Forum is inside such a space where glass walls render it focused yet transparent, where creative minds from many professions come together to exchange their life achievements, travails and pursuits.

The June Forum brought together people from different backgrounds continuing our creative confluence of minds. Our journeys forward are influenced by the meeting of varied ways of thinking and practice. 

This past June we had Dileep Prakash, who brought his personal memories into a universal space by linking his childhood experiences at a boarding school. Can your childhood be another’s? Can your memory of home belong to someone else? Dileep asks searching questions by revisiting his past through 19 boarding schools. The power of metaphor and storytelling to translate an idea was explored by Prashant Prakash, actor, director and co-founder at The Crow. Prashant elaborated on immersive theatre by showing us his production The Floating Market, where we were transported to a world of critters that trade headaches for thought streams and dictionaries become the strength of IV drips. Designer and filmmaker Sherna Dastur showcased her elaborate works for book design from the Khoj book commemorating 10 years of Khoj to a book on artist Nilima Sheik where conceptually the design and artwork shared a common structure. Her collaborative work on the book The Freedom Theatre demonstrated how a deep love for her profession brings about exemplary results in design. With his varied palette of design, art direction and project management, Sunando Chakraborty is Tasveer’s gallery manager by day, moonlighting as a graphic novelist. Sunando shuttles between his exhibition world and ink and pen stories and has published at Manta Ray, Kokaachi, Amar Chitra Katha, LiveMint, Time Out and many others.

One of the top 10 Snapchatters, Koval Bhatia spoke about the power of communication in filmmaking, her experiences with starting a production house A Little Anarchy and digital advertising. Originals, her other production facility focuses on comedy, humour and social content and through Bedlam , a democratic platform, she hosts book-reading, stand-up comedy and experimental music. Tanvi Mishra, Photo Editor at The Caravan shared her experiences with getting in touch with her inner self through photography leading to her working in the field as a curator and editor, and exploring journalism through art. She was guest curator at the second edition of Photo Kathmandu, an outdoor exhibition for local people. Architect Mrinalini Ghadiok, editor at the Indian edition of ‘Mondo Arc’, a leading international design magazine, spoke about the need to subvert mediocrity and bring excellence to the fore: the importance of seeing, thinking, inspiring and reflecting. Mrinalini shared her experience with sound and light shows and architecture, many of which she executed such as at Amer Fort in Rajasthan, Jantar Mantar in Jaipur and Delhi’s Qutub Minar. Mrinalini, who taught at the Sushant School of Architecture emphasized the importance of discussion and discourse.

Sujata Sahu was once in the corporate sector and later as an educator and facilitator for children. A trek to Ladakh changed her life course. Sujata started 17000ft Foundation to transform the lives of indigenous mountain tribes to live better lives without being forced into migration. Now in its fourth year, 17000 ft Foundation covers over 900 schools in Ladakh, supporting the local Government to improve the quality of education for children. Relatively new to the hustle and bustle of New Delhi, Harsh Nambiar spoke about his shift to art history and painting. He had worked as a studio manager and exhibition coordinator for artist Anthony McCall before returning to New Delhi. Part of the core team of Serendipity Arts Festival that launched in December 2016. Harsh now enjoys the freedom of his own studio space to pursue his true passion – painting.